Out & About: Minnesota/Northwestern

#3 posting 11.17.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MINNESOTA gophers 3, NORTHWESTERN wildcats 0
(30-25, 30-25, 30-27)

Minnesota had a measure of revenge with a sweep of Northwestern.

NW led early 9-5 before MN went on a 12-5 run to go up 17-14. Brooke Dieter had four straight points in the run on points 9-12 with three kills and a block. Dieter closed out the run with four straight service points. A NW time out stopped the run. NW forced a tie at 20 all on a run of three. MN answered with the next three points. NW again tied the game at 25. A missed serve by Anderson gave the ball back to MN and Dieter never gave it back. She had two aces in the last four points. The odd thing about game one---MN only had a fbso% of .400. The difference was they didn't permit runs to get out of hand. MN won the runs of 3 in game one 5-2.

The Gophers took the early lead 15-7 in game two. NW was forced to take two time outs on Rachel Hartmann's serve. Jessy Jones had three points in the five point run. The second time out by NW stopped the bleeding momentarily. MN's largest lead came at 20-9. After that the Gophers stalled out and NW finished with a 16-10 run.

After the break, NW took the early lead 8-4 after Minnesota gave away six points on errors. MN took their first lead at 11-10. Kyla Roehrig had three straight points, two on blocks to take the lead. NW held their last lead at 24-23. Three straight Dieter kills forced NW to take a time out. Roehrig finished off the Wildcats with three points.

Minnesota wasn't as sharp in this game as last night. The

Now the Gophers will need to take at least one of two next week on the road at Wisconsin and Illinois. The Illini took a match at home back in October.

This game marked the end of seniors Jessy Jones and Kelly Roysland's home career.

MINNESOTA
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills--totals
1. Hailey Cowles, DS 1-0-0----1
1fr Kyla Roehrig, OH 0-2/3-14---17.5
2. Christine Tan, L 0-0-0----0
2fr Jessy Jones, MH 0-0/8-8---12
3. Kelly Roysland, DS 1-0-0---1
3fr Kelly Schmidt, RH 0-0/7-3---6.5
4 Brooke Dieter, OH 2-3-18----23
5 Lauren Gibbemeyer, MH 0-2/3-5---8.5
6 Rachel Hartmann, S 0-0/3-3---4.5
totals 4-7/24-51---74

NORTHWESTERN
1. Elyse Glab, S, 1-0/3-0---2.5
2. Courtnie Paulus, OH 1-0/1-2---3.5
2fr Sabel Moffett, OH 0-0-1---1
2fr Brittani Gray, OH 0-0-5---5
3 Kate Nobilio, L 0-0-0---0
3fr Brittany Aldridge, MH 0-1/4-8---11
4 Naomi Johnson, RH 0-1/3-7---9.5
4br Ariel Baxterbeck, DS 0-0-0---0
4br Emma Bollert, DS 0-0-0---0
5 Lindsay Anderson, OH 1-0/1-11--12.5
6 Chelsy Hyser, MH 0-0/3-6---7.5
totals: 3-2/15-40---52.5

TRENCH PLAYER
Brooke Dieter

BY THE NUMBERS
Teams, fbso/att; fbso%; points, %earned; %allowed
Minnesota 29/50; .580; 90; .822; .312
Northwestern 28/49; .571; 77; .688; .178
3+runs: Minnesota 11, Northwestern 6
missed serves; NW 5, MN 6
Ace:Error ratio: MN .667; NW .600;
Time out: NW 4/6; MN 1/1

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Minnesota/Michigan State

#3 posting 11.16.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MINNESOTA gophers 3, MICHIGAN STATE spartans 1
(30-23, 24-30, 30-21, 30-18)

The Minnesota Gophers had one bump in the road in the four game win over Michigan State. That bump happened in game two when they fell behind 14-1. Other than that one bad stretch the Gophers had a strong performance, limited their errors to 17 on the night and had a first ball side out percentage of .667 in the victory over Michigan State.

First off it was near impossible to move on campus tonight. There were major events going on all over---Men's Hockey, Women's Basketball and state high school swimming tournament. Traffic didn't budge, parking was scarce. What usually takes 23 minutes to go from my home to the parking lot took a good 55 minutes. Luckily it was parent night and I wasn't late for the actual game.

The Gophers have reverted back to putting Brook Dieter on the left side. That probably happened last week when Dieter picked up her third player of the week honor in the Big 10. She does have a groove there and again had a strong kill game with 18.

Minnesota broke free in game one with a 8-2 run to lead 20-13. The Gophers had a six straight fbso string early in the contest. They only gave up one run late in the game.

Game two saw the Gophers fall flat at the start 14-1. Since the Spartans went into break with a 30-24 win Minnesota outscored MSU 23-16 the rest of the way. In fact the only two runs MSU had in game two was right at the beginning.

Minnesota adjusted their line up in game three. Katie Vatterodt started in games one and two. Kelly Schmidt started in game three and four. The Gophers also adjusted their serve rotations with Hartmann leading off in games one and two. Christine Tan led off in game three, and Kelly Roysland led off in game four. Minnesota led right from the start as they came off break with renewed vigor and urgency. They jumped off to a 10-1 lead. MN maintained that up to 25-20 when they took a time out to stop a MSU run. Dieter came back with a kill after the time out and the Gophers finished with a 4-1 run.

In game four MSU never had a run of 3 or more. On top of that Minnesota's fbso was 12/15 or .800 %. That is solid. If they can maintain that door slamming fbso %, and can remain consistent, then they may surprise a few folks. They have the size at the net. The ball control and defense looked better tonight.

MINNESOTA
Rotation; player, position, aces-blocks-kills-total
1. Rachel Hartmann, S 0-0/4-3---5
2. Hailey Cowles, DS 1-0-0----1
2fr Kyla Roehrig, OH 0-0/1-18---18.5
3 Christine Tan, L 0-0-0---0
3fr Jessy Jones, MH 0-2/3-6---9.5
4 Kelly Roysland, DS 0-0-0----0
4fr Katie Vatterodt, RH g1&2 0-0/2-2---3
4fr Kelly Schmidt, RH g3&4 0-0-3---3
5 Brooke Dieter, OH 0-3-18---21
6 Lauren Gibbemeyer, MH 2-1/4-13----18
Totals: 3-6/14-63---79

MICHIGAN STATE
1. Ashley Schatzle, OH 1-0/1-16---17.5
1br Allyson Karaba, server 0-0-0---0
2. Jessica Hohl, MH 1-0/2-6---8
3. Heather McDaniel, DS 0-0-0----0
3fr Jenilee Rathje, RS 0-0/4-13---15
4. Katie Johnson, OH 0-0/6-13----16
5. Mike Trogdon, L 0-0-0----0
5fr Vanessa King, MH 0-0/9-7----11.5
6. Lauren O'Reilly, S 1-0/2-5---7
totals: 3-0/24-60----75

TRENCH PLAYER
Brook Dieter

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points, %earned, %allowed
Minnesota 40/60; .667; 114; .693; .185
Michigan State 29/62; .468; 92; .815; .307
3+runs: MN 10, MSU 5
missed serves: MN 5, MSU 7
Ace to Error: MN 0.60; MSU 0.43
Time out %: MN 1/3; MSU 4/6

ROTATIONS
MINNESOTA
1. Hartmann 12-19 .387
2. Cowles 18-19 .486
3. Tan 18-12 .600
4. Roysland 20-15 .571
5. Dieter 28-14 .667
6. Gibbemeyer 18-13 .581
totals: 114-92 .553
Hartman led off in game 1 (on defense) and 2; Tan led off (on defense) in 3; Roysland served first in four.

MICHIGAN STATE
1. Schaetzle 14-16 .467
2. Hohl 22-28 .440
3. McDaniel 20-25 .444
4. Johnson 13-19 .406
5. Trogdon 12-15 .444
6. O'Reilly 11-11 .500
totals: 92-114 .447

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Delano/Orono

#3 posting 10.16.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

DELANO tigers 3, ORONO spartans 0
(25-10, 25-16, 25-14)

The Delano Tigers beat the Orono Spartans in a Wright County conference game tonight. Delano used balance, defense, and ball control as the ingredients to victory.

Right from the get go Delano staked their claim on the match. The Tigers were able to squeeze points on their first four serves. Orono took their first time out at 11-4. At that point seven of the Delano points were via Orono errors. Four times in the first game Delano had runs of three or more while Delano held Orono to no runs. After the first cycle through the serving rotation Delano finished with a 11-2 run.

Game two started off similar to game one with Delano up early 5-2 after the first pair of servers. Another late run by Delano (9-2) forced Orono to use two time outs. Kayla Koenecke had five kills in game two.

Game three opened with 8 straight combined first ball side outs. Delano broke free on Kylie Crofutt's serve with a run of three (including the side out) and added another run on the next service by Briana Royer. In fact Delano had four runs of 3 points or more in their next five servers. All in all a 14-4 run put Delano in the drivers seat. Orono had their only 3+run late in the contest.

