Byers Verbals, All Tournament, Coaching Awards, Polls

#1 posting 11.10.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

VERBALS
Shannon Byers of Faribault has verballed South Carolina Aiken. The OH played with Northern Lights 17-2 last year.
Byers is the 24th player overall in the 2009 Minnesota class to verbal and the 12th headed to a D2 program.

STATE TOURNAMENT RECAPS
Here are some of the reports from the papers that don't publish on Sundays---
A
The Worthington Daily Globe has details on #2 Windom's win over #1 Bethlehem Academy.

The West Central Tribune has more on #4 Ada-Borup's win over #3 BBE.

AA
The Marshall Independent has more depth to the story on the AA Championship where #1 Jordan beat #2 Marshall.

ALL TOURNAMENT
Here are the A, AA and AAA all Tournament teams.

COACHING AWARDS
Here are the coach of the year for each section in each class
A
1 Franz Boelter, Bethlehem Academy
2 Stef Dietz, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's
3 Ron Wendorff, Windom
4 Greg Sayak, SW Christian Chaska
5 Kevin Weller, BBE
6 Ruth Hayden, Ada-Borup
7 Connie Boyum-Ezar, Deer River
8 Missy Thompson, Northern

AA
1 Scott Koepke, Caledonia
2 Dave Nixon, LeSueur-Henderson
3 Dan Westby, Marshall
4 Tom Kivel, Minnehaha
5 Rebecca Rue, Delano
6 Ted Farber, Rocori
7 Gail Nucech, Hibbing
8 Dan Christensen, Perham

AAA
1 Mike Woody, Farmington
2 Mike Dean, Prior Lake
3 Becky Egan, Eastview
4 Michelle Parker, Stillwater
5 Bill Quan, Osseo
6 Scott Jackson, Wayzata
7 Beth Joki, Grand Rapids
8 John Yunker, STMA

Here are the assistant coaches
A
1 Kelsey Anderson, Mabel-Canton
2 Wendy Owens, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's
3. Gene Lovell, Windom
4. Leah Rudzitis, Meadow Creek
5 Heidi Wormley, Nevis
6 Breanne Marshall, Barnesville
7 Tina Bonestell, Deer River
8 Missy Foslein, Fosston

AA
1 Laura Threinen Byron
2 Lyle Noah, Belle Plaine
3 Jon Hegerle, Marshall
4 Amanda Daninger, Concordia Roseville
5 Jen Traeger, Melrose
8 Eryn Anderson-Moser, Perham

AAA
1 John Kaytor, Owatonna
2 Tim Carroll, Hutchinson
3 Jeff Groves, Apple Valley
4 Joshua Mattison, North St. Paul
5 Becky Amann, Blaine
6 Gary Anderson, Hopkins


POLLS
Here are the MaxPreps all class polls for Nov. 10. Shakopee is #1 to no one's surprise.
If you extrapolated them out by class
AAA
1. Shakopee
2. Eastview
3. Chaska
4. Lakeville North
5. STMA
6. Alexandria
7. Lakeville South
8. Woodbury
9. Blaine
10. Andover

AA
1. Jordan
2. Marshall
3. Jackson County Central
4. Hibbing
5. St. Cloud Cathedral
6. Delano
7. LeSueur-Henderson
8. Belle Plaine
9. Yellow Medicine East
10. Worthington

A
1. Windom
2. Bethlehem Academy
3. BBE
4. Minneota
5. Ada-Borup
6. Mabel-Canton
7. Wabasha-Kellogg
8. SW Christian Chaska
9. SW Star
10. Murray County Central

Next up: college reports & more

State Tournament Recaps

#1 posting 11.9.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL REPORTS
Scott county won two state championships yesterday with Jordan and Shakopee taking titles. Another thing they had in common was they were both #1 seeds that won it all.

Windom broke the #1 seed streak by taking the title in A.

AAA
Shakopee won their back to back title without a senior on the floor. The Sabers won a tight four set match with Eastview. Can a three-peat be far behind? From the StarTribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press and Shakopee Valley News.

AA
Jordan reclaimed the AA title after a year away from the throne. The Jaguars prevented Marshall from a back to back experience. From the StarTribune and Marshall Independent.

A
Windom beat one of their own. Bethlehem Academy coach Franz Boelter is a Windom grad (1970). The Eagles came up aces against the Cards in the four set win with a 15-7 advantage. The Eagles experience from a year ago helped get them over the top this year. BA's Stephanie Meschke played despite a severe stomach ache.
Plus Marc by Words and a minute by minute recap. From the StarTribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Faribault Daily News.

THIRD PLACE
AA: #4 seed Hibbing took third with a four set win over #3 St. Cloud Cathedral. The margin was 21 points. From the Duluth News Tribune and St. Cloud Times.
A: #4 Ada-Borup took third with a sweep of #3 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa. The margin was 20 points. From the St. Cloud Times.

