Sweep Times in AA

#2 posting 11.4.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA RESULTS
There were six contests that ended up 3-0 yesterday in AA, the most in any class.
1: Stewartville swept Caledonia. Erin Ness is back for Stewartville. It is the third straight trip for Stewartville.

2: Jordan broomed LeSueur-Henderson. I thought the Mankato paper might have something on this. I was wrong.

3: Marshall trailed 2-1 before rallying to beat Yellow Medicine East. Game five went 17-15. Since the Marshall and West Central papers aren't published on Sunday, I am sure we will be reading about that one on Monday.

4: Visitation beat Minneahaha in four. Nothing in either major metropolitan paper on this contest.

5: Delano had a tight sweep of Becker. Story, or paragraph, is at the end of the Shakopee story in the StarTribune.

6: St. Cloud Cathedral mowed down Maple Lake in three. The undefeated Crusaders are in the big show for the third straight year. From the St. Cloud Times.

7: Hibbing shut out Greenway. It was coach Gail Nucech's 799th win in her career. From the Duluth News Tribune.

8: DGF blanked Fergus Falls. DGF is 30-0. From the Fargo Forum and Fergus Falls Daily Journal. Jenna Green is back from the ankle injury for DGF.
Before the game FF coach Renee Erickson told her team to leave it on the court. also from the FFDJ.

BREAKDOWN
Technically the lowest seed advancing to the state tournament is Marshall as a 2SW seed in section 3 (Pipestone was #1). But Marshall has been in the top 10 all year and there for I do not consider the win over YME an upset. Everyone else was a 1 seed.
games, %sweeps; %fives; %first game winners; %upsets
8, .750; .125; 1.000; .000

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

next up: Class A

Blaine Survives Maple Grove; Shakopee's 1st Trip

#1 posting 11.4.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AAA RESULTS
1: In a Big 9 match up Owatonna swept Rochester Mayo. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

2: Shakopee is advancing to the state for the first time ever with a sweep over Eden Prairie. The StarTribune has the report of that game, plus the Lakeville North/Eagan game that I reported on last night. The Shakopee Valley News has more on the historic win.

3: Like I have said LN beat Eagan in four.

5: Blaine survived a spirited upset bid by #7 seed Maple Grove, but midnight struck and MG lost in game five 15-3.

The other four sections won Thursday and Friday with #4 Woodbury; #6 Hopkins, #7 Andover, and #8 St. Michael-Albertville advancing.
The only non #1 seed in the state tournament----#2 seed Hopkins out of section 6.

BREAKDOWN
Games, %sweeps, %5s, %first game winners; %upsets
4, .500; .250; 1.000; .000

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

next up: AA results

Out & About: Lakeville North/Eagan

#5 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

3AAA CHAMPIONSHIP
LAKEVILLE NORTH panthers 3, EAGAN wildcats 1
(25-17, 25-22, 15-25, 25-21)

#1 Lakeville North rallied in game four to close out a 3-1 win over Eagan. The Wildcats led 21-19 in the fourth when a tip kill by Brooke Lewko gave the side out back to LN. Taylor Fieldsted served out the game with Kelsey Brandl delivering four kills and one block for the final five points. Brandl had 21 kills on the night with 7 blocks. Amy Braun led LN with 24 kills.

Lakeville North established their domination early in game one with points off each of their first four servers. LN had three runs of three plus and lead 13-3. Eagan had to use a time out at 11-3. Braun had six kills in the run. LN also had their first ball side out game working with six straight fbso. LN delivered 10 of 13 fbso in game one. Brandl had the first three fbso with kills. Braun had three in this game too. Eagan missed four serves in this game, including point 25.

Again LN jumped out to a 4-0 and 12-4 lead in game two. It is hard to comeback when in a hole that deep, but Eagan kept chipping away. They soon got their own fbso game going in a major way with six straight fbso. Eagan went on a 14-6 run to tie it at 18. After the tie, Eagan's fbso disappeared. There were no major runs, but one point each server adds up. LN led 22-21 and had the serve, but a kill by Brooke Lewko gave the ball back to LN. Brandl put down a block to put LN on the verge. After an Eagan time out Katie Hofstad had a kill. Brandl ended a tight game two with a kill.

Eagan came out in game three and played lights out fbso ball. They were 13/14 for game three and had 11 straight to open the game. The biggest margin Eagan enjoyed was 21-11. LN took time outs at 9-5 and 17-10, but little slowed down the Eagan machine. It was the Eagan middles that stepped it up with Laurel Sanford putting up three blocks and putting down three kills. Kelsey Sparks had five kills and one block. With the win, momentum seemed to have shifted to the Wildcats.

Eagan rode the emotion to a 7-3 lead early in game four. However on Kelsey Brandl's serve LN tied it up with three more points. Eagan kept scrapping and LN never had the lead. A net hugging ace by Andrea Willems put the Wildcats up 14-10. A LN time out again shifted momentum. A side out plus three points off Lindsey Weaver's serve tied it up again at 14. Brandl had two blocks at points 13 and 14. Eagan led 18-15 with a 5-1 run. Sanford had two kills in the burst. Eagan maintained the lead all the way to 21-19. Then Lewko had the side out kill that never gave the ball back. Brandl put five straight points on the board and LN was off to the State tournament.

It is too bad that great teams have to clash in high school gyms and not under the lights of the Xcel Center. It is time for the best to play the best. Tonight two of the top four teams will be ousted in AAA. The state needs to figure out a way to seed the entire state. Sure there will be teams that may feel they didn't get the seed they deserve, of course there will be an occasional upset. But the best will be playing the best. You will drive up interest and the state will see classic matches.

photos: #1 Amy Braun, LN, going up in the back row for an attack; #2 Kelsey Brandl meets Laurel Sanford at the net. #3 The reaction of the kill by Brandl from the rest of the LN team. photos by kja

LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Taylor Fieldstad, L 1-0-0-----1
1fr Brooke Lewko, MH 0-2.5-7----9.5
2 Lindsey Weaver, DS 0-0-0-----0
2 Christina Hanf, RH 0-0-0------0
3 Kayla Kirby, DS 0-0-0---0
3fr Kirsten Zeise, OH 0-0-2----2
4 Kelsey Brandl, MH 0-7-21----28
5 Leah Johnson, S 1-0.5-5----6.5
6 Amy Braun, OH 0-0-24----24
totals: 2-10-60----72 points, 18 points on Eagan errors

EAGAN
1 Kelsey Sparks, MH 0-2.5-10---12.5
1 Andrea Willems, Serve 1-0-0----1
2 Kristin Ammerman, S 0-0-2----2
3 Taylor Bohannon, DS 1-0-0-----1
3fr Katie Hofstad, OH 0-0-11----11
4 Leah Ehret, L 1-0-0----1
4fr Laurel Sanford, MH 0-7-11----18
5 Malia Paleafei, RS 0-0.5-3----3.5
6 Kelsey Ammerman, DS 0-0-0----0
6fr Taylor Gerr, OH 0-0-6----6
totals: 2-11-43----56 points, 28 points on LN errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsey Brandl, 5 straight at the end puts her over the top

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points; %earned; %allowed
Lakeville North 28/52; .538; 90; .800; .333
Eagan 33/52; .635; 84; .667; .200
3+runs: LN 10, Eagan 8
missed serves: Eagan 8, LN 4
Ace/error: LN .500; Eagan .250

ROTATIONS
LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Taylor Fieldstad 22-17 .564
2. Lindsey Weaver 17-16 .515
3. Kayla Kirby 13-13 .500
4. Kelsey Brandl 14-12 .538
5. Leah Johnson 12-10 .545
6. Amy Braun 11-16 .407
totals: 90-84 .517
If you notice in Braun's rotation the #s drop. The one-two punch is not in the front row that rotation. Braun is the back row option in 6 and Brandl is on the bench.