There was a good crowd, a band, and even Delano brought a baritone (the game was at Orono). But the Orono crowd was soon somber. The Delano faithful were boisterous throughout the night.

One factor Orono controlled was the blocking game with 8 points off blocks compared to Delano's 1.

Every Delano rotation won their battle.

DELANO
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills----points
1 Cicily Checkal, L 1-0-0----1
1fr Kayla Kassulker, MH 0-0.5-2----2.5
2 Kayla Koenecke, S 0-0.5-8---8.5
3 Angie Snaza, OH 2-0-6----8
4 Sarah Bingea, MH 1-0-8----9
5 Kylie Crofutt, S 0-0-2----2
6 Briana Royer, OH 2-0-8----10
totals: 6-1-35---42 points; 33 points on Orono errors

ORONO
1. Emily Ten Eyck, S 1-2.5-2----5.5
2. Sarah Luse, MH 0-2-3----5
Mikayla Anderson, MH 0-0.5-0---0.5
3. Maddie Franz, OH 0-1-2----3
4. #10 0-0-0----0
4fr Racquel Maronde, RH 0-0-0----0
5. Kelly Anderson, L 0-0-1-----1
5fr Megan Peterson, MH 0-1-1----2
6. Casey Olson, OH 0-0-1----1
Katy Morgan, OH 0-1-2----3
totals: 1-8-12----21 points, 19 points on Delano errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Delano is pretty balanced, but since I name only one player it will be Kayla Koenecke tonight.

BY THE NUMBERS
Delano 24/32; .750; 75; .560; .475
Orono 14/31; .452; 40; .525; .440
3+ runs: Delano 12, Orono 1
missed serves: Orono 10, Delano 9

ROTATIONS
DELANO
1 Cecily Checkal 12-7 .632
2 Kayla Koenecke 20-6 .769
3 Angie Snaza 12-7 .632
4 Sarah Bingea 9-7 .563
5 Kylie Crofutt 15-8 .652
6 Briana Royer 7-5 .583
totals: 75-40 .652

ORONO
1 Emily Ten Eyck 7-21 .250
2 Sarah Luse/Mikayla Anderson 5-13 .278
3 Maddie Franz 7-9 .438
4 #10 7-15 .318
5 Megan Peterson/Kelly Anderson/Racquel Maronde 7-8 .467
6 Casey Olson/Katy Morgan 7-9 .438
totals: 40-75 .348

also tonight
Osseo beat Maple Grove in a district 279 battle in four. The Orioles lost the first game and then ran the table (19-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-21). Speaking of Osseo, former Osseo player Erin Alden (2000) is the JV coach at Delano and they also beat Orono.

Byron swept Lake City 25-11, 25-14, 25-20 in Hiawatha action. Byron's overall record is 15-12 and 8-5 in the HVL conference. Seeding for subsection play is tomorrow.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Jordan/Minneota

#10 posting 10.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY CHAMPIONSHIP
JORDAN jaguars 2, MINNEOTA vikings 0
(25-21, 25-11)

In a match up of the last year's AA and A Minnesota state champions it was Jordan shaking the cobwebs off after trailing in game one to triumph in the finals.

Minneota led 11-6 when coach Chambers took a time out. That shook things up and Jordan started cleaning up their game. After the time out Jordan outscored Minneota 19-10.

Jordan continued to ride that momentum in game two with a 25-11 victory. Jordan started off with three straight points including an ace from Amanda Dietel. Brittany Chambers had 8 kills in this game plus an ace. Chambers has great court awareness and places the ball where the defense isn't. She can also pound the ball. Besides Chambers the Jaguars have Leah Dietel to pound out kills. Jordan, therefore has two strong options to side out, and they exploit the options every time they get a chance. Jordan had 10 straight FBSO in game two (10/10) and if you go back to game one 12 in a row.

photos #1 Leah Dietel takes a set from sister Amanda in the middle with Samantha Hennen and Claire Kopfmann ready to block for Minneota. #2 The after effects of a dig by Steph Boulton (#7) by Minneota with Kelsey Hennen and Leah Fadness looking on. photos by kja

JORDAN
1. Amanda Dietel, S 1-0-0----1
2. Brittany Chambers, OH 1-0-17----18
3. Marsha Wolf, MH 1-0-0----1
4. Courtney Stever, DS 0-0-0-----0
4fr Erin Wildberg, RH 0-0-0----0
5. Leah Dietel, MH 1-0-11----12
6. Michelle O'Malley, OH 0-0-2---2
totals: 4-0-30----34 points, 16 points on Minneota errors

MINNEOTA
1. Jackie Buysse, RH 0-0-1----1
2. Steph Boulton OH 2-0-4---6
3. Taya Kockelman, S 0-0-2----2
3fr Samantha Hennen, MH 0-0-2----2
4. Kelsey Hennen, DS 0-0-0----0
4fr Ashlynn Muhl, RH 0-0-3----3
5. Leah Fadness, OH 0-0-2----2
6. Claire Kopfmann, MH 0-1-3----4
totals: 2-1-17----20 points, 11 points on Jordan errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Brittany Chambers

BY THE NUMBERS
Jordan 20/25; .800; 50, .680; .355
Minneota 9/24; .375; 31; .645; ,329
3+runs: Jordan 5, Minneota 2
missed serves: Minneota 6, Jordan 5

ROTATIONS
JORDAN
1. Amanda Dietel 16-8 .667
2. Brittany Chambers 6-4 .600
3. Marsha Wolf 8-5 .615
4. Courtney Stever 6-7 .462
5. Leah Dietel 9-5 .643
6. Michelle O'Malley 5-3 .625
totals: 50-31 .617

MINNEOTA
1. Jackie Buysse 5-13 .278
2. Steph Boulton 7-8 .467
3. Samantha Hennen 4-6 .400
4. Kelsey Hennen 5-7 .417
5. Leah Fadness 6-8 .429
6. Claire Kopfmann 5-8 .385
totals: 31-50 .383

next up: the Gophers vs Illinois

Out & About: Apple Valley/Sioux Falls Lincoln

#9 posting 10.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY TOURNAMENT
3rd Place
APPLE VALLEY eagles 2, SIOUX FALLS LINCOLN patriots 1
(22-25, 25-17, 15-8)

AV had to rally from a 1-0 deficit to claim the third place title.

SFL had a seven point run in game one to make it 15-8. At that point AV had missed three straight serves. AV crawled back into the game with five straight points on Lauren Wigen's serve. But the damage was already done. SFL never trailed after that. AV was able to close to 24-22 after a SFL hitting error which forced a time out by the Patriots. SFL took game one on a kill by Sarah Kohler.

SFL led early in game two 7-5, but AV kept battling and chipping away. A key factor in this game was AV was able to squeeze points off their serve 8 of 11 times. (or to put it another way SFL FBSO was 3/11). Kelli Earp finished with four straight serves for AV including an ace for the deciding point.

In game three Wigen started things off right for AV with two straight aces. Then, on the next AV service Emily Suemitsu served up five points again with two aces to make it 8-2. SFL took their first time out, but it was too steep a margin to climb if the final number is 15.

photo: #1 Apple Valley's Kalin Stenhaug gets ready to hit a set from Lauren Wigen as Bentley Mancini also jumps freezing the SF Lincoln defenders. #2 Sarah Kohler of Sioux Falls Lincoln about to take a swing. photos by kja

APPLE VALLEY
1 Lauren Wigen, S 3-0.5-4----7.5
2 Emily Suemitsu, DS 2-0-0---2
2fr Jenny Quam, OH 0-0-2----2
3 Lisa Ruff, L 0-0-0----0
3fr Kalin Stenhaug, MH 0-3-2---5
4 Samantha Brandl, DS 2-0-0---0
4fr Bentley Mancini, RH 0-1.5-8----9.5
5 Kelli Earp, OH 2-1-4---7
6 Melissa Racz, MH 0-0-6---6
totals: 9-6-26----41 points, 21 points on SF Lincoln errors

SIOUX FALLS LINCOLN
1. Vanessa Dolge, RH 2-0-1---3
2. Emily Schiltz, OH 0-0-6----6
3. Sarah Kohler, MH 1-2-5----8
4. Ashley Engel, S, 1-0-1----2
5. Emily Palmer, OH 1-0-5---6
6. Becca Jarratt, MH 0-1-2---3
totals: 5-3-19----27 points, 23 points on Apple Valley errors

TRENCH PLAYER

Lauren Wigen

BY THE NUMBERS
Apple Valley 18/29; .621; 62; .661; .460
Sioux Falls Lincoln 15/31; .484; 50; .540; .339
3+ runs: AV 6, SFL 4
missed serves: AV 6, SFL 4

ROTATIONS
APPLE VALLEY
1 Lauren Wigen 14-9 .609
2 Emily Suemitsu 14-12 .538
3 Lisa Ruff 5-6 .455
4 Samantha Brandel 10-8 .556
5 Kelli Earp 9-4 .692
6 Melissa Racz 10-11 .476
totals: 62-50 .554

SIOUX FALLS LINCOLN
1. Vanessa Dolge 13-13 .500
2. Emily Schiltz 8-14 .571
3. Sarah Kohler 12-5 .706
4. Ashley Engel 6-10 .375
5. Emily Palmer 7-10 .412
6. Becca Jarratt 4-9 .308
totals: 50-62 .446

Next up: Jordan vs Minneota

Out & About: Eden Prairie/Woodbury

#8 posting 10.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

EASTVIEW CHAMPIONSHIP
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 2, WOODBURY royals 0
(25-15, 25-13)

Eden Prairie rolled to the championship victory with a 12-1 run in the middle of game one. Seven of those points came on Hayley Buchanan's serve with two aces in the mix. After the extended run it was EP 17-7.