Next up: Big 10 results

AAA State Championship: Shakopee/Eastview

#8 posting 11.8.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SHAKOPEE sabers 3, EASTVIEW lightning 1
(26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22)

Shakopee won their back to back AAA championship with a four set win over Eastview. These two teams opened the season and closed the season. This was the third time these two teams faced each other. Every time the Sabers came out on top. Tonight was no different. The key part in this match came in the first set. Shakopee had a 23-19 advantage, but Eastview struck for five straight points to stand on the edge with a 24-23 lead. Shakopee held off one set point with a kill by Ashley Wittman, one of her 32 on the night, and then Wittman served up the final two points.
More to come

rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills--totals
SHAKOPEE
1. Elizabeth Benusa, 2010, OH 0-0-11------11
2. Mollie Geske, 2010, L 1-0-0-----1
2fr: Jean Theis, 2010, MH 0-1-6-----7
3. Amelia Yager, 2010, S 2-0-1------3
3fr: Megan Westlund, 2011, S 0-0-3-----3
4. Ashley Wittman, 2010, OH 1-1.5-32-----34.5
5. Emily Schroers, 2011, DS 0-0-0-----0
6. Mariah Monnens, 2010, RH 0-1.5-3----4.5
6. Bri Duff, 2009, RH 0-0-0-----0
totals: 4-6-58-------68 points, 27 points on Eastview errors

EASTVIEW
1. Anna Olson, 2009, S 0-1-2----3
2. Kayla Joyce, 2009, DS 1-0-0-----1
2fr: Ashley Murtha, 2011, OH 0-0-14----14
3. Lauren Grant, 2010, MH 3-1.5-18-----22.5
3br: Kaiti Wachter, 2009, L
4. Stacy Kuhlmann, 2009, DS 0-0-0----0
4fr: Kelsey Shile, 2011, RH 0-0.5-8----8.5
5. Karlee Lursen, 2009, OH 0-0-9----9
6. Kaiti Wachter, 2009, L 0-0-0-----0
6fr: Steph Kent, 2009, MH 0-1-12----13
totals: 4-4-63------71 points, 22 points on Shakopee errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Ashley Wittman

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Shakopee 39/59-.661; .716; .237
Eastview 37/59-.627; .763; .284
Runs 3+: Eastview 11, Shakopee 9
Longest string: Shakopee 6, Eastview 5
Missed Serves: Eastview 7, Shakopee 3
Time Out %: Shakopee 2/5-.400; Eastview 1/5-.200

ROTATIONS
SHAKOPEE
1. Benusa 21-18 .538
2. Geske 19-16 .543
3. Yager 15-18 .455
4. Wittman 14-17 .452
5. Schroers 14-12 .538
6. Monnens/Duff 12-12 .500
totals: 95-93 .505

EASTVIEW
1. Olson 17-14 .548
2. Joyce 15-20 .429
3. Grant 20-16 .556
4. Kuhlmann 14-12 .538
5. Lursen 14-16 .467
6. Wachter 13-17 .433
totals: 93-95 .495

RACE TO:
Set: 5 10 15 20 25
set 1 E S S S S
set 2 S E S E E
set 3 S S S S S
set 4 S S S S S

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2 3 4
Shakopee 6 4 5 4
Eastview 1 6 2 1

Next up: tomorrow morning

State Championship AA: Jordan/Marshall

#7 posting 11.8.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

JORDAN jaguars 3, MARSHALL tigers 1
(26-24, 25-22, 17-25, 25-14)

Jordan returns to the top of the AA heap, and prevented a Marshall back to back repeat with a four set win over Jordan. In the battle of the cats it was Jordan that proved they had nine lives as they survived two set points in the first set as they rallied to beat the Tigers 26-24. Marshall led 24-22. The dynamic duo of Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel had 36 and 27 points in the win for Jordan.

more to come

rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills--totals
JORDAN
1. Emilee Gutzmer, 2012, S 0-1-2----3
2. Brittany Chambers, 2009, OH 1-2-33-----36
3. Ashley Hartman, 2010, MH 1-0.5-1-----2.5
3. Marsha Wolf, 2009, OH 0-1.5-0-----1.5
3br: Courtni Stever, 2009, L 0-0-0----0
4. Kelsey Chambers, 2012, RH 0-0-4----4
4 br: Hannah Trosen, 2011, DS 0-0-0-----0
5. Leah Dietel, 2009, MH 1-2-24----27
5br: Katie Gehling, 2010, DS 0-0-0-----0
6. Michelle O'Malley, 2009 OH 0-0-3-----3
totals: 3-7-67----77 points, 21 points on Marshall errors

MARSHALL
1. Karli Vandeputte, 2009, DS 3-0-0----3
1fr: Dani Beekman, 2010, OH 0-0.5-3----3.5
1fr: Morgan McKittrick, 2012, OH 0-0-1----1
1br: Alyssa Netzke, 2011, DS 0-0-0----0
1. Stefanie Sanow, 2010, DS 0-0-0----0
2. Shay Birath, 2009, L 5-0-0-----5
2fr: Danielle Gladis, 2009, MH 0-1-7----8
3. Kayla Wallerich, 2010, S 2-0.5-6----8.5
4. Rachel Westby, 2010, OH 0-0.5-10----10.5
5. Hope Weilage, 2009, MH 0-2-10-----12
5. Shay Birath
6. Kelsey Deragisch, 2010, S 0-0-2-----2
6fr: Tina Tauer, 2010, RH 0-0.5-3----3.5
6fr: Amy Full, 2011, RH 0-0-0----0
totals: 10-5-42-----57 points, 23 points on Jordan errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Brittany Chambers. Power packed dynamo

