Volleyball State Tournament: Day 3 Recap

On the third day of action at the Xcel Energy Center, championship, third place and consolation finals were set in Class A, Class AA and Class AAA.

In Class A, it will be Mayer Lutheran against Minneota for top honors at 1 p.m. on November 13. Jackson County Central and Sauk Centre will follow in the Class AA final at 3 p.m. Finally, Marshall and Kasson-Mantorville will meet to settle the Class AAA championship at 5 p.m.

Wayzata and East Ridge will end the tournament with the 7 p.m. finale. They’re playing for the inaugural Class AAAA title.

Class A

The two-time defending champions from Minneota will take on Mayer Lutheran in the Class A title match. Minneota is the No. 2 seed this year and Mayer Lutheran is No. 1. These teams met twice during the regular season, including the season-opener, which Mayer Lutheran won 3-2. The Crusaders also won at a tournament in late September, defeating the Vikings 2-1.

If Minneota wins, it would be the fourth championship for the Vikings. They claimed their first title in 2006.   

Mayer Lutheran made quick work of Bethlehem Academy in the first championship semifinal of the day. The Crusaders defeated the Cardinals 3-0 (25-16, 25-7, 25-19). Senior Lilly Wachholz led Mayer Lutheran with 15 kills and six digs. Junior Madeline Guetzkow had a game-high 14 digs for the Crusaders and junior Gabrielle Wachholz added 13 kills.

Minneota moved past unseeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-14) victory. Seniors McKenzie Tolk and McKenna Yost posted 12 and 11 digs, respectively, for the Vikings. Natalee Rolbiecki, another senior, added 20 kills.

Unseeded Walker-Hackensack-Akeley will meet No. 4-seeded Bethlehem Academy in the third-place game and unseeded Breckenridge will square off against No. 3-seeded Legacy Christian Academy in the consolation final.

Class AA

Jackson County Central and Sauk Centre will meet for top honors in Class AA. The Huskies came in as the No. 4 seed and the Mainstreeters came in at No. 3. These teams did not meet during the regular season.

Jackson County Central faced a tough challenge from unseeded Mounds Park Academy in the opening sets, but the Huskies eventually prevailed 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-13, 25-14). Senior Sadie Voss was a stellar utility player for Jackson County Central, finishing the game with 32 kills, three aces and 20 digs. Junior Alexis O’Reilly added another 20 digs for the Huskies and junior Maci Farmer had 52 assists and 18 digs.

In a match that was closer than the scored implies, Sauk Centre defeated unseeded Hawley 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-23). Senior Emma Kittelson paced Sauk Centre with 12 kills. Cierra Kortan, a ninth-grader, added eight kills and 15 digs for the Streeters.

Mounds Park Academy will play Hawley in the third-place match-up. And, in a game that many thought they would see in the championship spot, top-seeded Southwest Christian and No. 2-seeded Cannon Falls will compete for consolation honors.

Class AAA

The top two seeds in the Class AAA field will play for the title; No. 1-seeded Marshall and No. 2-seeded Kasson-Mantorville. The Tigers and KoMets did not meet during regular-season play.

Marshall made short work of Grand Rapids in the first championship semifinal of the evening, winning 3-0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-12). Senior Tessa Gannott had 13 kills for Marshall and junior Caitlyn Christenson tacked on 17 digs. The kill percentage was also a key statistic in Marshall’s victory. The Tigers converted on 77 percent of their attempts in the third set to the Thunderhawks’ 36 percent.

New Prague stole the second set from Kasson-Mantorville, but the KoMets tool control and went on to win 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 25-22). Junior Whittney Deno had 14 kills and 24 digs for Kasson-Mantorville and senior Annika Larson finished the match with 24 kills.

Grand Rapids, the No. 5 seed, will face New Prague, the No. 3 seed, in the third-place game. Monticello, the No. 4 seed, and unseeded Chisago Lakes will vie for consolation honors.