Vikings earn two five-set wins in busy week

Josh Hinke | September 8, 2026

The Cook County volleyball team notched two close wins last week while opening conference play with a 1-1 record. The week featured three matches, including a back-to-back road trip and a home matchup against the South Ridge Panthers.

The Vikings opened the week at home Aug. 31, hosting the Cherry Tigers in a match that went five sets.

The match went back and forth, with the Tigers and Vikings trading sets before Cook County won the fifth set 15-11 to earn the victory.

Junior Scarlet Higgins led the Vikings’ offense with 17 kills, while freshman Brooklyn Nelson contributed nine. The two combined for 26 of the team’s 38 kills.

In the fifth set, Nelson broke an 8-8 tie with a kill that helped propel the Vikings to the win.

The next day, Cook County traveled to Barnum to face the Bombers, who Vikings’ coach Colette Mueller described as “a physical team featuring powerful hitters and a strong presence at the net.”

The Vikings battled back from a 21-5 deficit in the second set to make it competitive, but ultimately lost the match 3-1.

Cook County returned home Sept. 3 to face the South Ridge Panthers. Again, the Vikings traded sets with their opponent, forcing a fifth set with a 26-24 win in the fourth.

The Vikings took the final set 15-10, earning their first conference victory of the season.

“The week showcased a Vikings team that is proving comfortable in uncomfortable situations,” Mueller said. “Whether responding after dropping a set, digging out of a huge deficit or playing with everything on the line in a fifth set, we continued to compete.”