In game two EP had their first ball side out game rolling with 8/11 in game two including the last six in a row.

photos left---Amy Bomgren of Woodbury has a tip kill that drops over Eden Prairie's Hayley Buchanan and in front of Alexa Manuel. right---a running quick set by Buchanan. photos by kja

EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Molly Noble, MH 0-1-2----3
2. Sara Smoot, DS 0-0-0----0
2fr Alexa Manuel, RH 0-0-2----2
3. Abby Johnson, DS 0-0-0----0
3fr Katie Frohle, OH 0-0-4----4
4. Katie Vohnoutka, MH 1-0.5-5----6.5
5. Hayley Buchanan, S 0-1-2----3
6. Jessi Peterson, OH 1-0.5-6----7.5
totals: 5-2-20-----27 points; 23 points on Woodbury errors

WOODBURY
1. Michelle Graham, S 0-0-1----1
2. Greta Strenger, OH 2-0-3----5
3. Kara Pedersen, MH 0-0-0----0
4. Virginia Senf, RH 1-0-2----3
5. Amy Bomgren 0-0-6----6
6. Alyssa Raiola, L 0-0-0----0
6fr Maddie Kelzenberg, MH 0-0-2----2
totals: 3-0-14----17 points, 11 points on Eden Prairie errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Jessi Peterson

BY THE NUMBERS
Eden Prairie 13/20; .650; 50; .540; .393
Woodbury 7/20; .350; 28; .607; .460
3+ runs: Eden Prairie 7, Woodbury 2
missed serves: Eden Prairie 4, Woodbury 4

ROTATIONS
EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Molly Noble 6-6 .500
2. Sara Smoot 14-5 .737
3. Abby Johnson 7-6 .538
4. Katie Vohnoutka 5-4 .556
5. Hayley Buchanan 11-4 .733
6. Jessi Peterson 7-3 .700
totals; 50-28----.641

WOODBURY
1. Michelle Graham 5-11 .313
2. Greta Strenger 8-9 .471
3. Kara Pedersen 4-6 .400
4. Virginia Senf 6-6 .500
5. Amy Bomgren 3-12 .200
6. Alyssa Raiola 2-6 .250
totals: 28-50 .359

next up: Apple Valley vs Sioux Falls Lincoln

Out & About: Stewartville/Forest Lake

#7 posting 10.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

EASTVIEW TOURNAMENT
5th place game
STEWARTVILLE tigers 2, FOREST LAKE rangers 0
(27-25, 25-22)

Stewartville stole a victory in game one and rode that momentum in game two to take 5th place at Eastview over Forest Lake.

Forest Lake jumped to an early 11-5 lead which forced Stewartville to take a time out. The Tigers took their second time out at 19-13 FL. After that Stewie outscored FL 14-5. FL had five hitting errors and three receiving errors in the run. FL led as much as 24-20 late but Julie Rainey served up four straight, including three straight aces to make it 25-24 Stewartville, but she missed deep on her fifth serve. The Stewartville block game came up with three points in the game including the side out to make it 26-25. Andrea Hogan had a hand in two of those points. A back row attack call on FL ended game one. FL explained that it was another player that hit the ball, but the officials did not change the call.

Game two was a tight affair with neither team getting too far out of sight from the other. Stewartville led 16-12, but then four straight points by FL tied it at 16 all. Then it was Stewie's turn to run off four, followed by a FL run of five. First ball side outs were in short supply. That was FL's last lead at 21-20. Stewartville closed with a 5-1 run with a block by Rainey for the final point.

photo: Chelsie Sobieck and Jamie Bucholz of Forest Lake put up a block on Erin Ness of Stewartville. photo by kja

STEWARTVILLE
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills---total points
1. Julie Rainey, OH 4-1-6---11
2. Andrea Hogan, MH 1-1-4---6
3. Emily Rainey, S 0-.5-1-----1.5
4. Jackie DeGeus, DS 0-0-0----0
4fr Erin Ness, OH 0-.5-6-----6.5
5. Andrea Venzke, MH 0-1.5-3----4.5
5s Alyssa Hoth, serve 0-0-0----0
6. Kayla Uptagrafft, DS 2-0-0----2
6fr Rachel Langseth, RH 0-2.5-0----2.5
Totals: 7-8-20----35 points, 17 points on Forest Lake Errors

FOREST LAKE
1. Lexi Alm, OH 0-0-3-----3
2. Betsy Kelly, DS 0-0-0---0
2fr Lynette Benson, MH 0-0-3----3
3. Britta Johnson, L 0-0-0----0
3fr Caitlin Lehner, RH 1-0-6----7
4. Chelsie Sobieck, OH 1-0-10-----11
5. Jamie Bucholz, MH 0-0-3----3
6. Megan McKenzie, S 0-0-3---3
totals: 2-0-28---30 points; 17 points on Stewartville errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Julie Rainey

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points; %earned; % allowed
Stewartville 12/24, .500; 52; .673; .362
Forest Lake 8/25; .320; 47; .638; .327
3+ runs: Stewartville 7, Forest Lake 6
missed serves Stewartville 5, Forest Lake 5

ROTATIONS
STEWARTVILLE
1. Julie Rainey 12-6 .667
2. Andrea Hogan 9-9 .500
3. Emily Rainey 8-10 .444
4. Jackie DeGeus 6-8 .429
5. Andrea Venzke 7-10 .412
6. Kayla Uptagrafft 10-4 .714
totals: 52-47 .525

FOREST LAKE
1 Lexi Alm 5-10 .333
2 Betsy Kelly 9-8 .529
3 Britta Johnson/Caitlin Lehner 10-6 .625
4 Chelsie Sobieck 7-8 .467
5 Jamie Bucholz 10-9 .526
6 Megan McKenzie 6-11 .353
totals: 47-52 .475

next up: Eden Prairie vs Woodbury

Out & About: Woodbury/St. Michael-Albertville

#6 posting 10.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

WOODBURY royals 2,

ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE knights 0
(32-30, 27-25)

Woodbury went extra points to edged STMA in the Eastview semis.

Woodbury enjoyed leads of 20-12 and 22-15 before STMA picked themselves off their deathbed in game two. STMA was in their precarious position with seven missed serves in game two alone, plus five hitting errors. Add in the four aces Woodbury delivered, including point #27 on Virginia Senf's serve and it is a recipe hard to overcome.
STMA came back on Catherine Yager's serve with 7 points including two aces. However Yager missed into the net on serve eight.

photos: left-Catherine Yager with a jump set for STMA. right-Michelle Graham sets for Woodbury. photos by kja

WOODBURY (only game 2)
rotation, player, position, ace-block-kill---total
1. Michelle Graham, S, 0-0-0----0
2. Greta Strenger, OH 0-0-1----1
3. Kara Pederson, MH 1-1-3----3
4. Virginia Senf, RH 3-0-1----4
5. Amy Bomgren, OH 0-0-1----1
6. Alyssa Raiola, L 0-0-1----1
6fr Maddie Kelzenberg, MH 0-1-3---4
totals: 4-2-8-----14, 13 points on STMA errors

ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE
1. Catherine Yager, S 2-0-1----3
2. Brittani Wiese, OH 1-0-2---3
3. Cassie Dick, DS 0-0-0----0
4. Katherine Harms, RH 1-0-7----8
5. Lindsay Berning, DS 0-0-0----0
5fr Gayle Steffens, OH 0-0-3----3
6. Allie Knutsen, L 0-0-0-----0
totals: 4-0-13-----17, 8 points on Woodbury errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Katherine Harms. Even though her team was beat, she was the top player on the floor.

