Gophers Broom NW

#2 posting 11.16.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BIG 10 RESULTS
#15 Minnesota swept Northwestern with a margin of 38 points. Brook Dieter (Bloomington Kennedy) had 11.5 points for the Gophers. Naomi Johnson (Bloomington Kennedy and Ariel Baxterbeck each had 8.5 points for NW.

Illinois swept Indiana with a margin of 18 points. Laura DeBruhler had 17.5 points for Illinois. Erica Short had 14.5 points for the Hoosiers.

Michigan State beat Ohio State in four with a margin of 9 points. Vanessa King had 16.5 points for MSU. Katie Dull had 16 points for the Buckeyes. Susan Halverson (Apple Valley) had 8 digs for OSU.

#1 Penn State swept #18 Purdue with a margin of 19 points. With the win the Nittany Lions get a share of the Big 10 title. Nicole Fawcett had 15 points for PSU. Stephanie Lynch had 13.5 points for the Boilermakers.

next up: More D1 results

All Star Sunday Today & Next Week

#1 posting 11.16.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

ALL STAR GAME
You missed yesterday's South Central All Star game at Jefferson (you can check the out & about). Today the North Central All Star game takes place at Bemidji.
Next week the Tri-State All Star game takes place at Rochester CTC.
The Inaugural Tri-State All Star Volleyball Games will be held Sunday,November 23rd, 2008 at the Performance Court on the campus of the Rochester Community and Technical College, Rochester, Minnesota

Noon – Doors Open for Spectators
12:30 pm – Team Wisconsin vs. Team Iowa
1:40 pm – Team Wisconsin vs. Team Minnesota
2:50 pm – Team Iowa vs. Team Minnesota

ROSTERS
Team Minnesota
Kate Speedling, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Outside Hitter/Left Back,5-11
Danielle Gernes, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Libero, 5-5
Kirstee Rotty, Farmington High School, Libero, 5-8
Resha Koster, Blooming Prairie High School, Setter, 5-7
Elizabeth Benson, Cannon Falls High School, Setter, 5-7
Ashley Wendinger, New Ulm Cathedral High School, Middle/Outside Hitter,5-11
Karlee Lursen, Eastview High School, Outside Hitter, 5-9
Jasmine Dittrich, Rochester John Marshall High School, Middle Blocker,5-10
Elly Mikesh, Rochester John Marshall High School, Outside Hitter,
Kati Garness, Rochester John Marshall High School, Middle Blocker,
Stephanie Meschke, Bethlehem Academy, Outside Hitter,
Head Coach: Amir Dzamalija, Rochester John Marshall High School

Team Iowa
Amy Dentlinger, Kuemper Catholic High School, Outside Hitter and All-Around, 6-1
Whitney Westrum, Waukee High School, Outside Hitter, 6-0
Elizabeth McDonnell, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Middle Blocker, 6-1
Lauren Friedman, Columbus Catholic High School, Middle Blocker, 6-1
Jordynn Brackey, Lake Mills High School, Middle Hitter, 5-11
Mikayla Overturf, Central Springs High School, Middle Hitter, 5-11
Britni Freed, Hinton High School, Outside Hitter, 5-11
Kelsey Peterson, Cherokee Washington High School, Outside Hitter, 5-8
Cassie Christianson, Lake Mills High School, Setter, 5-6
Cheyenne Newman, Iowa Valley High School, Middle/Outside Hitter, 5-8
Kaylee Thompson, LeMars Community High School, Middle Hitter, 5-11
Meganne McMurray, Central Springs High School, Outside Hitter, 5-6
Head Coach: Dennis South, Lewis Central High School

Team Wisconsin
Jamie Vanderberg, Niagara High School, Middle/Outside Hitter-Middle Blocker, 6-1
Michele Campbell, Richland Center High School, Outside Hitter, 5-6
Ashlee Gabrielson, Viroqua High School, Libero, 5-2
Kaycee Charette, Prescott High School, Left Side Hitter, 5-11
Ellie Hovda, Wausau East High School, Outside Hitter, 5-6
Jennifer Johnas, Medford Area High School, Libero, 5-4
Ellie Dietzen, Seymour High School, Middle Hitter, 6-2
Lauren Radix, Wisconsin Heights High School, Setter/Outside Hitter, 5-11
Hillary Hughes, Wisconsin Heights High School, Outside Hitter, 5-10
Kallie Lochner, Wisconsin Heights High School, Middle Hitter, 6-1
Head Coach: Amy Schlimgen, Wisconsin Heights High School

Games Manager: Lonnie Morken, Mabel-Canton High School, Minnesota
Event Directors: Dan and Susan Ninham, All Star Athletic Promotions,Bemidji, Minnesota

ALL AREA
The Albert Lea Tribune has named Jordynn Brackey of Lake Mills, IA as their player of the year. Plus the three all area teams (there are 12 Minnesotans on the 18 player roster).
The coach of the year goes to another Iowan---Jim Boehmer of Lake Mills.

ALL CONFERENCE
The Iron Range has named their All Conference team. From the Grand Rapids Herald Review.

Next up: Big 10 results

Navy Wins South Central Series

#7 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SOUTH CENTRAL ALL STAR SERIES
Team 3 Navy beat both team 1 Scarlet and team 2 Blue to take the South Central All Star Series at Bloomington Jefferson this afternoon.

First off each team played each other two games to 25 and one game to 15 no matter what.

The event started with Blue beating Scarlet 25-20, 25-15, 15-7.
The Blues broke free from a 13 all tie with 11-3 run putting them at the brink at 24-16. It did take the Blues five set points to finish the scarlets in set one. Jessica Clark led the charge for the Blues in set one with six points.
Blue used the win in the first set as a springboard to an 8-3 run to start the second set. However the Scarlets roared back with a 9-4 run to tie the set at 12. Once again the Blues finished strong with a 13-3 run. The Blues were able to get four straight side outs on the Scarlets while knocking out points on their last five serves. Ari Mewhorter had four kills in this set including point 25.
There was no doubt on the next set with the Blues building an 8-2 lead after a six point run on Clark's serve. Maddi Nerenhausen led the way in this set with four kills.