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Jordan 39/53-.736; 98; .786; .288
Marshall 26/53-.491; 80; .713; .214
Runs 3+: Jordan 13, Marshall 5
Longest string: Marshall 8, Jordan 5
Missed Serves: Jordan 9, Marshall 6
Time Out %: Marshall 5/7---.714; Jordan 1/3-.333

ROTATIONS
JORDAN
1. Gutzmer 19-24 .442
2. B Chambers 15-14 .517
3. Hartman 19-15 .559
4. K Chambers 14-11 .560
5. Dietel 18-8 .692
6. O'Malley 13-8 .619
totals: 98-80 .551

MARSHALL
1. Vandeputte 17-11 .608
2. Birath 19-21 .475
3. Wallerich 19-19 .500
4. Westby 11-14 .440
5. Weilage 7-17 .292
6. Deragisch 7-16 .304
totals: 80-98 .449

RACE TO:
Set: 5 10 15 20 25
set 1 J J J J J
set 2 M M M M M
set 3 M J J J J
set 4 M J J J J

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2 3 4
Jordan 6 2 9 11
Marshall 2 3 2 2

Next up: AAA Championship

A State Championship: Windom/Bethlehem Academy

#6 posting 11.8.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

WINDOM eagles 3, BETHLEHEM ACADEMY cardinals 1
(25-22, 25-20, 14-25, 25-23)

In a championship rematch of the 2007 Class A Championship it was #2 seed Windom in a reversal topping Bethlehem Academy in four. Windom came up aces against the Cards with 15 in the match. Another factor in the Windom victories was the quick starts and strong finishes in sets one and two, while in set four they used a strong middle. Another odd fact---BA outscored Windom 90-89.

more to come

rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills--totals
WINDOM
1. Morgan Borsgard, 2009, S 0-0-0----0
1fr: Alicia Norby, 2009, MH 0-0.5-2----2.5
2. Courtney Ysker, 2011, OH 8-0.5-14-----22.5
3. Allison Nau, 2009, L 0-0-0-----0
3fr: Trista Hacker, 2009, OH 0-0-1----1
4. Megan Ysker, 2009, S/MH 2-1-19-----22
5. Lisa Johnson, 2009, DS 1-0-0-----1
5fr: Abby Lund, 2009, OH 0-1-4-----5
6. MaKenzie Lovell, 2010, MH 4-0-10----14
totals 15-3-50-----68 points, 21 points on BA errors

BETHLEHEM ACADEMY
1. Victoria Nass, 2011, L 2-0-0------2
1fr: Kim Stadler, 2009, MH
2. Stephanie Meschke, 2009, OH 2-1-3-----6
3. Jena Budde, 2011, S 1-0-1-----2
4. Holly Hafemeyer, 2010, MH 1-1.5-17----19.5
4br: Victoria Nass
5. KariAnne Nass, 2010, OH 2-2-18----22
6. Regan Kriechbaum, 2009, DS 0-0-0----0
6fr: Abbey Carver, 2010, RH 0-0-0----0
totals: 8-6-44--------58 points, 32 points on Windom errors

TRENCH PLAYER
MaKenzie Lovell----came up with a kill to win the first set, served out the last three points in the second set win and finished the match with a kill in set four.

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Windom 25/44-.568; 89; .764; .356
Bethlehem Academy 23/45-.511; 90; .644; .236
Runs 3+: Windom 14, BA 11
Longest string: BA 8, Windom 5
Missed Serves: Windom 9, BA 6
Time Out %: Windom 2/6-.333; Windom 1/7-.143

ROTATIONS
WINDOM
1. Borsgard 12-10 .545
2. C Ysker 23-15 .605
3. Nau 12-17 .414
4. M Ysker 15-16 .484
5. Johnson 14-19 .424
6. Lovell 13-13 .500
totals: 89-90 .497

BETHLEHEM ACADEMY
1. V Nass 16-15 .516
2. Meschke 18-19 .486
3. Budde 12-12 .500
4. Hafemeyer 18-13 .581
5. K Nass 19-20 .487
6. Kriechbaum 7-10 .412
totals: 90-89 .503

RACE TO:
Set: 5 10 15 20 25
set 1 W B B B W
set 2 W W W W W
set 3 B B B B B
set 4 W B W W W

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2 3 4
Windom 4 6 0 8
BA 5 0 11 4

Next up: AA Championship

#1 vs #2 X 3

#1 posting 11.8.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL REPORTS
AAA
It is #1 Shakopee vs #2 Eastview for the AAA championship at 5 pm. From the StarTribune.
It will be the Lightning's balance vs the star power of Shakopee. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Rochester Mayo's season ended as Wayzata swept the Spartans. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

AA
#1 Jordan went five and defending champion #2 Marshall swept and will face each other in the AA championship at 3 pm. from the and StarTribune.

Jordan survived a sloppy five set win over #4 Hibbing. From the Jordan Independent and Duluth News Tribune.

