Sports, RRCC

The Rainy River Community College Voyageurs had an up-and-down first month of the season.
Their first seven matches of the year were on the road, they’ve hosted only one match since Aug. 23 and the roster was in flux until the conference season started in mid-Sept.
Now, with a set lineup of dedicated players and four straight home matches, RRCC is eyeing improvement after opening the year 1-14 overall and 1-5 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference.

The Rainy River Community College Voyageurs struggled out of the gates Wednesday against Central Lakes College and lost 3-0 on the road (25-12, 25-8, 25-20).
The Raiders, the defending NJCAA Division III national champions, improve to 8-7 overall and to 5-1 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference.
Carley Lake led the Voyageurs (1-14 overall, 1-5 MCAC) with eight kills, while Monica McAllister dished out 12 set assists.
RRCC’s next bit of action is Wednesday at home against Itasca.

Rainy River Community College split the first two games Friday with Hibbing but eventually lost 3-1 in the home opener (25-12, 20-25, 25-19, 25-14).
Nicole Beckel led the Voyageurs with 11 kills, while Carley Lake added nine kills. Monica McAllister dished out 17 set assists and Sam Alberts had 14 digs.
It was RRCC’s first home match after a month of action and it opens a stretch of home matches for the Voyageurs. After traveling Wednesday to Central Lakes, RRCC plays in four straight home contests on Oct. 1, 3, 4 and 8.
Wednesday’s match begins at 6:30 p.m. in Brainerd, Minn.

The Rainy River Community College volleyball season started nearly a month ago, and tonight the Voyageurs play host to their first home match.
“It’ll be good to be home finally,” RRCC coach Mel Millerbernd said.
The Voyageurs play at 6:30 p.m. against Hibbing.

The Rainy River Community College volleyball team opened the season Aug. 23, but has yet to play in a home match. That streak will finally come to an end in a week.
After traveling Wednesday to Thief River Falls to play Northland, the Voyageurs will play host Friday to Hibbing in the home opener.
RRCC lost Wednesday to Itasca 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-18). Sam Alberts recorded 16 kills, Monica McAllister notched 20 set assists and Nicole Beckel posted 12 digs.

The Rainy River Community College volleyball team came into the season inexperienced with only two sophomores, but they improved to 1-1 in the Northern Division with a 3-1 victory Monday over Vermilion (25-22, 25-18, 27-29, 25-23).
Sam Alberts (17 kills) and Nicole Beckel (11 kills) led the offense, while Monica McAllister tallied 21 set assists and 25 digs. Micki Nogowski posted 28 digs.
RRCC returns to action today in Grand Rapids against Itasca Community College.

Millerbernd carries only two sophomores into competitive conference

Entering her twentieth year as head volleyball coach at Rainy River Community College, Mel Millerbernd takes a team with just two sophomores into competition in the high-powered Northern Division.
“One thing that happens in sports is that things go in cycles,” Millerbernd said. After two losing seasons, the Voyageurs made their first ever state tournament appearance in 1991. After a three year absence, the Voyageurs qualified again in 1995 which began a string of nine appearances over the next ten years.

The compressor is off and the ice will not be ready at Bronco Arena for over two months, but new Rainy River Community College Voyageurs women’s hockey coach Evan Amdahl is busy preparing for the season.
Amdahl is a health and physical education teacher at RRCC and will be the fourth head coach in the program’s three year history and takes over a Voyageurs team that finished last season as National Champions.
“I’m taking over a National Championship team, it’s pretty exciting,” Amdahl said. “We have a good core of girls coming back from last year.”

The Rainy River Community College softball team wrapped up their season at the Minnesota Community College Conference State Tournament in St. Cloud.
The Voyageurs went 1-2 in the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Riverland Community College and a 9-7 loss to Ridgewater Community College and a 10-5 loss Fergus Falls Community College.
After the tournament RRCC was tied with the Northland Community College Pioneers for the right to play Central Lakes for an NJCAA Tournament berth.
The Pioneers dominated the play-in game winning 8-0, ending Rainy’s season.

HIBBING — After many phone calls and some schedule changes, the Rainy River Community College softball team played their final doubleheader of the season on Tuesday afternoon as the team faced off with the Hibbing Community College Cardinals in Hibbing.
RRCC swept the games winning game one 12-1 in five innings and game two 8-6.
“It’s a good way to finish the regular season,” Voyageurs head coach Dieter Humbert said.
The Voyageurs dominated game one setting the pace with seven runs in top of the first inning. RRCC did not let up adding five more runs en route to the 12-1 victory.