In the second series Navy beat Scarlet, but the reds did get a game off the dark blues 25-22, 22-25, 15-6.
The Scarlets had to play right away again this time against the Navy. This set was fairly tight throughout. The leads never got larger than three points. Navy led 8-5 when Scarlet took their first lead after a five point run 10-8. Navy reclaimed the lead at 17-16 after a four point run. There were three ties after that, the last at 20 all. But the Navy was able to get the last six FBSO, two of which were missed serves. Nikki Meinz had 7.5 points for Navy including the last two points---a side out kill and then an ace to close the set.
Navy led after four 3+ runs to start the second set 14-7, but then the Scarlets rose up. A 8-1 run put them right back in the hunt as the set was tied at 16. Navy inched ahead 22-21. The Scarlets closed out with the last four points. Rebekah Aase had a block, one of four in the set, and then put down a kill before Megan Schroeder ended the set on a kill.
The final 15 point set was the only one that mattered. Navy took control 5-1 after a four point run off Dana Boerboom's serve. The key factor in this set was the FBSO game with Navy getting 5/6, Scarlet's FBSO game was only 2/6. Besides that Navy "earned" 10 points to Scarlets 4 in the final set.

In the final series in what proved to be the championship, it was Navy over Blue 25-19, 25-18, 13-15.
Navy didn't take control of the first set until they had a five point run, four on Libby Augedahl's serve. They wouldn't relinquish the lead after that. Blue cut the margin to 21-19. A dump by Elizabeth Benson got the ball back to Navy and Benson served out with the final point coming on a Blue hitting error.
Navy had a five point run to take them to a 15-7 lead in the second set. Danika Stindtman had four straight kills for Navy. Blue did rush back into the contest with a six point run, five of them off Alyssa Bryngelson's serve. Navy contributed to that run with three hitting errors. Navy had three straight FBSO after that incident, while scoring on two of their last three serves. Augedahl had 7 of the earned Navy points in the set.
The final set went to Blue, but Navy led 10-7. A missed serve put the ball back in Blue's hands. The Blues finished with a 8-3 run. Nerenhausen had three kills in the last segment. The set was tied at 13 when Clark had a kill followed by a kill by Bryngelson.

you can see the entire South Central All Star Series photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com.

Here are the totals over the two sets
key: player, school, position, aces-blocks-kills----totals
SCARLETS (0-2 overall, 1-5 sets, 95-127 points)
Megan Schroder, Rochester Mayo 1-0-10-----11
Rebekah Aase, Austin 2-5-4-----11
Jolene Brody, Austin 0-1-9----10
Josi Holter, Lakeville South 0-0-8-----8
Sarah Osberg, Hastings 0-0-7-----7
Lisa Kranz, Hastings 1-0-1-----2
Danielle Sowada, Holdingford 0-1-0----1
Mariah Baylor, Mpls South 0-0-1-----1
totals: 4-7-40------51 points

BLUE (1-1 overall, 4-2 sets, 117-105 points)
Jessica Clark, Triton 2-4-12-----18
Arriel Mewhorter, Blaine 0-1.5-16-----17.5
Maddi Nerenhausen, Triton 0-0-14-----14
Crissi Schewe, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 1-0.5-11-----12.5
Alyssa Bryngelson, Triton 2-0-9-----11
Mackenzie Suda, Blaine 1-0-4-----5
Courtney Preiner, Hill-Murray 2-0-0-----2
Nevada Helget, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 1-0-1----2
totals: 9-6-67----82 points

NAVY (2-0 overall, 4-2 sets, 125-105 points)
Nikki Meinz, Sauk Rapids-Rice 6-0.5-13-----19.5
Libby Augedahl, Caledonia 6-0-10-----16
Danika Stindtman, Blue Earth 0-0-14-----14
Kayla Horbacz, Cambridge-Isanti 3-1.5-5-----9.5
Dana Boerboom, Lakeview 1-2-4-----7
Elizabeth Benson, Cannon Falls 0-0-5----5
Cassie Gran, Caledonia 0-0-4-----4
Kirstee Rotty, Farmington 2-0-0------2
Grace Sanders, Lakeville South 1-0-1-----2
totals: 19-4-56-----79 points

TRENCH PLAYERS
Match 1 (Blue vs Scarlet) Ari Mewhorter
Match 2 (Navy vs Scarlet) Nikki Meinz
Match 3 (Navy vs Blue) Libby Augedahl

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points,
Scarlet 28/66---.424; 95
Blue 28/58----.483; 117
Navy 42/63----.667; 125
runs: Blue 16, Navy 16, Scarlet 8
longest string: Blue 6, Scarlet 5, Navy 5
missed serves: Navy 17, Blue 16, Scarlet 13
time outs: not one called all day

RACE TO:
Set: 5 10 15 20 25
match 1 (blue vs scarlet)
set 1 B B B B B
set 2 B B B B B
set 3 B B B

match 2 (navy vs scarlet)
set 1 N S S N N
set 2 S N N N S
set 3 N N N

match 3 (navy vs blue)
set 1 B N N N N
set 2 N N N N N
set 3 N N B

BIGGEST LEAD
Team 1 2 3
scarlet#1 1 1 0
blue#1 7 10 8

scarlet#2 3 3 0
navy#2 3 8 9

blue#3 2 0 2
navy#3 6 9 3

next up: tomorrow

Ridgewater in NJCAA Finals

#6 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

NJCAA D3 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Ridgewater advanced to the finals of the NJCAA D3 tournament in Rochester. The Warriors beat Nassau CC in four with a margin of 32 points. Later they swept Harper College of Illinois with a margin of 16 points. This is the fourth year in a row Ridgewater has made the finals. From the West Central Tribune.

Hibbing won in the quarters, but fell in the semis to Brookhaven, TX.

The Rochester Post Bulletin has more details on the all the first day results.

The RPB also has a feature on a couple of Japanese players from Alfred College, NY.

Championship is at 3 pm today.

Next up: Out & about from the All Star Game

Concordia Moorhead, St. Ben's Advance

#5 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D3 TOURNAMENT
ST. THOMAS SECTION
Concordia Moorhead swept UW LaCrosse with a margin of 19 points. Katie Vohnoutka (Eden Prairie) had 13 points for CM. Nina Walch (Lewiston-Altura) had 12 points for LaCrosse.

St. Benedict beat UW Eau Claire in four with a margin of 8 points. Emma Jaynes (Hibbing) had 15 points for St. Ben's. Katie Fox (Chippewa Falls, WI) had 22.5 points for UWEC.

OSHKOSH SECTION
Carthage beat UW Whitewater in five with a margin of 9 points. Michelle Madeja had 14.5 points for Carthage. Liz Benzschawel (Madison Edgewood) had 18 points for Whitewater.