EAGAN
1. Kelsey Sparks/Andrea Willems 17-20 .459
2. Kristin Ammerman 17-14 .548
3. Ehret/Kelsey Ammerman/Bohannon 12-14 .462
4. Bohannon/Ehret 12-12 .500
5. Malia Paleafei 10-11 .476
6. Kelsey Ammerman/Bohannon 17-19 .472
totals 84-90 .483
Eagan used the same kids, but had different lineups:
in 1: Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Ehret; Bohannon; Paleafei; Kelsey Ammermann
in 2: Ehret and Bohannon switched Libero roles. Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Kelsey Ammermann; Ehret; Paleafei; Bohannon
in 3: Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Bohannon; Ehret; Palefei; Kelsey Ammermann
in 4: Willems (for Sparks); Kristin Ammermann; Bohannon; Ehret; Palefei; Kelsey Ammermann.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Michigan State Stuns Wisconsin

#4 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D1 ACTION
BIG 10
Michigan State stunned #7 Wisconsin in four in Madison.

Northwestern went the distance to topple Illinois in five. It is Northwestern's fifth straight win.

Ohio State edged Indiana in four.

Penn State swept Purdue. in the contest Stephanie Lynch of Purdue had her 1000 kill.

OTHERS
Western Illinois squeaked by North Dakota State in five. NDSU is now in 5th place in the Summit. Christy Stuewe (Mayer Lutheran) had 24 kills for NDSU.

South Dakota State swept UMKC and lead the Summit League. Samantha Pearson (Chaska) had 15 digs for SDSU.

Stony Brook beat Maine in four. Alicia Nelson (Eastview) played but did not score any kills for Stony Brook.

Northern Iowa swept Illinois State. Amy Sampson (Champlin Park) had 8 kills for UNI.

Creighton beat Southern Illinois in four. Allie Oelke (Chaska) had 9 kills.

Northeastern swept UNC Wilmington. Leah Neubeck (Hopkins) had 22 digs for Northeastern.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Brooke VandenBergh, North Dakota State 29 vs Western Illinois 2-3
Jackie Ahlers, Stony Brook 29 vs Maine 3-1
Michelle Donnelly, Illinois State 27 vs North Dakota State 3-2
Katie Johnson, Michigan State 26.5 vs Wisconsin 3-1
Amy Sauerwein, Western Illinois 26.5 vs North Dakota State 3-2
Christy Stuewe, North Dakota State 26 vs Western Illinois 2-3
Brittney Dolgner, Wisconsin 25 vs Michigan State 1-3
Kelly Goc, Creighton 25 vs Southern Illinois 3-1
Lauren Gibbemeyer, Minnesota 23.5 vs Michigan 2-3
Jessy Jones, Minnesota 23 vs Michigan 2-3
Katie Bruzdzinski, Michigan 23 vs Minnesota 3-2
Laura DeBruhler, Illinois 22.5 vs Northwestern 2-3
Kelsey Hall, Indiana 22 vs Ohio State 1-3
Lyndsey Miller, Michigan 21 vs Minnesota 3-2
Courtnie Paulus, Northwestern 20 vs Illinois 3-2

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

next up: later tonight with another out & about.

Platteville's Cinderella Run Continues, Ridgewater Wins

#3 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D3 ACTION
WIAC PLAYOFFS
#7 seed Platteville upset #3 seed Eau Claire in four.

#1 seed Whitewater swept LaCrosse.

Platteville hopes to continue their Cinderella run today when they face Whitewater at 2 pm.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE REGIONAL

Ridgewater roasted Milwaukee Area CC in a sweep. MACC never had more than 15. Next up is Madison Area CTC in Madison at 1 pm today. From the West Central Tribune.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Rachel Ver Voort, Eau Claire 21.5 vs Platteville 1-3

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

next up: D1 reports

Braegelmann Sets Kill Mark; CSP 5 Time Champ

#2 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D2 ACTION
NORTH CENTRAL
UM Duluth beat Augustana in four. Vicky Braegelmann (Albany) is now the all time kill leader at UMD with 1767 and counting.

MSU Mankato swept St. Cloud State and only allowed 9 points in the final game.

UN Omaha needed five games to get by North Dakota.

NORTHERN SUN
Concordia St. Paul bounced back from Tuesday's loss to UMD with a sweep over Northern State. It is CSP's 5th straight Northern Sun championship.

MSU Moorhead topped Mary in five. The loss snapped a five game Mary winning streak.

SW MN State got a taste of revenge against Winona State in four.

Wayne State shut out Upper Iowa.

NON CON
South Dakota swept UM Crookston.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Vicky Braegelmann, UM Duluth 25 vs Augustana 3-1
Erin Contons, SW MN State 24.5 vs Winona State 3-1
Amanda Beekman, MSU Mankato 23.5 vs St. Cloud State 3-0
Amanda Polzin, North Dakota 22 vs UN Omaha 2-3
Maria Steinhagen, Concordia St. Paul 22 vs Northern State 3-0
Kari Wolford, UM Duluth 21.5 vs Augustana 3-1
Carmen Stankowski, Winona State 20.5 vs SW MN State 1-3
Ellen Andrews, Augustana 21 vs UM Duluth 1-3

STMA Sweeps Alex

#1 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STMA ADVANCES
St. Michael-Albertville swept Alexandria in 8AAA last night in Sauk Rapids. The second game was a tight 28-26 win for the Knights. A report from the action:
It was a total team effort for STMA.
Maria Berning and Brittany Weiss were amazing on the serve. Allie Knutson was fantastic at defense.
It was hard for Alex to defend the balanced attack by the STMA hitters.
But Alex was solid in defense and did not let any point go without a big fight. They did not give up until after the final point of the game.
STMA setter Catherine Yager and Right Side Katherine Harms were very solid in the
match.
STMA will now play Woodbury in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 11 am. Woodbury beat STMA in the semifinals at Eastview in October.

#14
Lakeville North is #14 in the National MaxPrep Volleyball Poll up 10 spots from last week. Shakopee is #34.
Taylor Schuelke, Rosemount's setter, was named MaxPrep volleyball player of the week in Minnesota.

TONIGHT 20 FINALS
Who punches their ticket to the Xcel center? tonight 20 teams will have the answer. 20 more will turn in uniforms on Monday.
In what will be the biggest battle of top ranked teams in class A #1 Windom plays #2 Minneota at SW MN State at 7 pm. From the Marshall Independent.
Also in A #6 Mayer Lutheran plays #8 Meadow Creek in the Section 4 final at Minnehaha at 2 pm.
In AAA the top four teams will see each other. In section 3: #1 Lakeville North takes on #3 Eagan at South St. Paul; Here is a little more on the LN win over Eastview in the semis from the This Week paper.
in section 2: #2 Shakopee plays #4 Eden Prairie in Prior Lake for the right to move on.
There are no top 10 teams facing each other in AA today.

Marshall will play Yellow Medicine East also at SW MN State. This will be a first time battle. The game starts at 5:30. From the Marshall Independent.

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

next up: college reports.

Gophers Fall in Five, Milestones

#6 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

GOPHERS LOSE IN MICHIGAN
The Minnesota Gophers dropped a narrow five game match to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Games one and three were decided by the narrow margin of two points. The Gopher middles had big nights with Lauren Gibbemeyer notching 19 kills, and Jessy Jones firing away for 17. Katie Bruzdzinski of Michigan had 23 kills to lead both teams.