Marshall had an easier time of it with a sweep of #3 St. Cloud Cathedral. From the Marshall Independent. For some reason I can't link the St. Cloud Times today.

Some Stewartville students (no volleyball players) were cited at the Embassy Suites hotel. The juveniles were cited for "alcohol consumption, after teens apparently punched a hole in the wall of a hotel room, jumped out of a balcony window, disturbed other guests, and grew "violent" with Embassy Suites hotel staff." From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

A
It is a rematch of the 2007 A championship at 1 pm with #1 Bethlehem Academy and #2 Windom advancing with touch and go five set wins. From the Faribault Daily News and StarTribune.

#1 BA downed a scrappy #4 Ada-Borup. From the Faribault Daily News and Fargo Forum.

The #2 Eagles survived #3 BBE. The Jaguars made Windom work for every point. From the Worthington Daily Globe, Sauk Centre Herald and West Central Tribune.

Martin County West swept Lake of the Woods in the Consolation side of the tournament. From the Fairmont Sentinel and the Grand Forks Herald.

You can look at the Deer River vs Bethlehem Academy quarterfinal on KBJR.

Next up: Big 10 results

Semifinal Friday, 3 Sweeps, 3 Fives

#5 posting 11.7.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SEMIFINAL FRIDAY
The Minnesota State volleyball tournament wrapped up today with the top two seeds in each class advancing to the finals. However it took five sets in three of the contests.

Again with the multitude of contests if you want to see the official stats go to the MSHSL site.

Where are the photos? The MSHSL have exclusive rights to the images and photos, so I can not put them on kevinanderson.photostockplus.com.

AAA
The day started with #1 Shakopee sweeping unranked Andover in a rematch of last year's championship. However it was a bit tighter than people may have thought. The first two sets were tight with Andover serving at set point. Elizabeth Benusa got the kill as the Sabers dodged a bullet. Ashley Wittman then had a kill to put Shakopee at set point. Andover held off with a Nicole Husfeldt kill. The set ended with two Wittman kills 27-25. The second set was tied up at 22 when Megan Westlund dumped the ball for a key side out. Shakopee didn't give it back with a block by Jean Theis and another set ending kill by Wittman. Andover wasn't the same after that. In the third set Shakopee led 5-0 and 10-2 early setting the tone for the rest of the way.

The Sabers will face Eastview. The Lightning beat St. Michael-Albertville for the second time this season and it too was a sweep. In set one Eastview trailed 19-18 when they went on a five point run that put them in the driver's seat. In that run of five Ashley Murtha had three kills. A STMA time out at 22-19 failed to halt the Lightning. The first set ended on a missed Knight serve. Set two was another tight contest with STMA leading 20-17. Eastview finished with an 8-2 run. STMA took a time out at 20 all which gave the ball back to the Knights, and again trailing 23-21. In the 8-1 run Lauren Grant had three kills including point 25. Just like in the Shakopee/Andover contest the momentum drained from STMA. Eastview got off to a 5-0 lead and lead throughout. STMA closed to 14-10 but an 8 point run cemented the result. Karlee Lursen finished the match with a kill.

Oddly enough both teams opened the season---I had an out & about on that. Shakopee won 3-1 back in August.

A
Next on the menu of contests were the A semifinals. On Thursday all As were sweeps. Today all the semis were fives. Both #1 Bethlehem Academy and #2 Windom won in five, but both were pushed hard.

In a sense this was a match up between two state champions and their initials are just the reverse of each other. Bethlehem Academy is the defending 2007 Volleyball champ. #4 Ada-Borup is the 2008 Class A girls basketball champs, many who play both sports. AB was a scrappy, gritty bunch that were able to make plays out of system. The Cougars took the first set from the Cards 25-20. The took advantage of a six point run when they trailed 14-10. After that they didn't trail. FBA missed a serve to start the run. AB led 11-8 in the second set when FBA went on an 11-4 run to take a 19-15 lead. The Cards maintained that margin the rest of the way for a 25-21 victory to tie things up. In a similar scenario in set three, AB led 9-6 when FBA went to work. First off they had four straight FBSO to stifle any potential Cougar rally. Second they went on an 8-1 run and 16-3 run to cement their win. The Cougars refused to quit. They started set four with a 6-0 lead with Katy Ness providing half the points. AB stretched that margin to 17-8. BA had to play catch up and closed to 21-18, but a missed serve doomed their chances to overtake the #4 seed. In fact a missed serve ended the set. BA put an end to the momentum shift with the first four points of set five. Holly Hafemeyer was a force at the net with four of the fist six points and 8 points overall in set five. AB got as close as three. Hafemeyer ended the match with a kill.

Windom faced a similar situation in their semifinal with #3 BBE. They took the first set with a strong finish. BBE led 18-16 when Windom finished with a 9-2 run. Megan Ysker had four of the points for the Eagles in the closing run. In set two BBE started out flaming hot with the first four points and a 12-2 lead. Heidi Lensing had five points at the start of those 12 for the Jaguars. Windom scrapped back to close to 23-22 with a 8-2 run, but a hitting error ended their momentum. Lensing finished set two with a kill. It was the Eagle's turn for a quick 7-1 start in set three. BBE did bounce back to close to 9-7, but another five point run later made it 21-11 after Allison Nau had three aces in that burst. It was all about the starts. In set four BBE raced to a 6-1 and 13-4 lead. Emily Roelike had five of the last six points in the 13-4 run. Fittingly Roelike ended set four with a kill. Start fast, win the contest. Windom raced to a 5-1 lead to start set five. Courtney Ysker had three aces in that burst. Windom finished strong with a 7-1 run. Again the Younger Ysker was instrumental with four of the seven points, this time all on kills.