UW Oshkosh beat Heidelberg in four with a margin of 19 points.

ALL REGION
Gustavus players Bridget Burtzel (Rocori) and Emily Klein (Red Wing) have been named to the All Region volleyball team.

Next up: Community College reports

Mavs Roll to 6th Straight Win

#4 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D2 FRIDAY RESULTS
NORTHERN SUN
Augustana swept MSU Moorhead with a margin of 14 points. Cayla Schroeder (Kasson-Mantorville) had 15 points for Augustana. Laura Tvrdik (Minnewaska) had 13.5 points for Moorhead.

Winona State swept Bemidji State with a margin of 15 points. Jessi Peterson (Eden Prairie) had 12.5 points for WSU. Melissa McNeely (Lakeville South) had 9 points for BSU.

#17 UM Duluth beat Upper Iowa in four with a margin of 20 points. Lindsey Clairmont (Wayzata) had 14 points for the Bulldogs. Sara Vance (Tampa Sickles, FL) had 12.5 points for UIU.

#23 Wayne State, Nebraska swept UM Crookston with a margin of 20 points. Jennifer Hefner (Central City, NE) had 13.5 points for WSN. Allison Zajicek (Beatrice, NE) had 9.5 points for UMC.

MSU Mankato beat Northern State in four with a margin of 14 points. Ashley Nachreiner (Round Rock, TX) had 16 points for Mankato. Jill Rassmussen (Sioux Falls Washington) had 16 points for Northern.

Southwest Minnesota State swept Mary with a margin of 34 points. Kasey Loeslie (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) had 17 points for SW. Amanda Hennessy (Williston, ND) had 6.5 points for Mary.

Next up: D3 results

NDSU Wins Summit Title; Angner 33 points

#3 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MORE D1 NEWS
ACC: Virginia beat Maryland in four with a margin of 4 points. Marlow Bruneau (Lakeville) had 26 assists and 3.5 points for the Cavaliers.

ATLANTIC 10: George Washington swept LaSalle with a margin of 15 points. Abby Syverson (Mpls Southwest) had 7 points for GW.

BIG EAST: Marquette swept West Virginia with a margin of 16 points. Tiara Russell (Osseo) and Leslie Bielski (Chaska) had 9.5 and 7 points for Marquette.

INDEPENDENTS: North Dakota fell to Seattle in five (the Sioux had a 3 point advantage) and then UND lost to Houston Baptist in four (29 point margin) both in the Bryant National Transitions Tournament in Rhode Island.
Devin Trefz (Bagley) had 17.5 points vs Seattle and 10 points vs HB.

MEAC: Maryland Eastern Shore beat Norfolk State in four with a margin of 36 points. Chanita Wesley (Benilde-St. Margaret's) played but did not score.

MISSOURI VALLEY: Creighton swept Southern Illinois with a margin of 24 points. Jessica Houts (Bloomington Kennedy), and Allie Oelke (Chaska) had 10 and 5.5 points for the Bluejays.
Northern Iowa swept Missouri State with a margin of 27 points. Amy Sampson (Champlin Park) had 14.5 points for UNI.

PAC 10: #8 Oregon swept Washington State with a margin of 19 points. Emily Rooney (Red Wing) had 6.5 points.

SEC: #22 Kentucky swept South Carolina with a margin of 22 points. Bridget Denson-Dorman had 26 assists and 1.5 points for USC.

SOUTHERN: Furman swept Georgia Southern with a margin of 26 points. Pamela Gehrke (Eastview) had 1 dig and 1 points for the Paladins.

SUMMIT: North Dakota State swept Centenary with a margin of 41 points. Chrissy Knuth (Champlin Park) had 11.5 points for NDSU.
South Dakota State beat UMKC in four with a margin of 2 points. Mackenzie Angner (Cincinnati St. Ursula) had 33 points for SDSU.

SUN BELT: Denver swept UA Little Rock with a margin of 23 points. Kresson Vreeman (Central Christian) had 3 digs for Denver.

BEACH
Former Gopher Nicole Branagh and Tyra Turner have moved on to the semifinals in the FIVB beach tournament in Sanya, China.

Next up: D2 results

Gophers Hold Off Badgers; PSU #53

#2 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BIG 10 RESULTS
#15 Minnesota beat Wisconsin in a dramatic five with a margin of 2 points. The Badgers led 2-1. The Gophers fought off five match points. Lauren Gibbemeyer (Cretin-Derham Hall) had 22.5 points for the Gophers. Brittney Dolgner had 28.5 points for Wisconsin. Nikki Klingsporn (Tartan) had 26 assists and 1 point for the Badgers.

Iowa beat Northwestern in five. NW led 2-1. NW had a 7 point advantage. Catherine Smale had 23 points for the Hawkeyes. Chelsy Hyser had 16.5 points for the Wildcats. Naomi Johnson (Bloomington Kennedy) added 10.5 points for NW.

#19 Michigan beat Michigan State in four with a margin of 17 points. Alex Hunt had 16.5 points for the Wolverines. Megan Schatzle and Vanessa King each had 15 points for MSU.

#1 Penn State swept Illinois with a margin of 22 points. The Illini lost the first set 25-23. PSU set a new NCAA D1 record with consecutive matches won (53). Megan Hodge had 17.5 points for PSU. Laura DeBruhler had 12 points for Illinois.

Purdue beat Indiana in five. Indiana had a 2 point advantage for the day. Danita Merlau and Carrie Gurnell each had 17 points for Purdue. Erica Short had 20 points for the Hoosiers.

MORE SIGNINGS
Purdue signed five players
6-0 setter Rachel Davis of Plainwell, MI
6-3 middle hitter Anna Drewry of San Antonio Clark, Texas
6-2 outside hitter Katie Griffin of Avon, Indiana
6-1 middle hitter/outside hitter Catherine Rebarchak of Mobile St. Paul's Episcopal, Alabama
6-1 outside hitter Ariel Turner of Mountain Vista, Colorado

Michigan State signed three players
6-1 OH Amy Dentlinger of Carroll Kuemper Catholic, IA
6-1 MB Elizabeth "Bizl" Egerer of Sheboygan Catholic
6-3 MB Alexis Mathews of Detroit Renaissance

Next up: more D1 news

New Ulm Journal POY: Schewe; All Star Game

#1 posting 11.15.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
NEW ULM JOURNAL ALL AREA TEAM
Chrissi Schewe of Sleepy Eye St. Mary's is the New Ulm Journal player of the year plus the rest of the team.