500 WINS
Ada-Borup coach Ruth Hayden picked up her 500th win this season back on September 8 vs Roseau. Delano coach Rebecca Rue is her daughter. Both are playing in the section finals tomorrow. The 5AA final is at Big Lake but the time has changed now to 5 pm.

PHOTO UPLOADS
I have finally put up the photos of the
Maple Grove win over Totino, Blaine win over Osseo, and Delano win over Orono.

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

next up: tomorrow morning

New Life Run Ends

#5 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

LATE REPORTS
AAA: 2: Eden Prairie advanced to the finals with a 3-1 win over Waconia. They face Shakopee on Saturday night.

A: 4: The upset reign of New Life ended with Mayer Lutheran taking the 4A south title. From the Woodbury Bulletin.

MVP
Liz Glesne of Bethel was named MIAC MVP.

UMAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Joelle Shouts and Leslie Bremer of Bethany Lutheran were named players of the week in the Upper Midwest. It was Shouts 5th setter award.

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

next up: later tonight.

St. Thomas, St. Benedict Move On

#4 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
GOPHERS
Minnesota is headed to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on Saturday. Here is the 10 page Gopher press release on the upcoming action. The Minnesota Daily talks about the post season chances.

San Diego swept St. Mary's of California. Laurel Abrahamson (Bloomington Jefferson) had 7 kills for San Diego.

MIAC SEMIFINALS
St. Benedict rallied to beat Concordia Moorhead again. This time it was a fiver. CM led 2-0. Also from the St. Cloud Times.

St. Thomas edged Bethel also in five.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Laurel Heggernes, St. Benedict 22 vs Concordia Moorhead 3-2
Emma Jaynes, St. Benedict 20.5 vs Concordia Moorhead 3-2

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

next up: more results from last night.

GFW Pulls Another Upset

#3 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

A ACTION
2: #4 seed GFW pulled their second straight upset with a sweep of #2 seed MN Valley Lutheran.
Martin County West went five, including a 17-15 final game, to be Nicollet in the South sub section. From the New Ulm Journal.

3: Minneota topped Renville County West in four. RCW won the first game. From the Marshall Independent.
Windom swept SW Star. From the Worthington Daily Globe. That sets up a juicy 3A final with #1 Windom vs #2 Minneota on Saturday at SW MN State.

8: Lake of the Woods and the Northern Freeze, both #2 seeds and the highest seeds left, both advance to the championship on Saturday.

BREAKDOWN
#games, %sweeps, %5; %first game winners; %upsets
AAA 7, .571; .143; .571; .429
AA 10, .400; .200; .800; .300
A 7*; .429; .143; .571; .143
totals: 24; .458; .167; .667; .292
*one game unaccounted for

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

Next up: college reports

Marshall's Revenge

#2 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA ACTION
2: Jordan swept Montgomery-Lonsdale to win the East sub section. From the Jordan Independent.
In the west half it was LeSueur-Henderson beating Norwood-Young America in four. From the Mankato Free Press.

3: YME won the north half with a five game win over Montevideo. From the Marshall Independent and the West Central Tribune.
Marshall got revenge against Pipestone with a four game win. Pipestone beat Marshall during the regular season. From the Marshall Independent.

4: Visitation and Minnehaha, both #1 seeds in their subsection, moved to the finals with sweeps.

5: I reported on Delano's sweep over Orono last night. Becker beat #1 seed Mora in four. See the story below for the link.

6: St. Cloud Cathedral beat Sauk Centre in four. and Maple Lake beat Rocori in five. From the St. Cloud Times.

TOMORROW
8: Fergus Falls takes on undefeated DGF for the right to go to state. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

BREAKDOWN
# of games; sweep%; 5%; first game win%; upset %
10, .400; .200; .800; .300

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Anna Full, Marshall 22 vs Pipestone 3-1

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

next up: Class A action

Three Move On, Two #2 Seeds

#1 posting 11.2.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AAA SECTIONS
1: #3 seed Rochester Mayo upset #2 seed Farmington in five and is one game away from the state tournament, a tournament that is 33 years in the making. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.
Also #1 seed Owatonna swept Faribault.

2: In one semifinal it was #2 seed Shakopee sweeping defending state champ and #4 seed Chaska. From the Shakopee Valley News and Chaska Herald. The StarTribune has a report on this game and other section matches.

4: Woodbury moves on to state with a sweep of Cretin-Derham Hall. This is the Royals first trip since 2004. From the Woodbury Bulletin.

6. #2 seed Hopkins upset #1 seed Wayzata to go to state.

7. #2 seed Andover returns to the state tournament after a one year absence with a sweep of #1 seed Forest Lake.

TONIGHT
8: Alexandria and St. Michael-Albertville play their game at Sauk Rapids

BREAKDOWN
#games, %sweeps; %5s; %first game winners; %upsets
7, .571; .143; .571; .429

LATE ACTION
Rosemount played well in their loss to Eastview according to the Rosemount Town Pages.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Bevy Lehman, Rochester Mayo 21 vs Farmington 3-2

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

next up: AA action

Out & About: Delano/Orono

#4 posting 11.1.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

5AA SOUTH SUBSECTION FINAL
DELANO tigers 3, ORONO spartans 0
(25-15, 25-16, 25-18)

Delano beat highway 12 rival Orono for the 5AA subsection south title at Minneapolis Henry tonight in three. Back on October 16 Delano won at Orono in a sweep (10, 16, 14). This time Orono scored more, but the results remained the same.

Orono had the early lead in game one at 7-4 after an ace by Kelly Anderson. A tip kill by Delano's Kayla Kassulker stopped 3-0 run and started a five point run of their own. Orono tied it up at 10 all. Delano had another 5-0 run on Cecily Checkal to go up 15-10. Sarah Bingea had a hand on two blocks that sandwiched an overpass kill. Orono tried to stop the momentum at 13-10. Delano had one more five point run at the tail end of the game on Kylie Crofutt's serve. Kayla Koenecke had two kills in that run.

Again Orono held an early lead in game two with the first three points, two on Delano hitting errors. Delano took a time out at 7-3 in the midst of three straight hitting errors. Orono's biggest lead came at 9-4. Delano failed to get the first ball side out in the first three Spartan servers. After that Delano had six straight FBSO. They also started connecting on their serve. It was an 18-6 run for the Tigers. During that stretch Kayla Koenecke had four kills and two aces. Orono took their first time out when they led at 9-8. They took their second time out when trailing 20-14. Orono had two hitting errors in the last three points for Delano.