BY THE NUMBERS
Woodbury 10/15, .667; 27, .519, .320
STMA 7/15, .467; 25, .680; .482
3+ runs: Woodbury 3, STMA 1
missed serves: STMA 7, Woodbury 3

ROTATIONS
WOODBURY
Michelle Graham 4-9 .308
Great Strenger 3-4 .429
Kara Pederson 5-3 .625
Virginia Senf 7-4 .636
Amy Bomgren 5-2 .714
Alyssa Raiola 3-3 .500
Totals: 27-25 .519

ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE
Catherine Yager 10-3 .769
Brittani Wiese 4-5 .444
Cassi Dick 2-8 .200
Katherine Harms 4-5 .444
Lindsay Berning 2-3 .400
Allie Knutsen 3-3 .500
totals: 25-27 .481

Photos up at a later date

next up: Stewartville vs Forest Lake

Out & About: Champlin Park/Armstrong

#4 posting 9.24.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

CHAMPLIN PARK rebels 3, ARMSTRONG falcons 0
(25-22, 25-20, 25-12)

Champlin Park moved to 12-2 on the year with a sweep of Armstrong of the Classic Lake. It was CP's fifth straight win. Armstrong is now 6-6. In a battle of middles Kristi Larson had 12 kills for Armstrong, while Chrissy Knuth had 11 for CP. Knuth had 15 totals points however, two more than Larson.

8th grade setter Ally Callanan of Armstrong put the Falcons up with four straight service points, including three aces on her jump serve. The biggest Armstrong lead came at 15-10. After that CP went on a 9-3 run to reclaim the lead 19-18. The game then moved to side out mode with seven straight changes of serve. Knuth had two straight side out kills for CP to get to 23-22. That is when Armstrong took a time out, the only time out was called in the first game. Knuth served out with a kill by Lindsay Johnston finishing the give and take first game 25-22.

Julie Kocemba served up four straight aces to start game two, and Armstrong used that momentum to build an 8-2 lead. Kristi Larson had three kills in this sequence. Knuth started the CP comeback with a pair of aces. Armstrong led 11-6 when CP went on a 8-1 run with a pair of four point runs. Four of those points were off Armstrong errors. The break in this game came after a 15 all tie when the CP threw a block party. Of the next 8 CP points, three came off of blocks. Knuth again was instrumental with a hand in three points, plus three service points. Game two ended on Natalie Thomas' kill.

By the third game Armstrong had spent emotional energy and was running on empty. The Falcons were only able to get one side out in the last six CP servers. It wasn't only Armstrong couldn't get the first ball side out, but they were giving chunks of four points away a crack. CP had four runs in the third game while Armstrong only had one. Johnston again finished off the game and the match with a kill.

photos: #1 Armstrong setter Ally Callanan tries to save a ball tight to the net with Kristi Larson ready to attack. #2 a joust between Armstrong's Larson and CP's Jaime Ness.

CHAMPLIN PARK
1. Natalie Thomas, S, 1-0-5----6
2. Jessica Niesen, L 0-0-1----1
2fr Madison Sawyer 0-1-1-----2
3. Chrissy Knuth, MH 3-1-11---15
4. Kayla Thiebault, S 3-0-0----3
4fr Jaime Ness, RH 0-2.5-3---5.5
5. Lindsey Johnson, OH 1-0-8----9
6. Kelsey Reed, DS 1-0-1----2
6fr Breann Padden, MH 0-2.5-0---2.5
totals: 9-7-30----46 points, 29 points on Armstrong errors

ARMSTRONG
1. Julie Kocemba, L 4-0-0---4
1fr Dominique Thompson, MH 0-0-10----10
2. Hannah Rosebrock, RH 0-0-0-----0
3. #15 1-0-1----2
4. Kristi Larson, MH 0-1-12-----13
5. Ally Callanan, S 3-0-0----3
6. Ana Sather, OH 0-1-4----5
6 Jordan Miller, OH (g2) 0-0-1---1
totals: 8-2-28----38 points, 16 points on Champlin Park errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Chrissy Knuth

BY THE NUMBERS
Champlin Park 20/33; .606; 75; .613; .296
Armstrong 16/34; .471; 54; .704; .387
3+ runs: Champlin Park 13, Armstrong 5
missed serves: Armstrong 6, CP 2

ROTATIONS
CHAMPLIN PARK
1 Thomas 12-10 .545
2 Niesen 13-9 .591
3 Knuth 17-9 .654
4 Thiebault 11-5 .688
5 Johnston 10-9 .526
6 Reed 12-12 .500
totals: 75-54 .581

ARMSTRONG
1 Kocemba 13-10 .565
2 Rosebrock 8-17 .320
3 #15 8-16 .333
4 Larson 7-8 .467
5 Callanan 9-12 .429
6 Sather 9-12 .429
totals: 54-75 .419

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Minnesota/Indiana

#5 posting 9.23.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MINNESOTA gophers 3, INDIANA hoosiers 0
(32-30, 30-16, 30-21)

The Minnesota Gophers survived the first game, made some adjustments for game two, and then finished the sweep at home this afternoon. Indiana had just come off a five game win after losing the first two games against Iowa.

Indiana led early in game one 7-3 when Minnesota erupted for nine straight points, 8 on Christine Tan's serve. Two factors were emerging the brick wall blocking game for the Gophers with the first three points on Tan's serve on the block, and the first point in the run... a missed serve. In fact in the first five Indiana servers, four sided out for the Gophers with missed serves. Minnesota led 22-17 when resilient Indiana put together a 9-2 run to tie the game. Minnesota took a time out at 24-23, but Indiana kept up for one more point. Indiana led 27-26 on a side out kill. The Gophers edged forward 29-28 with a kill by Rachelle Hagerty and Rachel Hartmann. That forced a time out by Indiana. The Hoosiers got the side out and then was on the verge at 30-29 when Coach Hebert had to talk it over. That also turned the trick with a side out kill be Dieter. She then served out the next two points with two kills by Lauren Gibbemeyer.

Minnesota adjusted their rotation in game two with Hailey Cowles leading off the serving parade. Cowles was #4 in the first game. Again Minnesota had a huge run. This time it was Gibbemeyer doing the honors with 9 straight points. Again it started with a missed Indiana serve. Jessy Jones went to town with four points in the 10-0 run, three on blocks. Cowles also contributed a run of her own with six service points. Again it started with a missed Indiana serve. That put the game at 25-11 Minnesota. Appropriately enough this game ended on a missed Indiana serve. To show the quickness of this game only 10 servers came to the line. There were 18 and 16 in games two and three.

The huge runs were limited to four points in game three for Minnesota, and they only mustered three. But Jones was a constant in the runs. She had three straight points again on Gibbemeyer's serve to put Minnesota in the driver's chair 9-3. Jones had two points on Cowles serve later on and the Gophers were on their way with a 14-6 lead. Indiana got the time out and that stopped the run. Minnesota had five straight first ball side outs to start the game. That was the best string in game three. Indiana took another time out at 26-18. But it was a little too late to stem the tide. Minnesota ended the game with three straight points.

photos: #1 Dieter with an attack; #2 Gibbemeyer with a kill on a slide. you can see the ball has dropped down the Indiana side of the net. photos by kja

MINNESOTA
1. Brooke Dieter, OH 1-1-9----11
2. Lauren Gibbemeyer, MH 1-0/2-8----10
2. Kelly Fallon, DS (g3) 0-0-0----0
3. Rachel Hartmann, S 0-0/3-3---4.5
4. Hailey Cowles, DS 1-0-2----3
4fr Kayla Roehrig, OH 0-3/2-8----21
4 Katie Vatterodt, OH (g3) 0-0/2-0----1
5 Christine Tan, L 0-0-0----0
5fr Jessy Jones, MH 0-2/7-9----14.5
5fr Kelly Schmidt, MH 0-0-1----1
6 Kelly Roysland, DS 0-0-1-----1
6fr Rachelle Hagerty, RH 0-0/2-6---7
totals: 3-6/18-47----65 points, 27 points on Indiana errors

INDIANA
1. Mara Hilgenberg, S 0-0-3----3
2 Erica Short, OH 0-1/1-10----11.5
2br Morgan Miller, BR 0-0-0---0
3 Taylor Wittmer, MH 1-0/2-4---6
4 Lauren Ditteon, RH 0-0/1-7---7.5
5 Kelsey Hall, OH 1-0/1-12---13.5
6 Juli Pierce, L 0-1/1-8---9.5
6fr Ashley Benson, MH 0-1/1-8---9.5
totals: 3-2/6-44----52 points, 15 points on Minnesota errors

TRENCH PLAYER

Jessy Jones

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points, %earned; %allowed
Minnesota 26/44; .591; 92; .707; .224
Indiana 24/44; .545; 67; .776; .293
3+ runs: Minnesota 9, Indiana 7
Missed serves: Indiana 14, Minnesota 5
The missed serves proved fatal to Indiana in game one.

ROTATIONS
MINNESOTA
1 Dieter 15-13 .536
2 Gibbemeyer 21-11 .656
3 Hartmann 6-11 .353
4 Cowles 21-7 .750
5 Tan 20-9 .690
6 Roysland 9-16 .360
totals: 92-67 .579

Minnesota started with Dieter on the defensive end in the first game (Indiana had first serve). In game two Cowles served first and in the third game, rotation four played defense first.