Today the 2nd Annual South Central Minnesota High School Volleyball All Star Games takes place at Bloomington Jefferson High School with three teams battling each other.
Admission: $10 for Adults; $5 for Students
1:00 pm – Doors Open for Spectators
1:30 pm – Team One vs. Team Two
2:35 pm – Team One vs. Team Three
3:40 pm – Team Two vs. Team Three

Chrissi Schewe is one of 27 players taking part today

Next up: Big 10 results

Two New Badgers, More Signings

#2 posting 11.14.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MORE SIGNINGS
Wisconsin signed two players
6-1 OH Alexis Mitchell from Davenport Central, Iowa
6-3 MH Mary Ording from Indianapolis Cathedral

Rhode Island signed two players
Sydney Danner of Shawnee Mission East
Annie Nelson of Rockford Lutheran, IL

South Dakota State signed three players
6-0 OH Kelly Herrmann of Rapid City Stevens
6-3 MB Kaitlin Klingemann of Millard North, NE
6-3 RS Kelsey Hansen of Bennington, NE

Texas Christian added one more signer--Sloane Sunstrum of Southlake, ,TX.

D1 NEWS
BIG 10 Minnesota travels to Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Indiana faces Purdue and Illinois.

Illinois middle hitter Johannah Bangert has been named to Academic All-District 5 second team.

ACC: North Carolina swept Duke with an 8 point margin. Brianna Eskola (Columbia Heights) had 21 digs for UNC.

BIG SKY: Weber State beat Northern Arizona in five with a margin of 1 point. The Jackson County Central duo of Brittney Bisaillon and Leah Burmeister had 19 and 6.5 points for WS.

MOUNTAIN WEST: Colorado State swept San Diego State by a 22 point margin. Tessa Nelson (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) had 9 points for CSU.

WEST COAST: #24 Pepperdine swept Portland with a margin of 19 points. Jennifer Sheedy (Totino-Grace) had 6 points for Portland.

D2
UM Duluth is #4 in the North Central poll. Augustana moves to #7.

BEACH
The Americans, including former Gopher Nicole Branagh and Tyra Turner are undefeated in the China FIVB Beach tournament.

Next up: tomorrow

St. Thomas Done, 4 New Gophers

#1 posting 11.14.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SIGNINGS
Minnesota signed four players (and their national ranking)
6-1 RH Katherine Harms of St. Michael-Albertville (#7)
6-1 MN Brianna Haugen of Minneapolis Southwest (#46)
6-5 OH Tabitha Love of Dauphin, Manitoba
6-1 S Mia Tabberson of Muncie Burris, IN (#33)

D1
Minnesota hopes to end their road woes this weekend. From the Minnesota Daily.

North Dakota State is one win away from the Summit league title. From the Fargo Forum.

D2
Marshall's Sarah Wyffels has made an impact at UM Duluth. From the Marshall Independent.

D3 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
UW Eau Claire swept #17 Gustavus with a margin of 15 points. Gustavus' Emily Klein added to her season dig record to 664. Abby Freiborg (Renville County West) had 15.5 points for UWEC. Meghan Gehring (Eau Claire North) had 11 points for Gustavus. From the Mankato Free Press.

St. Benedict beat Simpson in four with a margin of 32 points. Calleigh Brown (Buffalo) had 14.5 points for St. Ben's. Amy Schuster (Indianaola, IA) had 12 points for Simpson.

Concordia Moorhead beat Loras in five with a margin of 2 points. The Cobbers trailed 2-1. Greta King (Willmar) had 21.5 points for CM. Kate Russell (Woodstock, IL) had 22 points for Loras. From the Fargo Forum.

UW LaCrosse ended host St. Thomas' season in five sets. St. Thomas had a 3 point advantage. Brianne Stankus (Burlington, WI) had 21 points for UWL. Katie McCaffrey (Fort Collins, CO) had 32 points for St. Thomas.

Here is the region website.

ALL REGION HM
Jess Levin of St. Olaf was named to the AVCA all Central region honorable mention list.

NJCAA D3 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Ridgewater is looking for the their second national title in three years. Warrior Leah Miller was destined to play for Ridgewater from birth. From the West Central Tribune.

HIGH SCHOOL ALL CONFERENCE
Osakis had five players make the Prairie All Conference team. From the Alexandria Echo Press.

The Polar North and Pine to Prairie conferences have released their all conference lists. From the Grand Forks Herald.
Also the Hiawatha Valley has released their AC list. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

HS REVIEW
Farmington's season is reviewed in the Farmington Independent.

New York Mills and Perham have their seasons recapped in the Perham Enterprise.

Nicole Anderson was MVP for Cannon Falls. From the Cannon Falls Beacon.

Next up: More news

Rolf Resigns at Marquette, Around the Signing Block

#2 posting 11.13.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
ROLF RESIGNS
Marquette coach Pati Rolf has resigned immediately. Assistant coach Erica Heisser takes over. Rolf is from Hopkins and attended North Dakota State.

BIG 10
#19 Michigan swept Ohio State with a margin of 30 points. Karlee Bruck had 11.5 points for the Wolverines. Katie Dull had 12.5 points for the Buckeyes. Susan Halverson (Apple Valley) had 5 digs and 1 point for OSU.

Michigan State travels to Michigan and Ohio State this weekend.

Allison Straumann of Cary Grove, IL has signed with Iowa. The 5-11 outside hitter is a first team all state player according to the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Daily Herald.

Illinois has signed three players
6-1 outside hitter Jessica Jendryk of Benet Academy, IL
6-3 middle blocker Erin Johnson of Crystal Lake South, IL
5-9 setter Jackie Wolfe of Wheaton-Warrenville South, IL

MORE D1
SIGNINGS
Colorado State signed two players
6-4 middle Tori Brummett of Redlands East Valley, CA
6-2 middle Lisa Parlich of Delavan-Darien, WI

North Dakota State signed three players
6-1 RH/S Brynn Joki of Grand Rapids
6-0 MH Megan Lambertson of Litchfield
5-8 DS Andrea Henning of Kettle Moraine Lutheran, WI

Northern Iowa signed three players
5-10 outside hitter Amy Braun Lakeville North
6-1 middle blocker Shelby Kintzel Mount Vernon, IA
5-10 setter Molly Turk Burlington Central, IL

Texas Christian signed two players
OH Kelli Stewart of Magnolia, TX
MB/RS Emily Kirby of Texhoma Christian, TX

Ohio signed three players
MB Lexie Hartnett of Fairport, NY
S Leah Petrovich of Pittsburgh Shaler PA
OH Faith Robins of Winston Salem Glenn, NC

ACC: Virginia hosts Maryland and Boston College

BIG 12: Texas A&M beat Iowa State in four with a margin of 11 points. Diane Kieger (Mounds View) had 2.5 points for ISU.

