2024 Volleyball State Tournament: Class AAAA Championship Recap

Move over South Suburban Conference volleyball powers and make room for Lakeville South. 

Top-seeded Lakeville South completed a season of dominance by avenging its only two losses of the season after recording a dramatic 25-16, 25-17, 14-25, 20-25, 15-10 victory over No. 2 Champlin Park in the Class AAAA championship match of the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Volleyball State Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. 

Sophomore setter Kaelyn Bjorklund engineered the play that will live forever in Lakeville South lore when she fired a pass to junior outside hitter Romi Chlebeck. With a powerful swing and a successful kill, the Cougars captured their first volleyball championship and joined an elite group. The South Suburban Conference now has five schools that have won big-school volleyball titles: Lakeville South, Lakeville North, Eagan, Shakopee and Apple Valley. 

Chlebeck finished with 20 kills and sophomore hitter Elleora Utecht added 17. The Cougars (32-2) needed all of them as they had to fend off the Rebels (30-4). 

It looked like a sweep might be in the making when Lakeville South raced past Champlin Park in the first two sets. But Champlin Park, which owned two victories over the Cougars this season, battled back to even the match at two sets apiece. In the decisive fifth set, Lakeville South pulled away and made program history. 

Senior outside hitter Carly Gilk had 22 kills for the Rebels. 

Third place

East Ridge High School, located in Woodbury, defeated Roseville for the second time this season with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 victory in the third-place match. Senior defensive specialist Katrien Van Heyst and sophomore middle blocker Lauren Bunge had 11 kills each for the Raptors (26-7), who also defeated the Raiders (27-7) during the Suburban East Conference season. 

Consolation 

Minnetonka, the No. 6 seed in the Class AAAA field, finished one spot better following a 25-23, 25-21, 25-27, 25-18 victory over St. Michael-Albertville in the consolation final. Senior outside hitter Hannah Jackson led the Skippers (19-14) with 17 kills and senior setter Aubrey Johnson had 32 assists. The victory reversed a loss to St. Michael-Albertville during the Lake Conference schedule. Senior outside hitters Abigail Hoelton and Gabriella Keefer had 13 kills each for St. Michael-Albertville (25-9).