Delano got the early jump in game three with a 9-2 advantage. Angie Snaza had a five serve run when Orono took their first time out. Snaza had two aces in the stretch. Orono righted the ship with a 7-5 run to make it 14-10. Delano had another four point run with Koenecke serving up two straight aces. That made the score 18-10. Orono kept battling back and closed to 21-18 on an 8-3 run. Briana Royer got the side out kill and then went to the service line. Orono never got the ball back as Royer served up three more points. Koenecke finished the night with a kill.

photos: #1 Delano's Angie Snaza goes up for the hit with Orono blockers #15 Mikayla Anderson and #26 Sarah Luse in the way. #2. Cecily Checkal makes a dig for Delano. #3. No that is not the same photo as in #1. Same number different uniform. That is Orono's Katy Morgan going up for a hit with Delano's Kylie Crofutt and Sarah Bingea ready to block. Photos by kja

DELANO
1. Cecily Checkal, L 1-0-0----1
1fr Kayla Kasulker, MH 0-2-5----7
2 Kayla Koenecke, S 4-1-11----16
3 Angie Snaza, OH 2-0-3----5
4. Sarah Bingea, MH 1-1-11-----13
5. Kylie Crofutt, S 1-0-0-----1
6. Briana Royer, OH 0-0-5-----5
totals: 9-4-35-----48 points, 27 points on Orono errors

ORONO
1. Emily Ten Eyck, S 0-0-1-----1
2. Sarah Luse, MH 0-0-3----3
3. Maddie Franz, OH 0-1-5----6
4. Kelly Anderson, DS 1-0-0-----1
4fr Mikayla Anderson, RH 0-2.5-1----3.5
5. Katie Odens, L 1-0-0----1
5fr Megan Peterson, MH 0-0.5-2---2.5
5fr Racquel Maronde, MH 0-0-0-----0
6. Katy Morgan, OH 0-0-6----6
totals: 2-4-18----24 points, 25 points on Delano errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kayla Koenecke

BY THE NUMBERS
team fbso/att; fbso%; points; earned%; allowed%
Delano 18/31; .581; 75; .640; .510
Orono 16/33; .485; 49; .490; .360
3+ runs: Delano 12, Orono 5
missed serves: Orono 6, Delano 3
Ace to error ratio: Delano 3.0; Orono 0.67

ROTATIONS
DELANO
1 Cecily Checkal 13-9 .591
2. Kayla Koenecke 13-7 .650
3. Angie Snaza 11-12 .478
4. Sarah Bingea 11-12 .478
5. Kylie Crofutt 18-6 .750
6. Briana Royer 9-3 .750
totals: 75-49 .605

ORONO
1. Emily Ten Eyck 10-13 .435
2. Sarah Luse 7-11 .389
3. Maddie Franz 12-11 .522
4. Kelly Anderson 10-20 .333
5. Katie Odens/Casey Olson 5-10 .333
6. Katy Morgan 5-10 .333
totals: 49-75 .395
Delano won four rotations, Orono won one. When Koenecke was in the front row Delano score was 40-18 or a .690%.

next up: tomorrow morning

MIAC All Conference

#3 posting 11.1.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MIAC ALL CONFERENCE
The MIAC have passed out their post season awards. St. Thomas won two honors with Rookie and Coach of the year. There was a three way tie for defensive honors.
2007 MIAC Volleyball Awards
MVP - Liz Glesne, Bethel (Sr., OH, Underwood, Minn.)
Defensive Players of the Year - Laura Barsness, Carleton (So., Lakeville, Minn./North) and Emily Klein, Gustavus (Jr., Red Wing, Minn.) and Anna Tinkham, Concordia Moorhead (Jr., Fisher, Minn.)
Rookie of the Year - Emily Foster, St. Thomas (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins)
Coach of the Year - Thanh Pham, St. Thomas

In the breakdown of the players listed
8 are from AAA High Schools
7 from AA
3 from A (including MVP Glesne)
1 from out of the State of Minnesota.

by graduating year
6 were seniors (2008)
5 sophomores (2010)
4 juniors (2009)
3 freshmen (2011)

By position with average height
7 were outside hitters 5-11.3
5 middle hitters 6-0
4 setters 5-8.3
1 libero 5-6

St. Thomas had 3 all conference members.
Carleton, Bethel, St. Benedict, Concordia Moorhead, and Gustavus had two each
Augsburg, St. Catherine, St. Mary's, Hamline and St. Olaf 1.

What high schools produced the most?
Eagan and Northfield had 2

What HS conferences produced the most?
The Missota had 3
The Hiawatha Valley, Lake, Little 8, and Minnesota River had 2 each.

Streak Over

#2 posting 11.1.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

STREAK OVER
The Minnesota Gophers snapped a seven game losing streak with a sweep of Iowa at home. The Minnesota Daily headline is Finally!

Kelly Roysland has a feature in the AP, and in this case the West Central Tribune, with her transition from basketball to volleyball after a four year absence.

Former Gophers Lindsey Berg and Cassie Busse are playing for the U.S. National Team at FIVB Women’s World Cup

Also last night Iowa State swept Colorado. Erin Boeve (Hills-Beaver Creek) had 14 kills for ISU.

MIAC PLAYOFFS
St. Benedict will host Concordia Moorhead tonight, a team they beat five days ago. From the St. Cloud Times.

STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CHAMPS
The Marshall Independent has more on the Ridgewater comeback win in the Community College State tournament.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Erin Boeve, Iowa State 23 vs Colorado 3-0

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

next up: A look at the MIAC All Conference team

25 Games Tonight, 6 Games Last Night

#1 posting 11.1.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

TONIGHT
The first state tickets will be punched tonight. Three championships (4, 6, 7) in class AAA will be decided. There are 22 other contests tonight.

In AAA semifinals Farmington is making the trip to Rochester for the second time ever in section 1. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

In the southwest corner of the state Windom faces SW Star in 3A and Marshall plays Pipestone in 3AA. Both are subsection finals. From the Worthington Daily Globe. The Marshall/Pipestone revenge match is also featured in the Marshall Independent.

LAST NIGHT
There were 6 contests last night. I reported on Maple Grove's upset win over Totino-Grace and Blaine's win over Osseo. Also---

AA
1: Stewartville swept Cannon Falls to take the west title. Caledonia had to rally to beat St. Charles to the win the east championship. Caledonia lost Megan King to an ankle injury in game four. From the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Winona Daily News.

A
1: #5 seed Wabasha-Kellogg continued their run in the east with a 3-1 win over #2 Fillmore Central. From the Winona Daily News and Rochester Post Bulletin.

FANS
Jordan has a loyal fan base and sophomore Shane Olson is featured in the Jordan News.

BREAKDOWN
# of games, %Sweeps, %5s; first game win%, upset%
AAA: 2, .500, .000, 1.000, .500
AA: 2, .500, .500, 1.000, .000
A: 2, .000, .000, .500, .500
totals: 6, .333, .167, .833, .333
Win the first game and you can almost leave the gym knowing the final outcome. Almost.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
AAA
Ellie Duffy, Totino-Grace 20 vs Maple Grove 1-3
AA
Emily Nelson, St. Charles 26 vs Caledonia 2-3
A
Chelsea Nagle, Fillmore Central 29 vs Wabasha-Kellogg 1-3

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

next up: college reports.

Out & About: Blaine/Osseo

#6 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

5AAA SEMIFINALS
BLAINE bengals 3, OSSEO orioles 0
(25-23, 25-14, 25-15)

Blaine broke free from a tight contest with Osseo with a 11-1 run in game two led by future Gopher Jessica Granquist's five kills in the stretch. Granquist had 15 kills on the night. Both Granquist and Kreklow had 17 total points on the night.

An extremely competitive game one saw Blaine break free from a 20 all tie with a run of three. First Tracie Gillund had a kill, followed by a block by Granquist and an ace by Kreklow. Osseo tried to stem the tied with time outs at 22-20 and 23-20 and did get the side out after the ace. It looked like the game was headed to extra points as Osseo rallied for two points on a Blaine hitting error, and then an ace by Brianna Olson, but her next serve was narrowly wide and game one went to the Bengals 25-23.