MISSOURI VALLEY: Creighton is headed to Southern Illinois and Evansville this weekend.

WEST COAST: Portland hosts #24 Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

NON CON: Rhode Island swept Providence with a margin of 14 points. Jillian Bekke (Cretin-Derham Hall) had 1 dig for the Rams.

NAIA
Jamestown swept Dakota State in the DAC semifinals. The margin was 32 points. From the Jamestown Sun.

BEACH
Former Gopher Nicole Branagh and Tyra Turner are the second seeds at the China FIVB Beach tournament.

Next up: Tomorrow unless news breaks.

Coaches All State List

#1 posting 11.13.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

ALL STATE
Here are the MN Volleyball Coaches Association All State list (including Honorable Mentions).

SIGNINGS
OH Megan Lambertson of Litchfield signed with North Dakota State. From the West Central Tribune.

Two Chaska players signed yesterday: Maggie Finkel to Winona State, and Makenzie Niesche to SW MN State. From the SW Scoreboard.

MVP
Leah Fadness of Minneota was named MVP of the Camden Conference. From the Marshall Independent.

WEDNESDAYS
St. Cloud area clergy have written a letter to area athletic directors as athletic events have crept on to Wednesdays. From the St. Cloud Times.

ALL STAR GAMES
Danielle Sowada of Holdingford is one of the players in the South Central All Star at Bloomington Jefferson on Saturday. From the St. Cloud Times.

ALL CONFERENCE
UM Crookston's Amber Meyer (Paxton, NE) is on the Northern Sun Honorable Mention list. From the Crookston Times.

D3 TOURNAMENT
St. Benedict will play Simpson today at St. Thomas at 1 pm in the First round of the D3 tournament. From the St. Cloud Times.
Gustavus faces UW Eau Claire at 3:30.
Confident UW LaCrosse is ready for host St. Thomas. From the LaCrosse Tribune.

You can pick from four St. Thomas video highlights from last Saturday's playoff win against Gustavus.

This link is tournament headquarters.

NJCAA TOURNAMENT
Rochester is the host of the NJCAA D3 tournament this weekend. Hibbing and Ridgewater are the Minnesota teams in the hunt for a title. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Julie Rainey of Stewartville is the female athlete of the week for KAAL.

POLLS
MSU Mankato is #6 in the North Central region rankings.

SEASON REPORTS
Pine River-Backus has their season review in the Pine & Lakes.

Glencoe-Silver Lake has their season review in the McLeod County Chronicle.

LATE REPORTS
Wadena-Deer Creek was 0-2 in the AA tournament last week. From the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

Next up: More News--college style

2 More Verbals, Angner's Month, McCutcheon Honored

#3 posting 11.12.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

TWO MORE VERBALS
Katelyn Horihan of Mabel-Canton is headed to Winona State.

Ann Zyvoloski of St. Cloud Cathedral is headed to UM Duluth.

COLLEGE REPORTS
BIG 10
Indiana Banters with Benson.

Iowa goes on the road to Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Purdue is holding a Pizza Bash on Wednesday.

#1 Penn State heads to #17 Illinois and #18 Purdue.

Northwestern hosts Iowa and Minnesota.

MORE D1
North Dakota is headed to Bryant this weekend for the National Transitions Tournament.

SUMMIT: South Dakota State's Mackenzie Angner (Cincinnati St. Ursula) has been named Summit Athlete of the Month for October.

D3
Carleton's Sarah Kunelius (Eagan) made the MIAC All Conference list.

The MIAC has released their all playoff team.

HIGH SCHOOL
Rochester Home School was 2nd in the Bronze II bracket at the national Home School Tournament. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

BEACH
Former Gopher Nicole Branagh and Tyra Turner head to Sanya, China for the final FIVB Beach tournament.

McCUTCHEON HONORED
Anaheim will honor USA's men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon as their man of the year.

Next up: tomorrow

3 Amigos, Northern Sun All Conference

#2 posting 11.12.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGE REPORTS
BIG 10
The Three Amigos (part 2) ride again for the Gophers. From the Minnesota Daily.

D2
NORTHERN SUN
Augustana beat Wayne State, Nebraska in five with a margin of 12 points. WSN led 2-1. Ellen Andrews (Bancroft-Rosalie, Nebraska) had 19.5 points for the Vikings. Mindy Moody (Sioux City Heelan) had 18.5 points for WSN.

MSU Mankato swept MSU Moorhead with a margin of 20 points. It was the Mavericks 5th straight win. Kimber Kuhl (Chaska) had 13.5 points for Mankato. Cathy Turner (New Prague) had 11 points for Moorhead. From the Mankato Free Press.

#8 SW MN State swept UM Crookston with a margin of 19 points. Kasey Loeslie (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) had 13.5 points for SW. Amber Meyer (Paxton, NE) had 11 points for UMC.

Winona State beat Upper Iowa in four with a margin of 10 points. Jenna Padley (Lodi, WI) had 14 points for WSU. Beth Deutmeyer (Dyersville Beckman, IA) had 18 points for UIU.

The Northern Sun released their all Conference list prior to the end of the season.
Concordia St. Paul's Maggie McNamara (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) was named player of the year.
Concordia St. Paul's Mary Slinger (Bethlehem Academy) was named libero of the year.
SW MN State's Devin Diedrich (Braham) was named freshman of the year.
Concordia St. Paul's Brady Starkey was named coach of the year.
CSP had 6 on the AC list
SW had 3 on the AC list, 1 HM
UMD had 2 AC, 2 HM.
Augustana had 2 AC and 3 HMs.

COACHING
East Ridge High School in Woodbury is looking for a volleyball coach. From the South Washington County Bulletin.

AWARDS
Gustavus' Bridget Burtzel (Rocori) is ESPN's Academic All District V

Next up: Still more to come.