This sets up a rematch of the 2007 A championship.

AA
We weren't done with the five sets yet. #1 Jordan survived an upset bid by #4 Hibbing. Hibbing led 18-17 in set one when the Jaguars finished with an 8-3 run. Brittany Chambers five kills in the 8 point run. Hibbing tried to stop the Jordan express with a time out at 21-19 and 24-21. Hibbing led 16-9 in set two after a nine point run. The Bluejackets pushed their lead out to 21-13. The Jags then went on a 9-1 run again with BC knocking down four kills. Jordan had a 8-3 run to take a 20-13 lead. The Jags pulled out to a 5-1 lead to start the fourth set, but Hibbing went on a 5-0 run to take a 6-5 lead. There were 7 lead changes and five ties in this nailbiting set, the last at 23 after a tip kill by Chambers. Jordan had the ball, but a hitting error gave it back to Hibbing. Melissa Nyberg had a block to force set five. Jordan used a 7-1 run to put distance between themselves and Hibbing at 12-6. Again Chambers had four points in the burst. Hibbing wasn't through with a 6-1 run to close to 13-12. Kate Lange had three of the points for Hibbing. A block by Leah Dietel gave the ball back to Jordan. The match ended on a Hibbing hitting error.

The final match was a rematch of the last year's AA championship. This time Marshall left no doubt in the outcome with a sweep of St. Cloud Cathedral. The Tigers had a run of six early in the first set and then had another four point burst to go up 17-11. Eventually Marshall led 24-17, but they needed five set points before Danielle Gladis finished with a kill. Cathedral led 13-12 in set two when the Tigers roared back with a 7-2 run to lead 19-15. SCC cut the margin to 22-20. Hope Weilage wrapped up the second set with a kill. Reverting back to the first two matches of the day the team that won the first two sets had an easier time in the third as the energy drained for the team trailing. Marshall 9-4 and 14-5 as the Crusaders didn't have a strong response to the relentless diversified attack. Five Tigers had more that four kills.

Jordan beat Marshall in the Lakeville North tournament at the start of October.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
HITTING %
AAA
Shakopee .306
Eastview .198
Andover .139
STMA .071
AA
Marshall .215
Jordan .191
Hibbing .108
St. Cloud Cathedral .080
A
Bethlehem Academy .222
BBE .197
Ada-Borup .189
Windom .168

EARNED POINTS
AAA
Shakopee 19.0
Eastview 17.67
Andover 15.67
STMA 14.0
AA
Marshall 19.67
Jordan 16.74
Hibbing 15.65
St. Cloud Cathedral 10.0
A
Bethlehem Academy 18.70
Windom 17.39
Ada-Borup 14.78
BBE 12.83

INDIVIDUALS (points per set)
AAA
Ashley Wittman, Shakopee 8.67
Katherine Harms, STMA 6.5
Lauren Cipperly, Andover 5.0
Elizabeth Benusa, Shakopee 4.17
Lauren Grant, Eastivew 4.0
AA
Brittany Chambers, Jordan 7.83
Leah Dietel, Jordan 6.30
Katie Lang, Hibbing 5.98
Anna Zyvoloski, SC Cathedral 5.0
Kayla Wallerich, Marshall 4.0
Hope Weilage, Marshall 4.0
A
Holly Hafemeyer, BA 7.83
Heidi Lensing, BBE 5.22
Courtney Ysker, Windom 5.22
Katy Ness, Ada-Borup 4.89
Kari Anne Nass, BA 4.67
Megan Ysker, Windom 4.13

Next up: tomorrow morning

Favored Sweeps Rule in A

#3 posting 11.7.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

A STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS
All top seeds moved on with sweeps.

#3 BBE was cool and calm in their sweep of young Martin County West. It was the first win at state for BBE in their three trips. From the St. Cloud Times, and West Central Tribune.

It was more of a struggle than expected for #1 Bethlehem Academy as they beat Deer River in a sweep. From the StarTribune, Faribault Daily News and Duluth News Tribune.

#2 Windom swept Lake of the Woods. Serving is a big part of the Eagles success. From the Worthington Daily Globe and Grand Forks Herald.

#4 Ada-Borup swept first timer SW Christian of Chaska. From the Fargo Forum.

Next up: quick college reports

Top Seeds Advance in AA

#2 posting 11.7.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA STATE TOURNAMENT
#1 seed Jordan, behind the dynamic duo of Chambers and Dietel, beat Delano. From the StarTribune.

Another championship rematch is on tap in AA: both #2 Marshall and #3 St. Cloud Cathedral advanced with wins. From St. Paul Pioneer Press, Marshall Independent and St. Cloud Times.

The Crusaders beat Stewartville in the only contest in AA that went longer than three sets. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Hibbing beat Wadena-Deer Creek in the other quarterfinal. From the Duluth News Tribune.