Blaine didn't wait until 20 all to start accelerating in game two. The broke free from an 11 all tie. First they got the ball back on a Kreklow side out kill. Kreklow then served up four points for a 16-11 lead forcing Osseo to use a time out. The Blaine first ball side out game was cooking as they closed out with six straight FBSO. Unable to generate any points off their own serve, Osseo had a tough time. The Libero #31 (not in the program) served up five straight to make it 22-12----a 11-1 run. Granquist had four straight kills from points 19-22. Game two ended on Brittney Barren's kill.

That loss seemed to take the spirit out of Osseo and rev up Blaine's motor. The Bengals opened with a 9-0 run and led 13-3 after three Oriole servers. Kreklow was the first Blaine server and tallied four aces in her 8 point serving run. Osseo did manage to get some points off of Rachel Wiinanen's serve to close to 14-8, but and overpass kill by Barren ended the run. Again Blaine slammed the door with their fbso game closing with four straight. On the night Blaine was at .694 in fbso%. The Bengals next task is to take on the hot and upset minded Maple Grove Crimson on Saturday at Irondale.

photos: #1 Jessica Granquist going up for an off speed hit. #2. Granquist and Tracie Gillund go up to block Casey Carroll. #3. Lindsay Sathre goes up for a hit with Mackenzie Suda and Brittney Barren attempting to close the block. photos by kja

BLAINE
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills----total points
1 Ashley Kvistberg, OH 0-0-4----4
1 Katie Haas, DS 0-0-0----0
2 Molly Kreklow, MH/S 6-2-9----17
3 #31 1-0-0-----1
3 Tracie Gillund, MH 0-1.5-7---8.5
4 Jessica Granquist, OH 1-1-15----17
5 Mackenzie Suda, S 0-0.5-1---1.5
6 Brittney Barren, MH 0-0-9----9
totals: 8-5-45-----58 points, 17 points on Osseo errors

OSSEO
1 Amanda Hoefling, S 0-0-0----0
1 Abby Rolf, RH 0-0-4----4
2 Rachel Pekarek, OH 0-0-4-----4
3 Brianna Olson, L 1-0-0----1
3 Tiara Russell, MH 0-0-5----5
4 Lauren Everett, S 0-0-0----0
4fr Casey Carroll, RH 0-1-1----2
5 Rachel Wiinanen, OH 1-0-1----2
5 Karen Hiltunen, OH 0-0-4----4
6 Lindsay Sathre, MH 0-1-7----8
totals: 2-2-26----30 points, 22 points on Blaine errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Extremely tough call. Today Molly Kreklow gets the edge by a whisker.

BY THE NUMBERS
Blaine 25/36, .694; 75; .773; .423
Osseo 16/36, .444, 52; .577; .227
3+ runs: Blaine 7, Osseo 5
missed serves: Blaine 5, Osseo 2

ROTATIONS
BLAINE
1. Ashley Kvistberg 8-6 .571
2 Molly Kreklow 25-10 .714
3 #31 17-9 .654
4 Jessica Granquist 9-13 .409
5 Mackenzie Suda 8-9 .471
6 Brittany Barren 8-5 .615
totals: 75-52 .591

OSSEO
1 Amanda Hoefling 8-20 .286
2 Rachel Pekarek 8-15 .348
3 Brianna Olson 10-15 .400
4 Lauren Everett 11-8 .579
5 Rachel Wiinanen 10-10 .500
6 Lindsay Sathre 5-7 .417
totals: 52-75 .409

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Maple Grove/Totino-Grace

#5 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

5AAA SEMIFINALS
MAPLE GROVE crimson 3, TOTINO-GRACE eagles 1
(25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 25-18)

#7 Maple Grove pulled a Halloween trick on Totino-Grace with a four game win in the 5AAA semifinals. It is the second straight upset for MG. The Crimson upset #2 Centennial in the quarters. They will try for the trifecta in the finals. The top hitters both wore #12: Kelsey Jacobs led MG with 14 kills. Totino-Grace's Ellie Duffy pounded out 20 kills.

One of the big differences was the points on errors. Totino-Grace gift wrapped 36 points for MG while MG gave away 23 points on errors.

In game one MG took control right from the start with three straight points, 2 on TG hitting errors. The Crimson built that lead out to 9-3 after two kills by Kelsey Jacobs. TG had an uphill climb and came within one at 15-14, but never could manage to tie the game up, much less get over the hill. A kill by Erikka Korpi ended game one. Jacobs had a hand in 7 of the MG points in this game with two blocks and five kills.

In game two MG led 16-15 when TG took a time out. After that break TG got the side out on a kill by Lisa Beacher and then ran off six more points on Margo Rhody's serve. MG had to use two time outs in order to stop the run, one at 18-16, the last at 22-16. They did get the side out on a Korpi kill, but Ellie Duffy pounded home two kills to close game two out. Jacobs had 7 kills and one ace in this game.

MG, much like in game one, raced off with a 5-1 and 9-3 lead early. The serving game was working with three aces and keeping TG from clean flow on offense. Jacobs had three kills in the first portion of this game. Just like in game one, TG kept creeping back. They closed to 16-15 when MG took a time out. That stopped the run. TG took time at 22-19 and that worked and 24-20, that time out didn't. A TG hitting error ended game three. Jacobs again had five points in game three to lead both squads.

The early momentum again was in MG's favor in game four with a 14-4 advantage. This time mighty mite Cate Cavanaugh was causing havoc for TG. The diminutive outside hitter had five kills in this game. MG led by as many as 21-9. TG did mount two runs to make the score look respectable, but it was too little too late. Cavanaugh ended the game with a kill. #7 MG had their second upset win in their bag and they are hunting for the third in the finals.

photos: #1 Ellie Duffy going up for a kill. #2 MG players crouching at the net. #3: The celebration begins. #14 Cate Cavanaugh has just finished the match with a kill. photos by kja

MAPLE GROVE
Rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills---total points
1. Elise Whiesell, server 0-0-0-----0
1 Cate Cavanagh, OH 0-0-9----9
1 Breanna Begin, DS 0-0-0----0
2 Elizabeth Geisendorfer-Lindgren, MH 3-1-5----9
2 Ashley Mulchrone, L 0-0-0----0
3. Katie Kaufman, RH 3-0-0----3
4. Kelsey Jacobs, OH 3-1-14----18
5. Erikka Korpi, MH 2-2-8----12
6. Kristin Lundquist, S 1-0-0----1
totals: 12-4-41----57 points; 36 points on Totino-Grace errors

TOTINO-GRACE
1 Traci Moe, S 0-0-2----2
2 Ellie Duffy, OH 1-0.5-20----21.5
3 Anna Eidem, L 0-0-1----1
3fr Lizzi Naumann, MH 0-2.5-10----12.5
4. Margo Rhody, RH 2-0-2----4
5. Lisa Beacher, OH 0-0-5----5
5 Veronica Scott, OH 0-0-2----2
6. Stacey McMullen, MH 0-2-11----13
totals: 3-5-53----61 points, 23 points on Maple Grove errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsey Jacobs

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points; %earned; %allowed
Maple Grove 32/52, .615; .613; .274
Totino-Grace 29/52, .558; .726; .387
3+ runs: MG 8, TG 6
missed serves: MG 6, TG 6

ROTATIONS
MAPLE GROVE
Elise Whitesell 15-12 .556
Elizabeth Geisendorfer-Lindgren 20-14 .588
Katie Kaufman 16-11 .593
Kelsey Jacobs 15-23 .395
Erikka Korpi 18-14 .563
Kristin Lundquist 9-10 .474
totals: 93-84 .525

TOTINO-GRACE
Traci Moe 14-20 .412
Ellie Duffy 13-17 .433
Anna Eidem 10-16 .385
Margo Rhody 23-18 .561
Lisa Beacher 14-11 .560
Stacey McMullen 10-12 .455
totals: 84-93 ,475

next up: Blaine/Osseo 5AAA Semifinals

UM Duluth Wins Heavyweight Battle

#4 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D1
GOPHERS
The Minnesota Gophers are looking to snap their 7 game losing streak. Iowa is coming to town tonight and Minnesota is expecting a treat. Here is the 10 page press release.
The Minnesota Daily says a sense of urgency is being felt with only 8 games left.

