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The Dogs knew they were going to have their hands full when they hosted the Mainstreeters, who have made state appearances in 1994, 1999, 2000, and 2001. Sauk Centre has placed third and fourth in state the past two years.

Last year, the Bulldogs won a set against Sauk Centre for the first time in years, and last week the Dogs rallied to win the five-set match.

Trailing two sets to one, the Dogs came out slow in the fourth set, as Sauk took a 9-2 lead and appeared on the verge of victory. But the bulldogs rallied, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to win the set 15-11 and to force a fifth set.

Junior hitter Jessica Vivrant spikes volleyball for the Bulldogs

The Bulldogs won the fifth set 16-14 and won the match 3-2.

The Dogs played awesome as a team and were having fun while doing it. "That's what I call volleyball," said coach Sheila Mayer after the game.

The team played well at the net and communicated well, which they needed because the crowd was extraordinarily loud that night.

In the first set, the Bulldogs came out slow as the Mainstreeters took a 7-2 lead. The Dogs cut the score to 7-5 but it wasn't enough as Sauk Centre scored eight of the next nine points to win 15-6.

In the second set, Paynesville trailed 6-3 when sophomore Brittany Lieser served five straight points, including two aces, as the Dogs built an 8-6 lead, prompting the Mainstreeters to call timeout. Sauk got within 12-11 when Lieser served another three straight points to win the set 15-11. Senior Morgan Martinson had a kill to jump start the Dogs' final run.

Sauk won the third set 15-6, setting the stage for the Dogs' dramatic comeback.

Martinson led the Bulldogs with 11 kills and junior Amanda Glenz, senior Mindy Meagher, and Lieser each added six kills. Paynesville's setters, juniors Amy Roberg and Jessica Paul, were both 100 percent for the night. At the net, Meagher led with three ace blocks, with junior Jessie Virant and Glenz each adding two blocks.

The victory was the Dogs' first of the year, raising their record to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the WCC North.

The Bulldogs hosted New London-Spicer on Monday, Sept. 9, and traveled to Melrose on Tuesday, Sept. 10. This week, the Bulldogs will play at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle on Thursday, will play in a tourney at Minnewaska on Saturday starting at 9 a.m., and will host Albany on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Sauk Centre--	15	11	15	11	14
Paynesville--	6	15	6	15	16

Individual Results
Hitting: Martinson 30/36 - 11A; Glenz 48/49 - 6A; Meagher 29/31 - 6A; Lieser 22/24 - 6A;
Serving: Lieser 25/28 - 4A; Martinson 20/22 - 2A; Roberg 13/15 - 2A;
Blocks: Meagher 3A; Virant 2A; Glenz 2A;
Assists: Roberg 71/71 - 19A; Paul 59/59 - 10A;
Digs: Martinson 64/80; Glenz 30/35; Lieser 38/52.

ACGC 3, Paynesville 2
The Bulldogs lost a thrilling five-set match at ACGC on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Grove City. Both teams played very well, but the Dogs didn't have enough to pull it off.

The Dogs led two sets to one and were within one point of winning the match in the fourth set but lost that set 19-17 and then lost the fifth set 15-9.

The Bulldogs came out strong in the first set and won 15-12, but the Falcons came back strong and took the second set by the same score. The Dogs took the third set, again by the same score, 15-12.

The fourth set was the most exciting of the night. The Bulldogs led 14-11, but the Falcons caught up and forced extra points. The Dogs missed several serves in crucial parts of this game, which made it impossible to score. The final score in the fourth set ended up at 19-17 in favor of ACGC.

By the fifth set, the Bulldogs lost their enthusiasm and lost 15-9, heading home with their second loss of the season. "We learned a lot from this game and improved a lot compared to last week's game," said junior Amanda Glenz.

Junior Jessica Paul led the Dogs in serving, going 22/24 with two aces. She was followed by senior Mindy Meagher (21/25 with three aces) and sophomore Brittany Lieser (20/23 with two aces).

Senior Morgan Martinson led the Bulldogs at the net with 18 kills. Glenz had six blocks, and junior Jessie Virant added five.

Paynesville--	15	12	15	17	9
ACGC--	12	15	12	19	15

Individual Results
Hitting: Morgan Martinson 39/50 - 18A; Mindy Meagher 33/38 - 7A; Brittany Lieser 21/30 - 8A;
Serving: Jessica Paul 22/24 - 2A; Meagher 21/25 - 3A; Lieser 20/23 - 2A;
Blocks: Amanda Glenz 6A; Jessica Virant 5A;
Assists: Amy Roberg 80/84 - 17A; Paul 79/79 - 15A;
Digs: Martinson 24/59; Meagher 25/27.