Next up: A State Reports

Shakopee vs Andover Rematch on Tap

#1 posting 11.7.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AAA
Eastview's balance and diversity stopped Osseo in three. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

St. Michael-Albertville's Katherine Harms was too powerful for Cretin-Derham Hall. From the SPPP.

Plus the Shakopee and Andover wins in the SPPP.
The Sabers and Huskies will meet in a rematch of last year's AAA championship. From the StarTribune.
Action starts at 9 am today in St. Paul.

COACHING NEWS
Adam Cress has resigned from Northfield. From the Northfield News.

Next up: AA results

State Tournament Day 1

#3 posting 11.6.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STATE TOURNAMENT RECAP
Today I was at the state tournament for six contests. I will not be doing an out & about on each of them. There are stats and play by plays from the Minnesota State High School League Website. That would be a good first source.

AAA
It gets to be a long day. The first contest started at 9 am. I started with the only upset of the day and the only fiver of the day. Unseeded and second place finisher in 2007 Andover beat #4 Wayzata in five. The Huskies took all the odd sets. The point margin was zero.
This sets up a rematch of last year's AAA championship with #1 Shakopee who swept Rochester Mayo with a margin 37 points.
After that I watched #2 Eastview vs Osseo. The Lightning swept the Orioles with a margin of 29 points. It was the first time in the tournament for Eastview and it was the first time back to the Xcel Center since 2001.
#3 St. Michael-Albertville stopped the upset minded Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders in four with a margin of 18 points.

AA
All the seeded teams advanced with only one contest going more than three sets.
I started with two top 10 teams #1 seed Jordan vs Delano. The Jaguars swept the Tigers with a margin of 23 points.
At the same time #4 Hibbing swept Wadena-Deer Creek with a margin of 31 points.
The tightest contest was between #3 St. Cloud Cathedral beating Stewartville in four with a margin of four points. The Crusaders will get a rematch of the 2007 Championship with #2 Marshall who swept Concordia with a margin of 36 points.

A
Each seeded team won in a sweep in Class A. I watched the top two teams. #1 Bethlehem Academy swept Deer River with a margin of 13 points. #2 Windom swept Lake of the Woods with a margin of 25 points.
In the two contest I didn't watch #4 Ada-Borup swept SW Christian with a margin of 27 points. #3 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa swept Martin County West with a margin of 13 points.
The rematch between BA and Windom is on track for Saturday.

AAA
So here is how the hitting #s looked
Shakopee .368
Eastview .258
STMA .133
Andover .104
Wayzata .086
Cretin-Derham Hall .038
Rochester Mayo .018
Osseo -.118

Here is the earned points (per set)
Shakopee 18.0
Eastview 16.0
STMA 16.0
Andover 15.4
Wayzata 13.9
Cretin-DH 13.0
Rochester Mayo 9.3
Osseo 8.3

top individuals points:
Katherine Harms, STMA 12.5
Ashley Wittman, Shakopee 7.5
Tia Gaffen, Wayzata 6.6
Alex Nelson, Andover 4.5
Brittany Looker, Roch Mayo 4.3
Lauren Grant, Eastview 4.0

IN AA
hitting %
Jordan .347
Hibbing .235
St. Cloud Cathedral .222
Marshall .222
Stewartville .218
Delano .134
Concordia -.063
Wadena-DC -.126

Earned points
Jordan 19.3
St. Cloud Cathedral 17.0
Marshall 16.7
Hibbing 16.0
Stewartville 16.0
Delano 12.3
Wadena-DC 9.0
Concordia 6.7

Individuals
Brittany Chambers, Jordan 8.7
Leah Dietel, Jordan 7.8
Anna Zyvoloski, St. Cloud Cathedral 7.6
Julie Rainey, Stewartville 5.5
Rachel Westby, Marshall 5.3
Kate Lange, Hibbing 4.8

In A
Hitting %
Windom .352
BBE .195
Ada-Borup .193
Martin County West .089
Lake of the Woods .084
Bethlehem Academy .071
SW Christian Chaska .058
Deer River .024

Earned points
Windom 19
BBE 17.7
Bethlehem Academy 15.3
Ada-Borup 14.7
Martin Co West 14.7
Deer River 13.7
SW Christian Chaska 11.0
Lake of the Woods 10.3

Individuals
Megan Ysker, Windom 7.8
Heidi Lensing, BBE 6.8
Katy Ness, Ada-Borup 4.7
Alyssa Taylor, Martin Co West 4.7
Cassie Haag, SW Christian 4.3
Ashley Feldman, Lake of the Woods 4.3

Next up: tomorrow morning

Tournament Previews; 3 All Conference Teams

#1 posting 11.6.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT
All three state champs have a chance for repeats this season, plus other tidbits. From the StarTribune.
The Bemidji Pioneer takes an overall generic look at the state tournament.

You can check on the results today on the MSHSL site. I won't get back until later tonight.

AAA
Rochester Mayo ended Farmington's season two years in a row. From the Farmington Independent. Mayo's contest will be broadcast on the internet. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Kaiti Wachter of Eastview is an intense libero. From the StarTribune.