Two more Sign, UMAC Awards

#1 posting 11.12.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SIGNING DAY
Today is the first day of college signing day for volleyball.
Joining the signers are
Outside hitter Lauren Cipperly of Andover to St. Cloud State.
Setter Madeline Haben of Holy Angels to Michigan Tech.
This pushes the total verbals/signings to 28 overall for the Minnesota 2009 class and 16 headed to D2.

AWARDS
Parkers Prairie coach Tanya Powers has been named coach of the year in the Little 8 conference. PP was 29-2 this year. From the Alexandria Echo Press.

LETTER
A Hutchinson fan thanks the team with a letter to the editor in the Hutchinson Leader.

ALL CONFERENCE
The UMAC has released their all conference list. Northwestern, MN had three players make the list including player of the year Steph Koth (Hibbing) . St. Scholastica had four to make the list.
Bethany Lutheran had 1 AC and 2 HM.
Two UM Morris players received honorable mentions: Allison Pippo (Annandale) and Brianna Czer (MN Valley Lutheran). From the Morris Sun Tribune.

JO
Southern Minnesota Volleyball will hold tryouts on Nov. 15 at the National Volleyball Center in Rochester. From the Rochester Post Bulletin at the end of the column.

Next up: More to come

Wittman Player of the Year in St. Paul Pioneer Press

#3 posting 11.11.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

ALL STATE TEAM
The St. Paul Pioneer Press has released their All State team. At the top of the list--Ashley Wittman of Shakopee.

ALL AREA
The West Central Tribune has released their All Area Team.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Brittany Chambers of Jordan is Athlete of the week for KARE 11.

Leah Dietel of Jordan, Katherine Harms of St. Michael-Albertville, and Ashley Wittman all made the StarTribune's Athletes of the week list.

TRANSITIONS
North Dakota has a chance to tie a school record for wins. UND is headed to Bryant University for the transition D1 tournament. From the Grand Forks Herald.

#1 & ON THE ROAD
North Dakota State may be the Summit champ, but they will need to get past #2 Oral Roberts, the host of the Summit League tournament. From the Fargo Forum.

RECRUITING SEMINAR
JumpForward holds a recruiting seminar at Eden Prairie from 7 to 8 pm tonight. From the SW Scoreboard.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NDSCS ended their season at the Region XIII tournament last weekend. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

Next up: I think that wraps it up for today.

5 Minnesota Players Win Weekly Honors, Tan her 5th

#2 posting 11.11.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MORE STATE TOURNAMENT RECAPS
Windom celebrates their state A title. Coach Ron Wendorff is a song and dance man. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

Stewartville beat Delano for 5th place in AA. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

HS AWARDS
Anna Schlaak, a freshman from NRHEG, has been named Waseca County News player of the year.

Crystal Lamont of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown has been named Waseca County News coach of the year.

COLLEGE AWARDS
D1
BIG 10: Illinois' Laura DeBruhler was named offensive player of the week in the Big 10. The Gophers' Christine Tan was co defensive player of the week (her 5th time this year) along with Arielle Wilson of Penn State.

ACC: North Carolina's Brianna Eskola (Columbia Heights) was co player of the week in the ACC. She is 88 digs away from the all time ACC dig record.

SUMMIT: Both Lopez sisters (DGF) for North Dakota State were players of the week. Kelly took defensive honors while Jennifer gathered the offensive title.

D2
NORTHERN SUN: UM Duluth's April Hansen (BBE) and Lindsey Clairmont (Wayzata) have been named co players of the week in the Northern Sun.

COLLEGE NEWS
BIG 10: Three Penn State seniors talk about their experiences.

Ohio State is at #19 Michigan on Wednesday and Michigan State on Saturday.

The Big 10 has their weekly press release

#19 Michigan hosts Ohio State Wednesday and Michigan State on Friday.

PAC 10: Washington State travels to Oregon and Oregon State.

SUMMIT: North Dakota State travels to Centenary and Oral Roberts this weekend.
South Dakota State travels to UMKC and Centenary to close out the season.

D3 TOURNAMENT
Gustavus will face UW Eau Claire in the NCAA D3 tournament on Thursday, November 13 at 3:30 at St. Thomas.
St. Benedict will face Simpson in the D3 tournament on Thursday at 1 pm at St. Thomas.

Concordia Moorhead takes on Loras at 6 on Thursday.

Host St. Thomas will face UW LaCrosse at 8:30 on Thursday.
Here is the entire D3 tournament bracket.

POLLS
D1: Minnesota moves to up two spots to #15. Colorado State is #16. Cincinnati received votes.

D2: SW MN State falls to #8. From the Marshall Independent. Augustana is #22.

next up: tomorrow unless more news breaks

All State and All Stars

#1 posting 11.11.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

ALL STATE
The Breakdown has released their 2008 All State team.

ALL STAR GAMES
2nd Annual South Central Minnesota High School Volleyball All Star Games
Bloomington Jefferson High School
4001 W 102nd Street
Bloomington, MN
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Admission: $10 for Adults; $5 for Students
Here is the schedule
1:00 pm – Doors Open for Spectators
Begin of Match Play: Two Games to 25 and One Game to 15
1:30 pm – Team One vs. Team Two
2:35 pm – Team One vs. Team Three
3:40 pm – Team Two vs. Team Three
Here are the rosters
Team One
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Elly Braaten Hastings 11 OH 6-0
2 Sarah Osberg Hastings 12 RS 5-9
3 Lisa Kranz Hastings 11 S 5-5
4 Erin Sherman Benilde-St. Margaret’s 12 L 5-6
5 Jolene Brody Austin 12 OH 5-6
6 Rebekah Aase Austin 12 MB 6-2
7 Megan Schroeder Rochester Mayo 12 RS/MH 5-8
8 Danielle Sowada Holdingford 12 MH 5-9
9 Josi Holter Lakeville South 12 RS/LS 5-9
Head Coach: Jen Nelson, Lakeville South High School
Asst. Coach: Jared Rendell, Lakeville South High School
Team Two
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Jessica Clark Triton 12 MH 5-10
2 Alyssa Bryngelson Triton 12 OH 5-8
3 Maddi Nerenhausen Triton 11 OH 5-6
4 Arriel Mewhorter Blaine 12 OH 6-0
5 Mackenzie Suda Blaine 12 S 5-8
6 Jacey Anderson Spring Grove 11 DS/OH 5-5
7 Courtney Preiner Hill-Murray 12 L 5-6
8 Crissi Schewe Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 12 MH 5-11
9 Nevada Helget Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 11 S 5-8
Head Coach: Stef Dietz, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
Asst. Coach: Wendy Owens, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s
Team Three
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Cassie Gran Caledonia 12 S 5-5
2 Libby Augedahl Caledonia 12 OH 5-8
3 Danika Stindtman Blue Earth 12 OH 6-0
4 Grace Sanders Lakeville South 12 L 5-5
5 Kayla Horbacz Cambridge Isanti 11 RS 5-10
6 Kirstee Rotty Farmington 12 L 5-8
7 Elizabeth Benson Cannon Falls 12 S 5-6
8 Nikki Meinz Sauk Rapids-Rice 12 OH 5-5
9 Dana Boerboom Lakeview 11 MH 5-10
Head Coach: Michael Woody, Farmington
Asst. Coach: Jon Ostgaard, Farmington
Games Manager: Lonnie Morken, Mabel-Canton High School
Event Directors: Dan and Susan Ninham, All Star Athletic Promotions