D2
#2 UM Duluth outlasted #3 Concordia St. Paul in five for the second time this season before the largest crowd to see a game in Duluth. From the Duluth News Tribune.

North Dakota topped Bemidji State in four.

Augustana beat instate rival Northern State in a sweep.

Winona State is putting the puzzle together. From the Winonan, the campus newspaper.

Nebraska Kearney beat Wayne State in five.

MIAC PLAYOFFS
Concordia Moorhead ended Hamline's season in a sweep.

Bethel swept Carleton.

WIAC PLAYOFFS
#4 LaCrosse swept Stevens Point. Amber Schoonover notched her 1000 career dig in the match.

# 1 seed Whitewater swept Stout.

#3 Eau Claire beat Superior

#7 Platteville upset #2 Oshkosh for the second year in a row. Oshkosh was #9 in the nation.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
D2
Emily Schroeder, Wayne State 22.5 vs Nebraska Kearney 3-2
Erica Burson, Nebraska Kearney 22 vs Wayne State 2-3
Ellen Andrews, Augustana 20.5 vs Northern State 3-0
Brie Groskreutz, Bemidji State 20.5 vs North Dakota 1-3
Nicole Olson, Bemidji State 20.5 vs North Dakota 1-3
D3
Abby Freiborg, Eau Claire 22.5 vs Superior 3-1
Courtney Stach, Superior 21 vs Eau Claire 1-3
Lisa Bell, Platteville 21 vs Oshkosh 3-1

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

next up: later today

Five #1s Fall in A Action

#3 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

A PLAYOFFS
2: Nicollet beat JWP in a fiver in the south bracket. They will face #1S Martin County West who survived a fiver vs St. Clair. MCW trailed 2-0 before winning three straight. Both from the Mankato Free Press. and the New Ulm Journal.

In the North #4 GFW upset #1 Sleepy Eye St. Mary's in four. #2 MN Valley Lutheran topped Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity in four. Both from the New Ulm Journal.

3: In the south half of the section, Windom and SW Star won their games in four. From the Worthington Daily Globe. Windom's win over Murray County Central is also told by the Marshall Independent.

In the north half defending state champ Minneota beat MACCRAY in four. Renville County West halted Lakeview's run in a sweep. Both from the Marshall Independent.

4: In the private school section it was #5 New Life Academy pulling off the stunner with a five game win over #1 SW Christian of Chaska.

5: BBE had no problems in a sweep of Osakis. From the West Central Tribune. In the north half Pine River-Backus beat Onamia in four.

6: Ada-Borup swept Norman County West. From the Fargo Forum. Wheaton stopped West Central's season in a sweep. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal after the Fergus Falls story.

7: Hill City and Chisholm advanced. You will get brief coverage at the end of the Greenway story in the Duluth News Tribune.

8: #5 Mahnomen ended #1E Cass Lake-Bena's season in four games. From the Bemidji Pioneer. #8 Kittson County Central is still alive with a five game win over Red Lake County Central. The fifth game was 17-15.

BREAKDOWN
# of games, %sweeps; %5s; %first game winners; % upsets
22, .409; .227; .773; .318
again A is the most competitive. For comparison sake here is the AAA and AA again
AAA 10 .300; .200; .800, .100
AA 23. .609; .043; .652; .043
Class A had the most five game matches, and most upsets last night
AAA had the most first game winners, while AA had the most sweeps

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Whitney Langen, Kittson County Central 25 vs Red Lake County Central 3-2
Haylie Holmgren, Kittson County Central 22 vs Red Lake County Central 3-2

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

next up: college reports

Greenway Only Upset Winner

#2 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA PLAYOFFS
2: #1 Jordan rolled to a sweep over Watertown-Mayer. From the Jordan Independent.

3: Pipestone and Marshall both swept their way into the 3A South finals. The Arrows beat New Ulm. Marshall ended Jackson County Central's season. From the Worthington Daily Globe, Marshall Independent and New Ulm Journal.
Montevideo and Yellow Medicine East will square off in the 3A North finals. The two split during the year. From the West Central Tribune.

4: It is all private schools winners as Visitation and Concordia Roseville won in the East, and Minnehaha and DeLaSalle won in the west. All were sweeps.

5: I reported on Delano and Orono's wins last night. Becker won in the north, but no word on the other semi.

6: St. Cloud Cathedral lost to Pierz in the first game and then won the next three. From the St. Cloud Times.
Rocori broomed New London-Spicer. From the St. Cloud Times. Maple Lake beat Litchfield in four. That game is told in the Montevideo/YME story above.

7: Greenway swept by Esko in an upset to advance to the finals. The will face Hibbing who swept Cloquet. From the Duluth News Tribune.

8: #1N DGF swept Warroad, but no story. #1S Fergus Falls outlasted Wadena-Deer Creek in the other semi final including a 16-14 final game. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

AA BREAKDOWN
# of games, %sweeps, %5s; %first game winners; % upsets
23, .609; .043; .652; .043

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Brittany Chambers, Jordan 20 vs Watertown-Mayer 3-0

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

next up: Class A results

Cretin-Derham Hall Upsets Hill-Murray in Five

#1 posting 10.31.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AAA PLAYOFF
3. Favorites Eagan and #1 Lakevile North won. Eagan topped Burnsville in four. LN swept Eastview.

4. #3 Cretin-Derham Hall upset Hill-Murray in five. #1 Woodbury topped Roseville in four.

6. Hopkins and #1 Wayzata moved on to the finals. The two teams split during the regular season. From the StarTribune.

7. #1 Andover and Forest Lake will face each other in the championship after wins last night.

8: #1N Alexandria beat Sartell in four. From the St. Cloud Times.
#1S St. Michael-Albertville ousted Bemidji in five. The loss ends Bemidji's most successful season. From the Bemidji Pioneer.
Last week Alex beat Moorhead. From the Alexandria Echo Press.

AAA BREAKDOWN
# games, sweep%, 5%, first game win%, upsets%
10, .300; .200; .800, .100

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

next up: AA results

Out & About: Orono/Fridley

#3 posting 10.30.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SECTION 5AA
SOUTH SUBSECTION SEMIFINALS
ORONO spartans 3, FRIDLEY tigers 1
(22-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-22)

#2 Orono lost the first game to the young, upset minded #6 Fridley Tigers, but then squeezed out a two point win in game two. The Spartans rallied for a win in game four to advance to the 5AA Subsection finals against Wright County Conference rival Delano. That game will be at Minneapolis Henry on Thursday night at 7 pm. Fridley uses three 8th graders and one freshman in their rotation. They will be back stronger next season.

This match was fairly tight throughout. Fridley did enjoy an 8-4 lead in the first game after a 3 point run initiated by two kills from Caitlin McKernon. Orono took their first time out at that point. Both teams didn't generate many points off the serve. There was one sequence with five straight side outs. Fridley hung on to the lead, but Orono tied it at 18. A missed serve handed the ball back to Fridley. The Tigers had another mini run of four to make it 23-19 on Rachel Duehn's serve. Erin Green had two blocks sandwiching a kill. Two points in a row by Orono cut the margin to 23-21 when Fridley talked it over for the second time. A missed jump serve short by Sarah Luse circuited any comeback hopes. But Fridley's Green also missed giving Orono one more chance. The first game ended on a kill by Jordanne Greenup.