INDIANA
1 Hilgenberg 11-16 .407
2 Short/Miller 12-9 .571
3 Wittmer 13-12 .520
4 Ditteon 10-26 .278
5 Hall 8-17 .320
6 Pierce 13-12 .520
totals: 67-92 .421

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Shakopee/Lakeville North

#9 posting 9.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY TOURNAMENT
Championship
SHAKOPEE sabers 2, LAKEVILLE NORTH panthers 1
(23-25, 25-23, 15-12)

In a true heavyweight battle #2 Shakopee topped #1 Lakeville North in three. LN rallied from a 17-15 deficit to go ahead 22-20 in game one. Shakopee took the punch and had a counter. They tied it at 23 on an overpass kill by Mariah Monnens. LN took a break and when they returned outside hitter Amy Braun put down two kills. She had six kills in the first game.

It was side out heaven in game two with 10 straight side outs. The first points scored on a serve----a rotation error on LN. The game then morphed into a sequence of five straight rotations with runs of three. That propelled Shakopee to a 17-14 lead. Lakeville North answered the challenge with a 6-3 run to tie the game. Maggie Geske helped lift Shakopee to a 23-20 margin forcing LN to call a time out at 22-20. LN had one last run, but other than the side out kill by Kelsey Brandl, the points were on Shakopee errors. After the Panthers tied the game at 23 Shakopee took a time out. Wittman got the vital side out and then powered it down on Mollie Geske's serve.

In the first five servers in the third game Shakopee was able to get the fbso 4/5 times, LN 1/5 times. That proved to be the difference maker. There was only one run in game three with Shakopee getting two points off LN errors. LN took the a time out at 9-5. Shakopee didn't hesitate to call a time out at 10-6 after a hitting error. It didn't work out Shakopee's way with another hitting error and LN was off the mat ready to challenge. The game moved into side out mode for the next seven servers. That wasn't helping LN's cause as Shakopee moved to the verge at 14-10. Braun nailed two kills to make it 14-12. Shakopee had to talk about it and the break may have iced Ellen Fox who served it deep for the final point. The FBSO difference in game three--Shakopee 7/10 .700; LN 5/9 .556.

photos: #1 Ashley Wittman goes up for an attack. Wittman had 21 kills. #2 Jessica Menden and Elizabeth Benusa share a dig. photos by kja

SHAKOPEE
1. Jessica Menden, S 0-0-2----2
2. Maggie Geske, OH 0-0.5-11--11.5
3. Mollie Geske, L 1-0-0----1
3fr Jean Theis, MH 0-0-0---0
4. Elizabeth Benusa, RH 1-0-7---8
5. Ashley Wittman, OH 0-0-21----21
6. Mariah Monnens, MH 0-1.5-1---2.5
totals: 2-2-42----46 points; 17 points on Lakeville North errors

LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Taylor Fieldsted, L 0-0-0----0
1fr Brook Lewko, MH 0-0.5-8---8.5
2 Lindsey Weaver, DS 0-0-0----0
2fr Kristina Hanf, RH 0-0-1----1
3. Kayla Kirby, DS 0-0-0----0
3fr Kristen Zeise, OH 0-0-1---1
4. Kelsey Brandl, MH 0-1-13----14
4 Ellen Fox, Server (g2, 3) 0-0-0-----0
5 Leah Johnson, S 0-0-1----1
6. Amy Braun, OH 1-0.5-14----15.5
totals: 1-2-38----41 points, 19 points on Shakopee errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Jessica Menden. She is what I call a Mary Tyler Moore player. She took nothing plays and suddenly made it seem all worthwhile.

BY THE NUMBERS
Shakopee 23/40; .575; 63; .730; .317
Lakeville North 21/39; .538; 60; .683; .270
3+ runs: Shakopee 6, Lakeville North 5
missed serves: Shakopee 3, Lakeville North 3

ROTATIONS
SHAKOPEE
1 Menden 12-12 .500
2. Ma. Geske 14-12 .538
3. Mo. Geske 12-12 .500
4. Benusa 10-8 .556
5. Wittman 7-8 .467
6. Monnens 8-8 .500
totals: 63-60 .512

LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Fieldsted 11-11 .500
2. Weaver 12-14 .462
3. Kirby 11-14 .440
4. Brandl/Fox 10-11 .476
5. Johnson 8-7 .533
6. Braun 8-6 .571
totals: 60-63 .488

I saw both teams earlier in the week on Monday and Tuesday. A good crowd to watch 1 vs 2.

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Eagan/Marshall

#8 posting 9.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY TOURNAMENT
3rd Place game
EAGAN wildcats 2, MARSHALL tigers 0
(25-20, 25-20)

Eagan topped Marshall with identical scores for 3rd place. Marshall lef 9-8 when the second Eagan run kicked in. The Wildcats had a 9-4 run to go up 17-13. Marshall took the first time out then and their second at 22-17. Another Marshall time out got the side out and the Tigers added points to 23-20 Eagan. A wide serve doomed Marshall chances. Katie Hofstad ended game one with a kill.

Both teams were a bit looser in game two. Eagan led early 4-0. Anna Full had four points in a 6-1 run for Marsshall. That 6-5 lead didn't last. The next server up in the Eagan rotation, Malia Paleafei served up three to put the Wildcats back up 9-6. But here is the kicker. Marshall helped Eagan out with four straight missed serves. So two Marshall three point runs ended by their own hands. Kelsey Sparks had three straight points on Taylor Bohannon's serve. That made it Eagan 15-9. The runs weren't over as Marshall had one and Eagan two more up their sleeves. Eagan led 24-18, when Rachel Westby staved off the final point with a kill. The game ended on a Tiger violation.

photos: #1 Eagan #10 Laurel Sanford up for an attack. #2 Marshall's Anna Full with an attack. photos by kja.

EAGAN
1. Kristin Ammerman, S 0-0-3----3
2. Leah Ehret, DS 0-0-0----0
2fr Taylor Gerr, OH 0-0.5-2---2.5
3. Kelsey Sparks, MH 1-3-7----11
4. Malia Paleafei, OH 1-0-2---3
5. Andrea Willems, DS 1-0-0---1
5fr Katie Hofstad, OH 0-0-1---1
6. Taylor Bohannon, L 0-0-0----0
6fr Laurel Sanford, MH 0-0.5-6---6.5
totals: 3-4-21---28 points, 22 points on Marshall errors

MARSHALL
1. Shay Birath, L 0-0-0----0
1fr Tina Tauer, MH 0-1-0----1
2. Kellie Ellefson, DS 0-0-0----0
2fr Kayla Wallerich, S 0-0-4----4
3. Hope Weilage, OH 0-0.5-4---4.5
4. Anna Full, MH 2-0.5-7----9.5
5. Karli Vaneputter, DS 1-0-0----1
5fr Kelsey Deragisch, S 0-0-1----1
6. Rachel Westby, OH 1-0-6----7
totals: 4-2-22-----28 points, 12 points on Eagan errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsey Sparks

BY THE NUMBERS
Eagan 15/26; .577; 50; .560; .300
Marshall 13/26; .500; 40; .700; .440
3+ Runs: Eagan 8, Marshall 3
missed serves: Marshall 8, Eagan 4

ROTATION POINTS
EAGAN
1 Ammerman 5-5 .500
2 Ehret 11-8 .579
3 Sparks 8-9 .471
4 Paleafei 8-6 .571
5 Willems 11-6 .647
6 Taylor Bohannon 7-6 .538
totals: 50-40 .556

MARSHALL
1. Birath 5-7 .417
2. Ellefson 8-10 .444
3. Weilage 9-9 .500
4. Full 6-9 .400
5 Vanedeputter 5-11 .313
6. Westby 7-4 .636
totals: 40-50 .444

next up: championship game.

Out & About: Shakopee/Marshall

#7 posting 9.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY TOURNAMENT
semifinals
SHAKOPEE sabers 2, MARSHALL tigers 0
(25-13, 25-22)

Shakopee moved on with a sweep over Marshall. Shakopee broke free from a lead of one point at 8-7 with a 13-3 run.