2008 North Central High School Volleyball All Star Games
Bemidji State University Gymnasium
Sunday, November 16th
Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for students
Noon – Doors Open for Spectators
12:30 pm – Team 1 vs. Team 2 Team 3 vs. Team 4
1:25 pm – Team 5 vs. Team 6 Team 7 vs. Team 8
2:20 pm - Team 1 vs. Team 4 Team 3 vs. Team 2
3:15 pm - Team 5 vs. Team 8 Team 7 vs. Team 6

Team One
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Lindsay Morgan Crookston 12 S 5-4
2 Meghan Forney Crookston 12 L/BR 5-2
3 Stephany Berger East Grand Forks 12 OH 5-9
4 Brooke Vonasek East Grand Forks 12 MH 6-0
5 Betsy Smith East Grand Forks 12 OH 5-7
6 Alycia Heisler Detroit Lakes 12 MH 6-1
7 Emily Lindquist Detroit Lakes 12 OH 5-10
8 Robin Hutchinson Detroit Lakes 12 OH 5-10
9 Kelsey Wirtanen Hibbing 12 S/RH 5-7
10 Heather Tormanen Menahga 12 MH 5-8
Head Coach: Beth Leighton, Detroit Lakes High School
Asst. Coach: Mike Summers, Detroit Lakes High School
Team Two
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Leah Benham Deer River 11 O/MH
2 Haylie Holmgren Kittson Central 12 MH 5-8
3 Skyler Karboviak Kittson Central 12 S 5-5
4 Emily Van Den Einde Mahnomen 11 MH 5-10
5 Kim Vipond Mahnomen 11 LS/DS 5-5
6 Kayla Pelletier Red Lake County Central 12 MH 5-9
7 Megan Sobtzak Greenway 11 S 5-7
8 Kacie Kuusisto Greenway 11 OH 5-7
9 Kendra Coleman Pelican Rapids 11 M/RH 5-9
10 Kendra Skoog Menahga 12 DS 5-5
Head Coach: TBA
Team Three
No. Name School Grade Position Height
Katie Hood Bagley 12 S 5-5
Darcie Olson Bagley 12 MH 5-11
3 Megan Malwitz Thief River Falls 12 DS 5-4
4 Cassie Gunderson Thief River Falls 12 MH 5-10
5 Meagan Abrahamson Thief River Falls 12 OH 5-6
6 Ashley Feldman Lake of the Woods 11 MH 6-2
7 Ali Hasbargen Lake of the Woods 11 MH/RH 5-10
8 Cassie Langrehr Lake of the Woods 12 LH 5-8
9 Sharayah Day Laporte 11 S 5-6
Head Coach: Rebecca Rud, Bagley High School
Asst. Coach: Sara Tramm, Bagley High School
Team Four
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Brittany Tronnes Fisher 11 OH 5-10
2 Kelsey Melsa Fisher 10 DS/OH 5-6
3 Taylor Krahn Warroad 12 OH 5-6
4 Brianna Goulet Warroad 12 S 5-2
5 Tonya Morris Cass Lake-Bena 12 L/DS 5-3
6 Ann Aitken Cass Lake-Bena 11 MH 5-8
7 Danielle Jourdain Cass Lake-Bena 11 MH 5-10
8 Erin Walters Nevis 12 L 5-5
9 Kiera Gustafson Nevis 12 OS 5-7
10 Magen Stambaugh Nevis 12 LH 5-8
Head Coach: Steff Hanson, Nevis High School
Team Five
No. Name School Grade Position Height
1 Miranda Pearson Warroad 11 MB 5-9
2 Brook Story Warroad 11 OH 5-5
3 Kayla Handevidt Esko 11 MH 6-1
4 Jessica Finck Bertha-Hewitt 11 OH 5-6
5 Morgan Kapphahn Bertha-Hewitt 10 OH 5-5
6 Abby Hoganson Detroit Lakes 12 S 5-5
7 Morgan Lof Detroit Lakes 12 MH 6-0
8 Dani Labine Detroit Lakes 12 LB/DS 5-4
9 Ashley Mertens East Grand Forks 12 S 5-8
Head Coach: Vickie Anderson, Mahnomen
Team Six
No. Name School Grade Position Height
Cortney Rykken Babbitt-Embarrass 12 S 5-10
2 Shelby Goble Bigfork 12 OH 5-6
3 Ariel Anderson Bigfork 12 OH 5-8
4 Mattie Ellenson Henning 12 MH/OH 5-8
5 Ashley Haugdahl Henning 12 OH 5-9
6 Olivia Johnson Grand Rapids 12 L 5-8
7 Jenna Gillson Grand Rapids 11 S/RH 5-8
8 Setareh Mostofi Roseau 11 MH 5-8
9 Kelly Sorensen Roseau 11 L 5-2
Head Coach: Susanna Feiro, Babbitt-Embarrass High School
Asst. Coach: Misty Roseth, Babbitt-Embarrass High School
Team Seven
No. Name School Grade Position Height
Nikki Shaleen Eveleth-Gilbert 12 S 5-5
Cassie Fleming Eveleth-Gilbert 12 OH 5-6
Kelsi Rudolph Eveleth-Gilbert 12 MH/OH 5-5
Carly Reuter Deer River 12 MH
Kylie Lane Roseau 12 RH/BLS 5-5
Hayley Kelly Roseau 11 OH/BLS 5-7
Hannah Hogenson Roseau 11 MH 5-10
Bridget Martini Sebeka 11 OH/DS 5-4
Adrienne Nelson Sebeka 11 S 5-5
Head Coach: Liz Biondich, Eveleth-Gilbert High School
Asst. Coach: Melissa Lautigar, Eveleth-Gilbert High School
Team Eight
No. Name School Grade Position Height
Brynn Joki Grand Rapids 12 S/L/R/M 6-1
Amanda Hardy Grand Rapids 12 OH 5-7
Alie Dorn Thief River Falls 12 MH/RH 5-9
4 Haley Teie Thief River Falls 12 OH 5-6
5 Siri Jore Win-E-Mac 12 DS 5-2
6 Kendra Lee Win-E-Mac 12 OH 5-9
7 Jordyn Thompson Win-E-Mac 12 LI 5-4
8 Briana Grapevine Northome 12 OH/MH 5-8
9 Brooke Lindner Northome 11 S/DS
Head Coach: Lynette Kaster, Win-E-Mac