Game two see sawed back and forth. Orono had a three point run to make it 15-14 when Fridley took a time out. After the break the game turned to Fridley's side (17-15) with three straight Orono hitting errors. Like a pendulum the momentum shifted again to Orono's side with three points. Orono again took a time out at 19-18 Fridley. Setter Emily Van Eyck got a side out to stop the momentary gain and give Orono their momentum back. Fridley took a time out when down 23-22. A missed serve by Green stopped any chance of an upset. Both teams traded side outs to make it 24 all. A Fridley hitting error and then a kill by Katy Morgan evened the night up at one a piece.

The game broke for Orono in game three with three points to make it 16-11. A time out did little to slow the momentum. It was a 7-2 run that put Orono a tad bit out of reach at 20-13. The second Fridley time out didn't work the same magic. Orono led 24-17 when Fridley took advantage of hitting errors. In the end it was Maddie Franz putting down a tip kill.

In the final game there were some big swings in momentum. Orono led 14-11 when Fridley called their first timeout. That tactic turned out to be the right call with a missed serve in the margin. Orono led 18-13 when 8th grader Rachel Duehn delivered a kill. She then served up five points. Fridley built that lead up to 22-19. Orono took two time outs in the 9-1 run, but could not stop it. Eventually Franz stepped up with a side out kill. Franz then served for the Spartans and never gave the ball back. She finished the night with two consecutive aces.

photos: #1 Orono setter Emily Ten Eyck pushes the ball past the block of Erin Green. #2. Orono's Katie Odens and Katy Morgan come together on a serve receive. photos by kja

ORONO
1. Emily Ten Eyck, S 1-0-5---6
2. Sarah Luse, MH 0-1-6----7
3. Maddie Franz, OH 3-0-12----15
4. Kelly Anderson, DS 0-0-0----0
4 Mikayla Anderson, RH 0-0-5-----5
4 Racquel Maronde, RH 0-0-3----3
5 Katie Odens, L 2-0-0----2
5 Megan Peterson, MH 0-0-5----5
6 Katy Morgan, OH 1-0-10----11
totals: 7-1-46----54 points, 44 points on Fridley errors

FRIDLEY
1. Lynette, Rolf, S 0-0-1----1
1fr Sydne Adams, RH 0-0-0----0
2 Rachel Duehn, OH 2-0-2----4
3. Erin Green, MH 0-3.5-11---14.5
3br Nicole Langiewicz, L 0-0-0----0
4. Hannah Niewald, S 0-0-0----0
4fr Corinne Miles, RH 0-1-3----4
5. Daydra Lorenson, DS 0-0-0----0
5fr Jordanne Greenup, OH 0-1.5-5----6.5
6. Caitlin McKernon, MH 0-3-5----8
6br Nicole Langiewicz, L
totals: 2-9-27----38 points earned; 52 points on Orono errors

TRENCH PLAYER

Maddie Franz

BY THE NUMBERS
name, fbso/att; fbso%; points; % earned; % allowed
Orono: 30/54; .556; 98 .551; .578
Fridley: 27/55; .491; 90; .422; .449
3+ runs: Orono 10, Fridley 8
missed serves: Orono 21, Fridley 14

ROTATIONS
ORONO
1. Emily Ten Eyck 19-27 .413
2. Sarah Luse 15-17 .469
3. Maddie Franz 17-11 .607
4 Kelly Anderson 13-15 .464
5 Katie Odens 19-11 .633
6. Katy Morgan 15-9 .625
totals: 98-90 .521

FRIDLEY
1, Lynette Rolf 13-17 .433
2. Rachel Duehn 27-15 .643
3. Erin Green 15-20 .429
4. Hannah Niewald 10-13 .435
5. Daydra Lorenson 14-20 .412
6. Caitlin McKernon 12-12 .500
totals: 90-98 .479

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Delano/Columbia Heights

#2 posting 10.30.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SECTION 5AA
SOUTH SUBSECTION SEMIFINALS
DELANO tigers 3,
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS hylanders 0
(25-15, 25-11, 25-14)

#1 seed Delano had no real problems with Columbia Heights. Three Tigers ended up with double digit kills. Delano also had a clear advantage in the serve game with 8 aces on the night.

Early on it was CH errors that provided Delano with the lead. Delano took a 3-0 lead right off the bat. CH hung around at 11-8 when Delano accelerated past with a 9-1 run to make it 20-9 after Cecily Checkal and Kayla Koenecke's serve. Sarah Bingea had three kills during Koenecke's serve.

In game two Delano broke free from a 7-6 game with seven straight points on a side out and six points off Kylie Crofutt's serve. This time it was Koenecke that had a hand in five of the points including a dual block. Checkal added five more points two servers later to make it 21-9. Game two ended with two kills by Briana Royer.

By the third game it was fairly clear who was to prevail. Delano leaped to a 7-1 lead after five point service run by Angie Snaza. Royer had two kills in the run. Delano built the lead to 20-9. The rest of the way it was 5-5.

Heights never had a player get more than one kill in any one game. In game two CH only had two earned points. Delano earned 18 points in game two.

With the win Delano moves to the 5AA South subsection final on Thursday at Minneapolis Henry at 7 pm.

photos: #1 Delano's Kayla Koenecke swings from the right side Maria Ehrtt defending. #2 Delano's Sarah Bingea tips the ball past CH's Nikki Klenk. photos by kja

DELANO
1 Cecily Checkal, L 3-0-0----3
1fr Kayla Kassulker, MH 0-0.5-2----2.5
2. Kayla Koenecke, S 2-0.5-10---12.5
3. Angie Snaza, OH 1-0-4----5
4. Sarah Bingea, MH 1-0-11---12
5. Kylie Crofutt, S 1-0-1----2
6. Briana Royer, OH 1-0-4----5
totals: 8-1-38----47 points, 28 points on Columbia Heights errors

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
1. Cassie Wentland, S 0-0-2----2
2. Sada Maxwell, OH 1-0-2----3
2. Ralia Hussein, OH 0-0-0----0
3. Nikki Klenk, MH 0-0-2-----2
4. Kim Weber, RH 0-0-1----1
5. Maria Ehritt, OH 0-0-3----3
6. Machelle McGriff, MH 0-0-0----0
totals: 1-0-10----11 points, 29 points on Delano errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kayla Koenecke

BY THE NUMBERS
name, fbso/att; fbso%; points; % earned; % allowed
Delano 18/29; .621; 75; .627; .725
Columbia Heights 11/29; .379; 40; .275; .373
3+ runs: Delano 13, CH 2
missed serves: Delano 11, CH 6

ROTATIONS
DELANO
1. Cecily Checkal 18-5 .783
2. Kayla Koenecke 14-8 .636
3. Angie Snaza 14-6 .700
4 Sarah Bingea 9-8 .529
5 Kylie Crofutt 17-7 .708
Briana Royer 3-5 .375

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
1 Cassie Wentland 7-14 .333
2 Sada Maxwell 7-15 .318
3 Nikki Klenk 7-9 .438
4 Kim Weber 7-18 .280
5 Maria Ehrtt 6-4 .600
6. Machelle McGriff 6-15 .286
totals: 40-75 .348

Next up: 5AA Semifinal: Orono/Fridley

56 Matches Tonight

#1 posting 10.30.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

PLAYOFF PRIMER TUESDAY
Tonight throughout the state the march to the state tournament continues with 56 matches. Here are some previews:
AAA
1: The semifinals are Thursday with Owatonna playing Faribault and Farmington facing Rochester Mayo. See 1AA for more.