It was a different story in game two. Marshall jumped out early 5-1 and Shakopee was forced to use a time out. Ashley Wittman got the side out for the Sabers. Two Shakopee servers later and the game was tied at six. Marshall was the first to move off the dime with three straight points to make it 18-16 when Shakopee had to take another time out. This time Maggie Geske nailed the kill to stop the momentum. Shakopee finished up game two with a 9-4 run. The Sabers didn't take the lead until a Wittman kill made it 21-20. Wittman had three kills in the final five points for 10 kills in the second game. She had 12 for the match.

photos: #1 Marshall's Shay Birath in the aftermath of a dig. #2. Shakopee's Jessica Menden during her jump serve. photos by kja

SHAKOPEE
1. Jessica Menden, S 1-0.5-1---2.5
2. Maggie Geske, OH 1-0-8----9
3. Mollie Geske, L 1-0-0----1
3fr Jean Theis, MH 0-2.5-4---6.5
4 Elizabeth Benusa, RH 1-0-4---5
5 Ashley Wittman, OH 1-0.5-12----13.5
6 Mariah Monnens, MH 1-0.5-0---1.5
totals: 6-4-29----39 points; 11 on Marshall errors

MARSHALL
1. Shay Birath, L 0-0-0----0
1fr Tina Tauer, MH 0-1-1----1
2 Kellie Ellefson, DS 0-0-0---0
2fr Kayla Wallerich 0-0-3---3
3 Hope Weilage, OH 0-1-3---4
4 Anna Full, MH 0-1.5-6---7.5
5 Karli Vandeputter, DS 0-0-0---0
5fr Kelsey Deragisch, S 0-0-1---1
6 Rachel Westby, OH 1-0.5-4---5.5
totals: 1-4-18----23 points, 12 points on Shakopee errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Ashley Wittman

BY THE NUMBERS
Shakopee 18/25; .720; 50; .780; .343
Marshall 10/24; .417; 35; .657; .220
3+ runs: Shakopee 8, Marshall 3
missed serves: Shakopee 5, Marshall 1
Marshall tightened up the FBSO game in game 2. They had 8 fbso in game two on 15 attempts compared to only 2/9 in game one.

ROTATIONS
SHAKOPEE
1. Menden 9-6 .600
2. Ma. Geske 10-9 .526
3. Mo. Geske 9-5 .643
4. Benusa 7-6 .538
5. Wittman 6-5 .545
6. Monnens 9-4 .692
totals: 50-35 .588

MARSHALL
1. Birath 6-8 .429
2 Ellefson 6-10 .375
3. Weilage 9-9 .500
4. Full 3-9 .250
5. Vandeputter 6-6 .500
6. Westby 5-8 .385
totals: 35-50 .412

Next up: 3rd place game

Out & About: Burnsville/Alexandria

#6 posting 9.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

APPLE VALLEY TOURNAMENT
9th place
BURNSVILLE blaze 2, ALEXANDRIA cardinals 0
(25-21, 25-21)

Burnsville took 9th place with a 2-0 win over Alexandria. The Blaze trailed 18-16 when they ran off seven straight points on a side out and six service points by Justine Munger. Alex tried to stop the momentum twice in the run with a time out at 18 all and then when Burnsville led 21-18.

In game two Burnsville broke a 10 all tie with four straight points--This time on Thea Deach's serve. Tori Dixon ane Sam Pitzl contributed two points each. Burnsville's biggest lead was 19-13. Alex went on a 4-1 run to force a Blaze time out at 20-17. Alex narrowed it further to 23-21, but a passing error gave the ball back to Burnsville and Pitzl finished off with a serve.

Tori Dixon, a 6-2 sophomore, had six kills as did Pitzl, and Lauren Butler for Burnsville.

photos: #1 Molly Duehn goes up for a slide attack for Burnsville. #2 Tori Dixon (5 Burnsville) blocks Maggie Snyder (9 Alexandria). photos by kja

BURNSVILLE
1. Thea Deach, L 1-0-1----2
1fr Molly Duehn, MH 0-2-2----4
2. Lauren Butler, RH 0-1-6---7
3. Sam Pitzl, OH 2-0.5-6----8.5
4. Tori Dixon, MH 2-1-6---9
5. Justine Munger, S 0-0-1----1
6. Bobbie Meier, OH 0-0.5-5----5.5
totals: 5-5-27---37 points, 13 on Alexandria errors

ALEXANDRIA
1. Maggie Snyder, RH 0-0-2---2
2. Greta Wood, DS 0-0-0----0
2fr Alicia Montbriand, OH 0-0.5-3----3.5
3. Angela Christianson, MH 1-1.5-1----3.5
4. Katie Brown, S, 1-0-1----2
4fr Ari Carlson, RH 0-0-5---5
5. Becca Anderson, DS 1-0-0----1
5fr Nicole Throngard, OH 0-1-4----5
6. Jacque Brown, MH 0-1-4---5
6br Val Smith, L 0-0-0----0
totals: 3-4-20---27 points, 15 points on Burnsville errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Tori Dixon, a presence at the net.

BY THE NUMBERS
Burnsville 15/26; .577; 50 points; .740; .357
Alexandria 14/26; .538; 42 points; .643; .260
3+ Runs: Burnsville 4, Alexandria 4
missed serves: Burnsville 2, Alexandria 2

ROTATIONS:
BURNSVILLE
1. Deach 10-4 .714
2. Butler 7-8 .467
3. Pitzl 10-11 .476
4. Dixon 6-6 .500
5. Munger 10-6 .625
6. Meier 7-7 .500
totals: 50-42 .543

ALEXANDRIA
1. Snyder 5-7 .417
2. Wood 7-11 .389
3. Christianson 11-6 .647
4. Brown 6-10 .375
5. Anderson 6-7 .462
6. Brown/Smith 7-9 .438
totals: 42-50 .457

Next up: Shakopee/Marshall semifinal

Out & About: Lakeville North/Chaska

#4 posting 9.18.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

LAKEVILLE NORTH panthers 3, CHASKA hawks 0
(25-23, 25-22, 25-16)

The #1 team in AAA Lakeville North rallied for the first two wins on the road at #3 Chaska in a Lake conference battle. LN trailed 23-20 and 24-22 in game one, and 15-13 in game two before mounting comebacks.. LN took a measure of revenge as Chaska topped the Panthers in the AAA finals last year. Kelsey Brandl had 14 kills for LN, Chaska's Bekah Saugen led Chaska with 12.

The gym was packed with three bleacher sides down. The band was there and the Chaska student section was rocking in anticipation of the top level match. Both teams were feeling the adrenaline too as Chaska first jumped out to a 5-1 lead which forced LN to take a time out. Right after the break LN ran off their own five point run to make it 6-5 LN. The Panthers were able to squeeze a point per serve while holding Chaska to a 5/6 FBSO in the next six servers. LN led at this point 16-12. After a quick kill side out by Chaska's Amanda Unze, Brittany Wenzel delivered five straight service points, three on LN errors. That forced LN to burn their second time out at 18-16. LN edged back to retake the lead 20-19. Chaska's #14 picked up a side out kill and then Amanda Konetchy served up three points to put the Hawks up 23-20. LN got the side out on a kill by Amy Braun and then added another point on Braun's serve. #14 again delivered a crucial side out from the left side to make it 24-22 Chaska. Mental toughness is vital in situations like this and LN stepped up. Kirsten Zeise knocked down the side out kill and Taylor Fieldsted never gave the ball back. Kelsey Brandl had a kill and a block in the final three points.

Both teams still had high energy in game two. This was fairly even throughout. Chaska, again, held the advantage early with a 6-2 lead. LN responded, again, with a four point run to lead 8-7. Chaska came back with a 6-2 run on the next three service rotations to take a 13-10 lead. Three LN hitting errors helped. LN took the lead for good on Brandl's serve with a run of three service points. By now the LN sideout game had kicked in. They had five straight FBSO in this run. When Chaska got the ball back after a #14 kill, they missed their serve. LN added two more points and Chaska was forced to talk about it at 20-16 and again at 23-18. Saugen pulled Chaska into striking distance with three kills in a 4-1 run to make it 24-22 LN. Brandl finished the second game with a block.

The two emotional games took something out of Chaska. Lindsey Weaver ran off five straight service points to make it 6-1. The Hawks had to talk about it at 5-1. Brandl had three points in the run, plus Chaska handed one point over on rotation. LN's FBSO game was good for 6/7 in the next sequence putting them in a comfortable 22-9 position. Chaska could not get anything generated. They did rise up with six straight points on Wenzel's serve including two aces. LN stopped to talk at 22-12, but the Hawks added three after that. It was the third time in the evening rotation three had given up a run of three or more for LN. LN did regain their footing closing out with a 3-1 run with Amy Braun finishing the night with a kill.

photos: #1 Chaska's Bekah Saugen (17 white) with an attack against the Lakeville North block of Kelsey Brandl and Leah Johnson (1 & 3 Black); #2 it appears that LN's Amy Braun (10) and Chaska's #14 are doing an elaborate mid-air dance. photos by kja

LAKEVILLE NORTH
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills----points
1. Taylor Fieldsted, L 0-0-0----0
1fr Brooke Lewko, MH 0-1-4---5
2. Lindsey Weaver, DS 0-0-0---0
2fr Christina Hanf, RH 0-0-1----1
3. Kayla Kirby, DS 2-0-0----2
3fr Kirsten Zeise, OH 0-0.5-2----2.5
4. Kelsey Brandl, MH 0-3.5-14---17.5
5. Leah Johnson, S 2-1-2----5
6. Amy Braun, OH 0-0-12----12
Totals: 3-6-35----44 points, 32 points on Chaska errors

CHASKA
1. Shelby Peterson, OH 0-0-0----0
1fr: #14 0-0-6----6
2. McKenzie Niesche, L 0-0-0----0
2fr Chelsie Stahl, MH 0-0-8----8
3. Brittany Wenzel, S 2-0-0----2
4. Bekah Saugen, OH 1-1-12----14
5. Amanda Konetchy, DS 0-0-0---0
5fr Amanda Unze, MH 0-3-7---10
6. Maggie Finkel, DS 0-0-0----0
6fr Toni Kaiser, RH 0-0-0----0
totals: 4-4-33----41 points, 21 points on Lakeville North errors

TRENCH PLAYER

Kelsey Brandl

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso chances; fbso%; points, % earned; % allowed
Lakeville North 22/36; .611; 76; .579; .339
Chaska 14/35; .400; 62; .661; .421
3+ Runs: Lakeville North 10, Chaska 5
missed serves: Chaska 5, LN 3
LN had a better FBSO game tonight and also limited their errors. LN had a rocky start and could have easily stubbed their toe in game one, but they found a way to win when the gym was rocking for Chaska. That gritty win calmed some of the atmosphere and again in the tight fight in game two. I don't have any numbers for individual defense, but both teams had strong efforts.