AA
Marshall is very comfortable at state. From the Marshall Independent.

Wadena-Deer Creek used a team effort to beat East Grand Forks last Saturday. From the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

Hibbing has a pair of sister combinations: the Wirtanen Sisters and Nyberg Sisters. From the Hibbing Daily News.

A
Could we be headed for a Bethlehem Academy vs Windom championship rematch? From the Worthington Daily Globe.
The Nass sisters are a big part of BA's success. From the Faribault Daily News.

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is looking for their first win at state. They are 0-4 in two trips. From the West Central Tribune.

Southwest Christian of Chaska is flexing their muscles in their first trip to State. From the StarTribune.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Southeast and Three Rivers Conference have released their All Conference teams. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.
The Tomahawak Conference has released their list. Crissi Schewe of Sleepy Eye St. Mary's was Player of the Year and Stef Dietz also of SESM, was coach of the year. From the New Ulm Journal.
If you have an all conference list---go to my profile and email me.

SEASON WRAPS
Detroit Lakes was 14-11 this season. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

Next up: college reports

Lange Verbals, State Previews, Red Rock All Conference

#1 posting 11.5.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

LANGE VERBALS
Hibbing Junior Katie Lange has verballed UM Duluth. From the Duluth News Tribune.

Lange is the third player from the 2010 Minnesota class to verbal and the first headed to a D2 program.

STATE TOURNAMENT
Radio Coverage: KCHK Radio from New Prague will stream games with Jordan and Shakopee at the State Tournament starting tomorrow.

AAA: Unseeded Rochester Mayo is a family with a senior outlook. Shakopee is junior dominated. Here is a thumbnail preview. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Unseeded Cretin-Derham Hall is looking to play five. From the StarTribune.

AA: #3 seed St. Cloud Cathedral is looking for redemption. They were second last year to Marshall. From the St. Cloud Times.

A: Unseeded Deer River's 27 year veteran coach Connie Boyum-Erzar keeps things fun. From the Duluth News Tribune.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Red Rock Conference has released their All Conference list. Only Murray County Central, Red Rock Central, and Westbrook-Walnut Grove are listed. From the Marshall Independent.

Next up: Another round of news

First Look at the State Tournament

#1 posting 11.4.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STATE TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS
AAA
Shakopee is set to defend their title. From the SW Scoreboard.

The Sabers are the #1 team in the MaxPreps All Minnesota rankings. Of the top 10 teams only five are left; of the top 20 teams only 10 are left.

AA
Stewartville has Stephanie York, their comeback kid. The Tigers also have depth. From the Rochester Post Bulletin. Stewartville faces #3 St. Cloud Cathedral in the quarterfinals and the RPB has a quick preview.

#1 Jordan is looking to get another title. The Jaguars won it all in 2006. From the SW Scoreboard.

A
Lake of the Woods is back in the show after an 11-14 season last year. LOW will face #2 Windom in the quarterfinals. From the Grand Forks Herald.

Southwest Christian of Chaska is unseeded and they will face #3 Ada-Borup in the quarterfinals. From the SW Scoreboard.

MILESTONE
Mollie Geske, a Junior libero for the Shakopee Sabers, went over 1000 digs for her career. She recently had 26 digs in the Section 2AAA final victory against Chaska this past weekend.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
The StarTribune has two volleyball players that made the list this week---Danielle Gibbemeyer, Cretin-Derham Hall and Cassie Haag of SW Christian of Chaska.

LATE RESULTS
Blue Earth had their season end last week with a loss to Maple River. From the Faribault County Register.

The Echo Press looks at the 8AAA final between St. Michael-Albertville and Alexandria.

Next up: more news---

State Seeds Announced

#5 posting 11.2.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STATE SEEDS
The seeds are out for the state tournament

Here is how the brackets look in AAA
#1 Shakopee vs Rochester Mayo at 9 am on court 1
#4 Wayzata vs Andover at 9 am on court 2
#2 Eastview vs Osseo at 11 am on court 1
#3 St. Michael-Albertville vs Cretin-Derham Hall at 11 am on court 2
This worked out as expected. The most interesting first round match up is Wayzata vs Andover.

Here is how the brackets look in AA
#1 Jordan vs Delano at 5 pm on court 1
#4 Hibbing vs Wadena-Deer Creek at 5 pm on court 2
#2 Marshall vs Concordia Roseville at 7 pm on court 1
#3 St. Cloud Cathedral vs Stewartville at 7 pm on court 2
I had Hibbing the #3 this morning and SCC #4. The most interesting first round match up is SCC vs Stewartville.

Here is how the brackets look in A
#1 Bethlehem Academy vs Deer River at 1 pm on court 1
#4 Ada-Borup vs Southwest Christian at 1 pm on court 2
#2 Windom vs Lake of the Woods at 3 pm on court 1
#3 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa vs Martin County West at 3 pm on court 2
I had AB #3 and SWC #4. The reason I had SWC ahead of BBE was SWC's win in the A showcase in late September. Two of these match ups are intriguing---AB vs SWC and BBE vs MCW.