3: four teams that spent a good chunk of time in the top 10 meet in South St. Paul
Burnsville plays Eagan at 5:45 followed by #1 Lakeville North vs Eastview at 7 pm (or later). This section (along with section 2) are good reasons to seed the entire state 1-96. Three teams will not get to the big dance in this section. This is the place to be tonight bar none.

8: Bemidji takes on St. Michael-Albertville in Little Falls in one semifinal. The Lumberjills haven't been to state in volleyball. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

AA
1: Stewartville is set to battle Cannon Falls on Wednesday (not today) for the West side title. Caledonia faces St. Charles in the East. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

3: Yellow Medicine East plays Lac Qui Parle Valley in Redwood Falls tonight. From the Marshall Independent.
Another battle of top 10 teams takes place at Worthington at 6 pm with Jackson County Central vs Marshall.

5: tonight my school, Minneapolis Henry, hosts Fridley vs Orono and Columbia Heights vs Delano. This is where I will be.

A
1: Wabasha-Kellogg, the #5 seed will be looking to continue their upset string when they meet Fillmore Central in the East final. Bethlehem Academy will be playing Kenyon-Wanamingo in the West. In the AA article in the RPB.

5: Osakis beat Bertha-Hewitt on Friday in four games and advanced to the semis in Brainerd tonight. Before BH, Osakis swept Upsala on Thursday. From the Osakis Review.

#2 VS #3
Both UM Duluth and Concordia St. Paul bumped up one spot in the polls. They play each other tonight in Duluth.

AWARDS
The MIAC offense award went to two players this week: Laurel Heggernes of St. Benedict and Michelle Honek of Concordia Moorhead. The setter/defensive award goes to Emily Foster of St. Thomas. This is Foster's second award this year.

END OF SEASON
HS
Littlefork-Big Falls lost to Hill City on Saturday in 7A. From the International Falls Daily Journal.

Roseville finished Stillwater's season last week. Stillwater set a new school mark for season wins this year. From the Stillwater Gazette.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Rochester finished 5th in the State Community College tournament last weekend. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

REMINDER
The Gophers vs Iowa match on Halloween starts at 6 pm.

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

next up: later today

Gangelhoff vs McNamara

#2 posting 10.29.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SEED THE STATE
At least that is what the overwhelming majority of readers who clicked on the poll on the right said. 86% to 14% is a landslide. The state is NOT seeded for this upcoming tournament. According to the polls if everyone makes it, in AA #1 Jordan would play #2 DGF in the quarterfinals right off the bat. In AAA #1 Lakeville North would face #2 Shakopee in the semis. The girls basketball coaches seeded the state tournament last year and it worked out fine. It is time to join the 21st century and quit using a cycle formula developed in the 1920s.

POLLS
Minnesota is out of the AVCA top 25 poll for the first time this season. Seven losses in a row have a way of knocking you down the line some. Joining the Gophers on the outside looking in is Michigan who was #20 last week. Penn State, as expected, moved up to #1 in the poll. The only other Big 10 team to make the list is Wisconsin at #7.

HONORS
Big 10 Honors go to Laura DeBruhler of Illinois for offense, and Kaila Calhoun, of Ohio State for defense. Both are freshmen.

In the North Central Katie Gangelhoff of UM Duluth keeps adding to her collection of setting awards with her 7th this season. Carlie Christensen of UN Omaha won the offensive award and UNO teammate Kayla Jansen captured the defensive honor. It is Christensen's second award in a row and third over all this year. This is Jansen's second honor.

In the Northern Sun Maggie McNamara of Concordia St. Paul is also dominating the setting award with her 3rd in a row and 5th overall award this season. Emily Palkert of CSP won the offensive award, Emily Schroeder won the defensive title. This is Palkert's second award this year. and Emily Schroeder's first defensive win. She has a pair of offensive wins also.

LATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS
The Rochester Post Bulletin lists the volleyball heroes leading off with Chelsea Nagle's 37 kills in Fillmore Central's 3-2 win over LeRoy-Ostrander in 1A.
The RPB also recaps the game action in 1A and 1AA.

Breckenridge exited tournament play Friday after Fergus Falls won in three. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE
#3 UM Duluth will host #4 Concordia St. Paul in a prime battle for the top spot in the North Central rankings on Tuesday. It features two award winning setters in Katie Gangelhoff vs Maggie McNamara. Admission is FREE.

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

next up:tomorrow unless news breaks

Ridgewater Rallies to State CC Championship

#1 posting 10.29.2007
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COMMUNITY COLLEGE STATE TOURNAMENT
Ridgewater trailed 2-0 to Central Lakes in the Minnesota CC championship and rallied to take the state title. From the West Central Tribune.

D2 TOURNAMENT
UM Duluth has put in a bid to host the D2 tournament this season. From the Duluth News Tribune.

LATE REPORTS
AAA
#4 Chaska swept #5 Hutchinson on Saturday. Hutchinson finished with their 3rd straight 20 win season. From the Hutchinson Leader.

LOWEST SEEDS LEFT STANDING
Here are the lowest seeds left in each class:
AAA: Section 5 #7 Maple Grove
AA: Section 4 #6 Breck; Section 5 #6 Fridley
A: Section 8 #8 Kittson County Central.
Fridley has 3 8th graders in their regular rotation. The experience and seasoning have paid off.

D1
Northeastern beat Virginia Commonwealth 3-1 (30-27, 30-21, 27-30, 30-17) with Leah Neubeck (Hopkins) getting match high digs - 22 for Northeastern.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Hilary Groothuis, Ridgewater 22 vs Central Lakes 3-2

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

next up:

MIAC Wraps Up Regular Season

#4 posting 10.28.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D3 REPORTS
MIAC
Gustavus swept St. Mary's

St. Olaf beat cross town rival Carlton in five.

St. Thomas broomed Augsburg.

St. Benedict shut out #19 Concordia Moorhead.

Bethel swept St. Catherine's

Now the MIAC playoffs are coming with St. Thomas, St. Benedict, Concordia Moorhead, Carleton, Bethel and Hamline making the post season.

UMAC
Bethany Lutheran swept UM Morris

Martin Luther blanked Presentation

Northwestern beat Northland in four.

NON CON
Milwaukee Engineering (MSOE) beat Stout in four.

#17 La Crosse swept Wisconsin Lutheran

Stevens Point beat MSOE in four.

Superior beat Northland.

ELMHURST TOURNAMENT
Eau Claire won twice with victories over Concordia, IL and North Park

River Falls won twice with victories over Marian and Westminster, MO.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Shelly Maus, Stevens Point 33 vs MSOE 3-1
Allie Sowinski, MSOE 25 vs Stevens Point 1-3
Kim Smisek, St. Olaf 23.5 vs Carleton 3-2
Sarah Hank, Northland 23 vs Northwestern, MN 1-3
Laura Bicket, Northwestern MN 22 vs Northland 3-1
Jane Meyer, St. Olaf 21.5 vs Carleton 3-2
Allie Sowinski, MSOE 21 vs Stout 3-1
Shelly Maus, Stevens Point 20.5 vs Stout 3-1
Sarah Hank, Northland 20 vs Superior 2-3
Megan La Chapelle, Carleton 20 vs St. Olaf 2-3

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

next up: tomorrow morning.