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Paynesville led 12-4 in the first game, but Maple Lake made a comeback using tough serves. Paynesville struggled but took a 15-12 win in the first game. The Bulldogs' serve receive hurt their game against Maple Lake, giving the Lakers more points than they deserved. Paynesville again took the lead in the second game, but Maple Lake gained the momentum and a 14-8 lead.

Senior Heidi Jansen served seven points, including six aces, to give Paynesville the lead at 15-14. However, the Bulldogs were unable to hold onto the lead and Maple Lake scored three more points to win the second game, 17-15. "We were riding a rollercoaster. One game, we were up. And then the next, we were down," said junior Morgan Martinson.

In the third game, the Bulldogs pulled together to win 15-9. Then the Dogs took control in the fourth game to win 15-2.

Paynesville's blocking and hitting came on fire in the fourth game. The Bulldogs' serve receive also was better, which allowed them to play at a higher level and take an easy win.

Senior Sara Lieser led the Bulldogs with seven ace hits, and Martinson led in blocks with five. Seniors Ashley Wall and Melissa Bachman contributed three ace blocks apiece.

Maple Lake--	12	17	9	2
Paynesville--	15	15	15	15

Individual Statistics
Hitting: Sara Lieser 14/16 - 7A; Morgan Martinson 9/10 - 4A; Mindy Meagher 12/17 - 4A;
Serving: Lieser 18/18 - 3A; Heidi Jansen 30/34 - 7A; Martinson 9/11 - 3A;
Blocks: Martinson - 5A; Ashley Wall - 3A; Melissa Bachman - 3A;
Assists: Lisa Hemingson 23/23 - 7A; Hannah Braun 30/ 31 - 6A;
Digs: Braun 8/8; Lieser 7/8.

ACGC 3, Paynesville 1
The Paynesville Bulldogs were unable to come through with a win in their four-game match against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in their last regular season game. A victory would have given the Bulldogs a winning record for the regular season, but the Dogs had to settle for a record of 9-10. "The ball went back and forth between both teams," said junior Mindy Meagher. "We never won the volleys when it was our point."

Despite the festivities for Senior's Night, the Bulldogs started off slowly and lost the first game 15-6. ACGC took an early 10-4 lead and held on to win the game.

"I don't think the team was mentally prepared for this game tonight," said coach Sheila Mayer.

The Paynesville Bulldogs smoked the Falcons in the second game, 15-9, but lost control in the third game and lost by the same score 15-9.

Paynesville lost the match when they fell 15-9 again in the fourth game.

Martinson led the team with 18 ace hits. Meagher added six and Wall contributed five. Meagher also had six ace blocks, while Wall had four and Bachman three.

Senior Jenny Habben went 17-18 at the service line with three ace serves. Jansen had two ace serves.

Setters Hannah Braun and Lisa Hemingson each had 16 set assists.

Even though the Bulldogs didn't win, they played well statistically. They served 82/92 (89 percent), their serve receive was 88 percent, their digging was 81 percent, and their hitting was 131/161 with a 27 percent kill percentage.

"The only thing we were real low on was blocking," said Mayer. "There were only three solo blocks and 12 assists, which means there were only nine ace blocks in four games."

The Bulldogs will get a second chance against the Falcons, as they will host ACGC in the first round of the subsection playoffs. The Bulldogs (9-10) are seeded fourth, and the Falcons (7-18) are seeded fifth. The two teams will play again on Thursday night in Paynesville at 7 p.m.

The winner advances to the subsection semifinals at New London-Spicer on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. The most likely opponent in the semifinals is top-seeded and state-ranked Sauk Centre.

ACGC--	15	9	15	15
Paynesville--	6	15	9	9

Individual Results
Individual Statistics Hitting: Morgan Martinson 42/48 - 18A; Mindy Meagher 24/31 - 6A; Ashley Wall 15/16 - 5A; Heidi Jansen 15/18 - 5A;
Serving: Jen Habben 17/18 - 3A; Jansen 13/14 - 2A; Lisa Hemingson 13/14 - 1A;
Blocks: Meagher - 6A; Wall - 4A; Melissa Bachman - 3A;
Assists: Hannah Braun 65/66 - 16A; Hemingson 61/62 - 16A;
Digs: Jansen 30/35; Habben 18/22; Braun 18/22.