ROTATIONS
LAKEVILLE NORTH
1 Fieldsted 13-9 .591
2 Weaver 15-11 .577
3 Kirby 16-19 .457
4 Brandl 12-6 .667
5 Johnson 13-10 .565
6 Braun 7-7 .500
totals: 76-62 .551

CHASKA
1 Peterson/14 10-15 .400
2 Niesche 12-16 .429
3 Wenzel 17-10 .630
4 Saugen 8-13 .381
5 Konetchy 9-12 .421
6 Finkel 6-10 .375
totals: 62-76 .449

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Shakopee/Eastview

#3 posting 9.17.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SHAKOPEE Sabers 3, EASTVIEW lightning 1
(25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21)

In a battle of top AAA top 10 volleyball teams it was #2 Shakopee picking up a road win against #8 Eastview of the Lake conference. Texas Christian recruit Jessica Menden ran the show for Shakopee delivering the ball to outsides Ashley Wittman (19 kills) and Maggie Geske (18 kills). Eastview also had a pair of double digit killers with Lauren Grant with 16 and Karlee Lursen notching 14.

In game one it was Shakopee middle Jean Theis that set the tempo with a kill followed by two blocks for a quick 3-0 Saber lead. Shakopee had three runs of 3 early and led 12-7 when Eastview took a time out. The Sabers added one more point before the Lightning got the side out. Eastview cut the margin to 14-12, but missed serves stopped their momentum. Shakopee had their fourth run, this time four points on the side out & three service points on Mollie Geske's serve, to make it 20-13. Another Eastview time out stopped the run, but couldn't stop the inevitable.

Game two was the tightest and provided the Lightning with their only win of the night. First Eastview adjusted their line up by moving their 4th rotation to their first spot. That twist propelled the Lightning to a 5-2 leaf on Brie Johnson's serve. Lauren Grant had a couple of kills to get things moving. Shakopee regained the lead, if only momentarily, at 12-11 during a four point service run by Wittman. Three of those points were Eastview hitting errors. Eastview edged back in front thanks to two Shakopee hitting errors. Neither team had their side out game revved up in this game as they traded chunks of points two, three at a time. As it was Shakopee wasn't quite done and rallied from a 19-17 deficit with three points to go up 20-19. A Grant slide kill gave the ball back to Eastview. The proceeded to run off four straight on Kaiti Wachter's serve, three on Shakopee hitting errors. Shakopee wasn't done yet with a Eastview hitting error delivering the ball back to the Sabers. Bri Duff put the Sabers within striking distance at 24-23. Eastview's Karlee Lursen tied the series up at one apiece on a kill.

Game three was tight until an 8-1 run by Shakopee put the Sabers up 19-14. Ashley Wittman had a side out kill and then the first two kills in a four point service run by Duff. Eastview never generated any runs in this game. The side out factor absent in game two reappeared for both teams. Shakopee had six straight first ball side outs. Also in this game Shakopee's Maggie Geske started connecting on her down balls. She had four kills in the first two games combined, while in this game she had five kills, same as Wittman.

In the final game Shakopee had a pair of runs early to take an 8-5 lead while stringing together seven straight first ball side outs after the first Eastview service. Maggie Geske continued her hot hitting with nine kills in this game. Shakopee's biggest lead came at 23-18 after a three point run. Eastview got the ball back on a side out kill by Kent. Anna Olson then served up two points to cut the margin to 23-21. The one two punch of Wittman and Maggie Geske ended it with two kills.

photos: #1 Shakopee's Maggie Geske (7 white) reaches for the ball on the outside. #2. Jessica Menden (12 white) with a back jump set. photos by kja

SHAKOPEE
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills-totals
1 Jessica Menden, S 1-0-4----5 gets to the ball, makes plays out of nothing. good control
2 Maggie Geske, OH 0-0-18----18 had 14 kills in the last two games
3 Mollie Geske, L 0-0-0-----0
3fr Jean Theis, MH 0-2-4---6 effective early at the net.
4 Elizabeth Benusa, RH 0-0-3----3
4 Bri Duff, RH 0-1-1-----2
5 Ashley Wittman, OH 0-2-19----21 a force on the outside.
6 Mariah Monnens, MH 0-2-4---6
6br Mollie Geske, L
totals: 1-7-53-----61 points, 37 points on Eastview errors

EASTVIEW
Eastview started this way in game one, but then put Steph Kent (rotation 4) as their 1st rotation the rest of the night.
1. Kaiti Wachter, L 1-0-0----1
1fr Lauren Grant, MH 0-3-16---19 runs the slide
2. Anna Olson, S 2-0-0----2
3. Karlee Lursen, OH 0-0-14---14
4. Steph Kent, MH 0-2-8---10
4br Kaiti Wachter, L
5. Brie Johnson, DS 0-0-0----0
5fr Brianna Pieschel, OH 0-0-6----6
6. Kayla Joyce, DS 0-0-1----1
6fr Kelsey Schile, RH 0-0-3----3
totals: 3-5-48-----56 points, 27 points on Shakopee errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Jessica Menden

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso chances; fbso %; points; % earned; % allowed
Shakopee 30/52; .577; 98; .622; .325
Eastview 26/52; .500; 83; .675; .378
3+ Runs: Shakopee 14, Eastview 6
Missed Serves: Shakopee 3, Eastview 13

ROTATIONS
SHAKOPEE
1. Menden 19-20 .487
2. Ma. Geske 16-15 .516
3. Mo. Geske 19-15 .559
4. Duff 18-13 .581
5. Wittman 16-11 .593
6. Monnens 10-9 ..526
totals: 98-83 .541

EASTVIEW
1. Wachter 16-19 .457
2. Olson 13-17 .433
3. Lursen 11-12 .478
4. Kent 12-17 .414
5. Johnson 18-16 .529
6. Joyce 13-17 .433
totals: 83-98 .459

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Andover/Blaine

#3 posting 9.13.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

ANDOVER huskies 3, BLAINE bengals 0
(25-23, 26-24, 25-14)

In a battle of top 10 AAA teams, Andover beat NW Suburban rival Blaine at home in a sweep at home. It was a revenge match from last year's five game section 7AAA final. This year the two teams are in different sections with Blaine in 5, and Andover in 7. Andover's Megan Carlson had 18 kills and Lauren Cipperly added 11. Blaine's Jessica Granquist had 11 kills also. Carlson is headed to Marshall, a D1 program. Granquist will be a Gopher next season.

First off a word about the crowd. Both sides were pulled down with student sections that were standing, packed all night. It was the rowdiest crowd I have seen so far this year. Most of the time the matches I see are rather quiet. The cheers were going back and forth with there "you can't do that" followed by the claps; and other, sometimes questionable, cheers. The announcer had to mention to cheer for a team, not against an individual.

In game one, Lauren Cipperly got Andover to a quick 4-0 lead with a pair of kills by Megan Carlson and a pair of aces. The Huskies kept building on their lead with a 11-6 lead during Carlson's serve. This time Cipperly chipped in two kills in a three point service run. There was one stretch of the game where both teams traded four straight missed serves, three deep. Blaine did put together a 13-5 run with Granquist serving up three straight points to make it 19-16. That prompted an Andover time out. A double contact gave the ball back to Andover. The next six points came on errors on both teams. A tip kill by Blaine's Molly Kreklow put the Bengals on the verge at 23-21. Another Andover time worked with Megan Keller putting up a block. Cipperly bookended the first game with three straight points. Blaine tried to stop the momentum at 24-23, but after the time out Cipperly finished the first game with her second straight ace.

