John's Journal: Familiar Foes Square Off For Class A Volleyball Title

When Minneota and Mayer Lutheran advanced to Saturday’s Class A volleyball match with semifinal wins Friday at Xcel Energy Center, no one was surprised.

Mayer Lutheran came in as the top-seeded team and Minneota is the No. 2 seed. They both won in the quarterfinals by 3-0 scores and in the semifinals by 3-1, and they will decide the state title in a match scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Both programs are well-acquainted with championship-level volleyball, each qualifying for their 16^th state tournament and each owning four state titles. Minneota won championships in 2006, 2018, 2019 and 2022, while Mayer Lutheran did so in 1982, 2016, 2017 and 2021.

The two teams have met three times previously in state championship matches, with Mayer Lutheran winning twice. Mayer defeated Minneota 3-0 in 2017 and 2021, and the Vikings were 3-2 winners in 2022. Mayer Lutheran defeated the Vikings 2-0 at the Southwest Challenge tournament in Marshall in early September.

Mayer Lutheran is 30-5 and Minneota is 24-11; some of the Vikings’ defeats are tempered by the fact that they some played Class 4A and 3A competition, including Lakeville South and Champlin Park, who are seeded first and second in Class 4A and will decide that state title Saturday night.

“The ball is going a little faster, there’s a little bit more height, better servers (when facing those larger schools),” said Minneota coach Hayley Fruin. “If you look at our record, it's maybe not as impressive as years past, but we've lost to some really good, talented bigger schools and we lost to a couple teams in our section that could be sitting in this chair as well. We try to stack our schedule, stack our competition, and hopefully it pays off in the postseason.”

Fillmore Central, which lost to Minneota in Friday’s semifinals, made history by reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2013. That year, the Falcons lost to Southwest Christian 3-0 in the championship match.

Coach Travis Malley, who was an assistant back then, said that experience came in handy this time around.

“I think we came in as the one seed that year, and we were kind of business-like and I don't think our team enjoyed it as much. We were kind of just here, kind of too focused, and with this group we wanted to play a little looser. We wanted to enjoy the moment, enjoy each other's time up here more. And this group has fun on the court, they play hard, and I’m proud of them.”

This has been a stellar season for the Albany volleyball team. The Huskies came to the Class 2A state tournament with a record of 28-2, losing only to Legacy Christian and Hawley in a September tournament. They were rewarded with the No. 1 seed at state by the participating head coaches.

They opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over eighth-seeded New London-Spicer on Thursday before losing to fourth-seeded Southwest Christian 3-0 in Friday’s semifinals. Southwest will meet No. 2 seed Chatfield or No. 3 seed Hawley (who player later Friday) in Saturday’s championship match at Xcel Energy Center.

On Thursday, Albany coach Brian Hines was asked about carrying the No. 1 seed.

“We weren't necessarily saying, ‘Hey, we had to get the number one seed,’ but we were hoping obviously, and we had a really good season,” he said. “I was expecting to be in the top three, to be honest. The reality was we didn't talk much about that. I think our girls are really focused on what we do. … we know we're super strong from an offensive standpoint, we can serve and pass and do that well, and the opponent is going to have a tough time against us.”

Facing a No. 8 seed in the opening round at state could sometimes cause the top-seeded outfit to overlook the opponent, but that wasn’t the case here. Albany had defeated New London-Spicer 3-0 in mid-September and the Huskies knew how talented the Wildcats were.

“My assistant coaches did a fantastic job of scouting and re-scouting,” Hines said. “New London had made some changes in their lineup but we were really confident. And in the huddle actually, before the game, the girls said, ‘Hey, New London is going to bring us their best.’ And they did. So the girls were ready for that.”

The Albany volleyball team last came to the Minnesota high school state tournament in 2003, which was the Huskies’ fourth time in the big show. They have never played for a state championship in the sport, but that doesn’t mean the athletes aren’t accustomed to the bright lights.

On the basketball court, Albany is one of the state’s high-profile small-school powers. The Huskies have played in three of the last four Class 2A state title games, winning it all in 2021 and finishing second in 2023 and 2024.

Three Albany volleyball players – senior Paige Lauer and juniors Kelsey Lobitz and Josie Dingmann – are also basketball players.

Multi-sport athletes are common at small schools, but several athletes at New London-Spicer have seen the highest heights in two sports after competing at state in basketball and volleyball.

The Wildcats have advanced to the girls state basketball tournament in four of the last five years under coach Mike Dreier, who has won more games (1,064) than any girls or boys basketball coach in Minnesota history. Seven of the 16 members of the New London-Spicer volleyball team were on the basketball squad that played at state last winter.

The basketball team has won two state titles and finished as state runner-up six times. The Wildcats’ most recent state basketball appearances were in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.

The Wildcats are playing in the state volleyball tournament for the first time since 2009, and the dual-sport athletes are soaking it all in.

“It’s just been really surreal,” said senior Piper Barney. “We've experienced this in basketball but for me, it doesn't compare to volleyball. It's just a whole new experience with new teammates and a different atmosphere. It's just really compelling to be here.”

Senior Ava Carlson said, “We've all been to state tournaments in our other sports, so being able to bring one home for volleyball is just such a fun experience.”

Another New London-Spicer volleyball player, senior Abby Knudsen, has had an entirely different previous state experience, competing in the state gymnastics championships.

At the 2024 Class A state gymnastics meet, Knudsen finished 13^th in the all-around competition, with her best event finish being seventh in floor exercise.

“This is a way different atmosphere,” Abby said. “Gymnastics is more individual but this is super team-based, and it's been really fun because we're all super good friends.”

Hawley is making its first trip to the state volleyball tournament since 2021, and two current seniors were on the squad three years ago. Isabel Steer was a starter in 2021 and Ingrid Rustad was a bench player.

“I remember watching the older girls play, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool. It looks so awesome to be playing on the court,’ ” Ingrid said “And after that experience I just strived to get here each year. And I think this year is extra special because it's my senior year, and everyone on the team has gotten so close, so it's just really special.”

The Nuggets will meet Southwest Christian in Saturday's Class 2A title game.

For geography buffs, Friday Class 2A volleyball semifinal matchup between Hawley and Chatfield had road trip written all over it. From Hawley in northwest Minnesota to Chatfield in the southeast, the distance is 333 miles with a driving time of five and a half hours.

The Hawley band put in extra work on Friday. They played during the first 2A semifinal between Albany and Southwest Christian when neither team brought a band, then kept performing when Hawley and Chatfield squared off.

Several schools involved in state volleyball also have football teams playing in the state quarterfinals this weekend …

Friday

Minneota vs. Lester Prairie at Jordan

Albany vs. Fergus Falls at Alexandria

Saturday

Alexandria vs. Armstrong at Monticello

Stewartville vs. Holy Family at Totino-Grace

--MSHSL senior content creator John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Threads at johnmilleamn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at [email protected] or [email protected]