Owatonna always seems to cause trouble for the Albert Lea High School volleyball team, and on Thursday things were tougher than usual.

The Tigers had an off night and the Huskies were on.

The result was a 3-0 loss in Albert Lea’s home opener as the Huskies won 25-6, 25-19, 25-15.

&uot;I heard (Owatonna coach Rod Nakagaki) say between games one and two that his girls were playing real, real well,&uot; said ALHS coach Gina Eppen. &uot;Owatonna always hits well, and they’re very scrappy on defense. We just didn’t play as a team tonight.&uot;

The Tigers’ leaders: Amber Edwards, five kills, one ace, two blocks; Katie Brackey, one block, five assists; Jenna Brackey, one kill, six assists; Danielle Rankin, five kills, one ace, one block; and Heather Stegenga, one kill, one ace, one block.

The Tigers, 0-2 in the Big Nine and 1-4 overall, play in the Jackson County Central Invitational Saturday. Their only match next week is Thursday at Winona.