Blaine held the advantage in game two early. On Granquist's serve Blaine led 10-4 with Ashley Kvistberg putting down two straight kills. Andover started their comeback at this point. A huge part of the rally was the fact that the first ball side out game of Andover was humming. The Huskies had 10 straight side outs to climb back into the contest. Carlson, in this stretch gave Andover their first lead at 17-16 with two straight jump serve aces which forced Blaine to burn a time out. Cipperly, three rotations later, put Andover up 22-19 with her fifth ace of the night again forcing Blaine to stop to talk about it. Cipperly missed on her serve wide and that opened the door for the Bengals. Carlson had a side out kill, but Granquist returned the favor. The game was knotted up at 24 all after a Kvistberg kill on Granquist's serve, but Carlson stopped that with a side out kill, and then finished the second game with her third ace of the game.

In the third game Andover slammed the door on Blaine's serve game with 12 straight FBSO. Blaine didn't help their cause with three missed serves. Andover was able to squeeze one point out of Carlson's serve, but they too were having a hard time generating anything. Soon Andover was getting one point off their serves and when it came back to Carlson again she notched two more service points on Blaine errors to make it 14-9. Blaine took a time out at 13-9. A missed serve gave the ball back to the Bengals. Cipperly put down a kill and then the points, which were so hard to come by for both teams, opened up. On Shannyn Rosendahl's serve Andover added six points to make it 21-10. Cipperly had three points, but the last four points in the seven point run were all Blaine errors. Again Blaine was forced to take a time out at 20-10. Finally on Kreklow's serve Blaine got a point off her serve, the only time in game three. Carlson ended the night with two straight kills, one on the side out, and then on Amy Howard's serve.

photos: #1 Megan Carlson goes down the line for a kill in game #2; #2 Ashley Kvistberg of Blaine goes up for an attack with Andover's Megan Keller (#13) and Jenna McNallen (#9) up for the block. photos by kja

ANDOVER
1 Lauren Cipperly, OH 4-1-11----16
2 Megan Keller, MH 1-1-0----2
2 Kayla Evans, server 0-0-0---0
2 Amy Howard, server 0-0-0----0
2br Shannon Rosendahl, L 0-0-0---0
3 Nicole Husfeld, S 0-0-1----1
4 Megan Carlson, OH 3-0-18---21
5 Shannyn Rosendahl, L 0-0-0----0
5fr Alex Nelson, MH 0-2-4----6
6 Amy Kurtovich, DS 0-0-0----0
Jenna McNallen, RH 0-0-2----2
totals: 8-4-36----48 points, 27 points on Blaine errors

BLAINE
1 Ashley Kvistberg, OH 0-0-7----7
1br Amber Marciniak, DS 0-0-0----0
2 Molly Kreklow, MH/S 0-1-8----9
3 Reiley Dahlberg, RH 1-0-1----2
4 Jessica Granquist, OH 0-0-11----11
5 Brittney Barren, MH 1-0-0-----1
5 Tracie Gillund, MH 0-0-0----0
5br Amanda Lom, L 0-0-0----0
6 Mackenzie Suda, S 0-0-1----1
totals: 2-1-28----31 points; 30 points on Andover errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Megan Carlson coiled, ready to strike, good timing.

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Andover 27/41, .659; 76; .632; .492
Blaine 24/42, .571; 61; .508; .355
Runs 3+: Andover 8, Blaine 5
Missed Serves: Andover 14, Blaine 9

ROTATIONS
ANDOVER
1 Cipperly 18-12 .600
2 Evans 13-13 .500
3 Husfeld 8-13 .381
4 Carlson 15-8 .652
5 Rosendahl 14-7 .667
6 Kurtovich 8-8 .500
totals: 76-61 .555

BLAINE
1 Kvistberg/Marciniak 10-17 .371
2 Kreklow 11-14 .440
3 Dahlberg 13-8 .619
4 Granquist 12-16 .429
5 Barren/Gillund 8-14 ,364
6 Suda 7-7 .500
totals: 61-76 .445

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Centennial/Osseo

#4 posting 9.6.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

CENTENNIAL cougars 3, OSSEO orioles 1
(22-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23)

In a battle of unbeaten Northwest Suburban teams it was Centennial prevailing after losing the first game in a four game match in Osseo. Both teams stayed within shouting distance. Both teams delivered in the side out game with both teams above .518. Topping the charts tonight was Centennial's Becka Meiser with 15 kills.

In game one, the side out game was in overdrive with eight straight side outs. Osseo was the first to shake free with a run of three to make it 9-7. The Orioles maintained a slight advantage until Centennial ran off three points to make it 16-14. Osseo had another three point run to force a Centennial time out. That break worked as Centennial nosed in front again on a 5-2 run to lead 21-19. This time it was Osseo with the time out and modification of plans. Their time out tactic worked with a 6-1 run after the time out. Centennial tried to get their mojo back with another time out at 22-21 Osseo. They did get the side out to knot it up, but the Orioles closed out with the last three points. Finishing game one was Libero Brianna Olson of Osseo with a kill.

There were seven ties to start game two. Centennial broke through with a three point run to make it 13-11. Osseo was forced to use a time out at this juncture. The game hung in this zone until Melanie Schmidt's serve for Centennial. She served up three more points (Osseo tried to slow the momentum to no avail at 20-16) to make it 22-16. The Orioles did get a side out, but Centennial finished it off with a kill by Becka Mieser on Allison Atkins' service.

Centennial broke a 13 all tie with five straight points, four on Brittany Wilson's serve to make it 18-13. Osseo took a time out, but Wilson added her second ace after their break. In fact it was the third Centennial ace stretching back to a 8-1 run. Osseo closed to 19-16 after a Centennial hitting error forcing the Cougars to burn a time out. Soon after the game went into sideout mode for six straight balls. Osseo took their second time out at 23-18. Rachel Pekarek nailed a kill for the side out. Osseo hung on to close to 24-21 which led to another chat by Centennial. After the break Pekarek had a hitting error to end the third game 25-21.

Centennial revved it up early on Melanie Schmidt's serve. She had five service points with Centennial kills accounting for three points. Osseo did battle back from their doldrums to tie the game at 11. After that the game was tied five times, the last time at 22 after an ace by Hoefling for Osseo. Centennial took a time out, but Hoefling kept the pressure on with another ace to make it 23-22 Orioles. On the next serve the ball went wide and Centennial never gave it back. The last two points for Centennial came via Osseo hitting errors.

Of note: The Father of Oriole Lindsey Sathre, MH, saw his last game this year. He leaves soon for Iraq.

Photos: #1: Osseo's Rachel Pekarek goes up for a back row attack. #2: Megan Waytashek of Centennial goes one on one with Osseo's Tiara Russell. #3 Osseo's coach Quan recognizing Mr. Sathre. photos by kja

CENTENNIAL
order, player, position, aces-blocks-kills-----points
1 Melanie Schmidt, DS 0-0-1----1
1fr Micha Sater, OH 0-0.5-7---7.5
2 Allison Atkins, L 3-0-1----4
2fr Megan Waytashek, MH 0-1.5-8---9.5
3 Brittany Wilson, RH 2-1.5-4----7.5
4 Becka Meiser, OH 0-0-15----15
5 Renata Thielen, DS 0-0-0----0
5fr Abby Mohr, MH 0-1.5-4----5.5
6 Ally Wilson, S 1-0-4----5
Totals: 6-5-44-55 points; 42 points on Osseo errors

OSSEO
1 Amanda Hoefling, S 2-0-1----3
1fr Karen Hiltunen, RH 0-1-1----2
2 Rachel Pekarek, OH 0-0-7----7
3 Briana Olson, L 0-0-1----1
3fr Tiara Russell, MH 0-2-5---7
4 Lauren Everett, S 0-0-0-----0
4fr Casey Carroll, RH 0-2-7----9
5 Rachel Wiinanen, DS 0-0-3----3
5fr Abby Roff, OH 0-1.5-5---6.5
6 Lindsey Sathre, MH 1-0.5-7---8.5
totals: 3-7-37---46 points, 40 points on Centennial errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Becka Meiser

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso att; fbso%; points, Pts earned%; pts allowed %
Centennial 34/56; .607; 97; .567; .465
Osseo 29/56; .518; 86; .535; .433
Runs 3+: Centennial 9, Osseo 9
missed serves: Osseo 10, Centennial 8

ROTATIONS
CENTENNIAL
1 Schmidt 24-16 .600
2 Atkins 21-17 .553
3 B Wilson 14-15 .483
4 Meiser 13-10 .565
5 Thielen 15-13 .536
6 A Wilson 11-14 .440
totals: 98-85 .536

OSSEO
1 Hoefling 17-23
2 Pekarek/Wiinanen 15-22
3 Olson 16-16
4 Everett 14-13
5 Wiinanen/Pekarek 10-15
6 Sathre 13-9
totals: 85-98 .464

Osseo's rotations were in flux most of the night with the left side undergoing most of the experiments.

Next up: tomorrow morning