Next up: Other D1 results

A State Tournament Photos

#4 posting 11.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

CLASS A STATE TOURANMENT PHOTOS

State A Champion Faribault Bethlehem Academy had three players that made the All Tournament team: #1 (#4) Kari Anne Nass reacting to a save ; #2 (#20) Liz Schlobohm attacking from the right side against Windom in the championship. #3: Holly Hafemeyer (#10) goes up in the middle for an attack against Windom.

Second place Windom also had three players make the list. #1 (#9) Megan Ysker goes up for a block against Wheaton in the quarters. #2. (#7) Malori Paplow takes a swing from the left side. #3 (#10) Casey Christensen reaches for an attack against Wheaton.


#1 (#2) Malea Noennig is ready to move for Mayer Lutheran. #2 (#7) Heidi Lensing of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa elevates against Mayer Lutheran in the quarters. #3 (#5) Whitney Boom reaches for the ball on the left side against Windom in the quarters.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

AA State Tournament Photos

#3 posting 11.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA STATE TOURNAMENT PHOTOS


AA State Champion Marshall had three players make the all tournament team. #1. Rachel Westby (#6) attacking from the left side; #2 Kayla Wallerich (#5) attacking from the right; and #3: Anna Full (#12) attacking from the middle.

2nd place finisher St. Cloud Cathedral had two players make the list #1 (#1) Alex Lenzen in the after effects of a dig. #2 (#7) Anna Zyvoloski elevates for an attack in the championship.


3rd place finisher DGF also had two members. #1 (#1) Jennifer Lopez, who also was named Miss Volleyball, attacking against Jordan in the quarters. #2 (#2) Jenna Green attacking in the semis against St. Cloud Cathedral.

5th place finisher Jordan also had 2 players make the list. #1 (#1) Brittany Chambers, and #6 Leah Dietel (#6) going up for a block.

Stewartville had Julie Rainey make the squad (#4) here attacking against Marshall in the semis.

Next up: Class A

AAA State Tournament Photos

#2 posting 11.22.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AAA STATE TOURNAMENT PHOTOS

Here are some of the many photos I took during the state tournament two weeks ago. Sorry they weren't up sooner, but the candle was being burned at both ends.

I sat in the baseline seats. On Thursday I was able to sit in row two. The MSHSL blocked those seats on Friday and Saturday, so those photos are taken from row 15.

I am putting up the players that were named all tournament.

First three photos showcase State Champ Shakopee players: #1 Maggie Geske here hitting on th right side; #2 Ashley Wittman on the left and #3 setter Jessica Menden.

Lakeville North had three players make All tournament too. #1. Amy Braun is behind the net against Shakopee in the semis. #2. Kelsey Brandl patrols the middle; #3 Taylor Fieldstad is the libero and here makes a one armed save against Owatonna.

The next two players are from runner up Andover. photo #1 is Lauren Cipperly; photo #2 (and jersey #1) is Megan Carlson going down the line against Blaine in the quarters.

The final two players are in photo #1 Alli Rice of Owatonna going against Brandl and Lakeville North and #2 Jessica Granquist of Blaine going up against Andover.

Thanks for the patience in waiting for these photos.

Next up: the AA photos.

Monday Morning State Tourney Review, All Conference

#1 posting 11.12.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MONDAY MORNING PAPERS
The Marshall Independent has much more on the dramatic AA championship comeback of the Tigers.
The Worthington Daily Globe looks at the Windom side of things in the A championship game to Bethlehem Academy.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Heart O' Lakes has released their all conference list. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

Thanks to the readers for the help. If you have news, go to my profile and email me.

next up: college reports

State Touranment Recaps & Video Too

#1 posting 11.11.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STATE TOURNAMENT RECAPS
AAA
Shakopee won the tournament in their first trip to the show with a sweep of Andover. From the StarTribune.

The Woodbury Bulletin has a story on the Lakeville North sweep over Woodbury in the 3rd place game.

AA
Marshall won their second state tournament with a comeback from a 2-0 deficit over St. Cloud Cathedral. The Marshall Independent I am sure will have more on this game on Monday. The St. Cloud Times has their story today. Also the Star Tribune has their take on the comeback win.

DGF topped Stewartville in five. From the Fargo Forum.

The Duluth News Tribune has a story on the Jordan sweep over Hibbing for 5th, and Mayer Lutheran's 3-1 win over Chisholm for 3rd in A.
The Jordan Independent has a video of the rare Brittany Chambers to Amanda Dietel kill, usually it goes the other way.

A
Bethlehem Academy won their third state tournament with a 3-1 win over #1 in the coaches poll Windom. From the StarTribune. The Worthington Daily Globe will have more on the Windom side of the game tomorrow.

Wheaton defeated the Northern Freeze 3-1. From the Grand Forks Herald.

Chisholm had a problem with their uniforms and other tournament odds and ends from the StarTribune.

I have photos galore from the state tournament. They will be posted----eventually.
Here is the State High School League Website with stats. I haven't put up the detailed individual numbers, because it was found on this site with game summaries and play by play. The MSHSL hasn't fixed the Bethlehem Academy vs Windom posting yet. It still has the Chisholm/Mayer Lutheran results.
Here are the all tournament teams from the A, AA and AAA.

Thanks to the readers for the help. If you have news, go to my profile and email me.

next up: All Area