Inaugural Tri-State Senior High School All Star Volleyball Games
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
Performance Court on the campus of theRochester Community and Technical College,
Noon – Doors Open for Spectators
12:30 pm – Team Wisconsin vs. Team Iowa
1:40 pm – Team Wisconsin vs. Team Minnesota
2:50 pm – Team Iowa vs. Team Minnesota

Next up: more news

Weekly Review: State Tournament Recap

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

WEEKLY REVIEW #13: State Tournament Recap
I have decompressed and digested the three days of volleyball action at the Xcel Center.

ATMOSPHERE
PARKING: too high as always. $12 seems $6 too high.

FOOD: Speaking of high $7 for a pizza in a box is also too high. They did add another pepperoni to the solo pepperoni from last year. I never even attempted to purchase beverages which were obscenely high. The hot dogs were $3.50. Nothing screamed value.

BEST SEATS: I don't understand why the end zone seats aren't used more often. They offer the best views. Press row had a big old ref stand in the way blocking 1/5 of the court. Thursday I sat along press row, but soon moved out on Friday.

BEST BAND: Ada-Borup takes the band to a different place. When the band director starts belting out a rap on Ada you know it is not your mother's band anymore.

BEST CHANT RESPONSE: From Andover to Shakopee's "Why so quiet"... "because were losing"

NO PHOTOS: You didn't see any of the photos I took because the MSHSL controls the images of the state tournaments. You can see the photos from August to the section finals at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com.

GAMES & PLAYERS
all are on the matches I saw.
BEST SET: 1st set of the A championship between Windom vs Bethlehem Academy.

BEST FINAL: Shakopee vs Eastview

BEST COMEBACK: Windom vs BA in the first set of the A championship.

WHAT WAS HE WATCHING?: The no call in the Eastview vs STMA third set when Eastview blocked the ball and the refs didn't see it resulting in a four contact call.

EVEN/ODD JINX: BA----They have won state titles in the odd years of 2003, 05, and 07. They have finished 2nd in the even years of 2004, 06 and now 08. Next year pencil BA in as champs if the Even/Odd pattern holds.

NON SEED ADVANCING: Andover toppled #4 Wayzata in the AAA quarters with a five set win.

BEST OUT OF SYSTEM: Ada-Borup pushed BA to five in the semis with scrappy play and getting points on kills out of system.

BEST SERVING: Windom racked up 38 aces in 12 sets---an average of 3.17 per set. Marshall had 2.7.

BEST HITTING: Shakopee's lowest total was .248. The Sabers were north of .300 in the other two contests.

BEST ONE-TWO PUNCH: Jordan's CD connection---Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel.

BEST SISTERHOOD: Ysker Sisters of Windom

BEST REVENGE: Windom over BA in the A Championship. In the other two rematches from last year Marshall and Shakopee won in three.

BEST SHORTS: Windom's coaching staff. Snow was falling on Saturday, but they maintained the shorts.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
You might get tired of seeing it but it has to be Shakopee. The Sabers were 9-1 for the week in sets. Windom was 9-3 as was Jordan. The Sabers have been number one most of the season at AAA and for good reason. They do their jobs. Contrary to popular belief they are not a one person team. The final three earned points vs Eastview came from players other than Ashley Wittman. In fact of the last 11 points only one came off a Wittman kill. In order for Wittman to get her swing going their needs to be a pass. Mollie Geske, Libero and the other Sabers deliver. The setters need to get their jobs done. After that the players cover. Here is the scary thought for the rest of AAA---The Sabers start no seniors. They have a chance for the first "Three-peat" in the three class system. (Central Christian won one title in the two class and then two more in the new three class in A--1998-99-2000). It would be the first "three-peat" in the 25 point era. This is Shakopee's second honor this year. They won in week 1.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
This again is no mystery--Ashley Wittman. She brought the Thunder to the Lightning on Saturday and has been bringing the Thunder all season to everyone. Wittman had 77 kills for the week and hit .449. It would be a mistake to think Wittman's skills are exclusively on the offensive end. She also led her team in digs with 18 vs Rochester Mayo and 28 vs Eastview. Wittman is aware of what is happening. This is Wittman's fourth honor this year. She won in week 1, 4, and 12.

FIRST TEAM
Ashley Wittman, Shakopee, OH
Brittany Chambers, Jordan, OH
Lauren Grant, Eastview, MH
Leah Dietel, Jordan, MH
Megan Ysker, Windom, S
Katherine Harms, St. Michael-Albertville, RH
Mollie Geske, Shakopee, L

SECOND TEAM
Anna Zyvoloski, St. Cloud Cathedral OH
Rachel Westby, Marshall, OH
Holly Hafemeyer, Bethlehem Academy MH
Katie Lange, Hibbing, MH
Anna Olson, Eastview, S
Catherine Yager, St. Michael-Albertville, S
Kaiti Wachter, Eastview L

THIRD TEAM
Kari Ann Nass, Bethlehem Academy, OH
Jaime Rainey, Stewartville, OH
Heidi Lensing, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa MH
Tia Gaffen, Wayzata, OH
Kayla Wallerich, Marshall, S
Kayla Koenecke, Delano, S
Shay Birath, Marshall, L

photos: Team--Shakopee after the final point vs Eastview. Wittman in the Eastview match. photos by kja.

Next up: tomorrow morning