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.

UM Duluth; Concordia St. Paul Get Titles

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

D2 REPORTS
NORTH CENTRAL
UM Duluth swept St. Cloud State. It is the 4th straight NCC title for UMD.

UN Omaha surprised #12 MSU Mankato in a sweep. It was UNO's second straight upset win.

South Dakota took North Dakota in three. It is the first time USD has won 20 games in a season in the history of their program.

NORTHERN SUN
#4 Concordia St. Paul broomed MSU Moorhead. CSP earned a conference title (at least a tie) for the 5th straight time.

Northern State topped Winona State in four.

#7 SW MN State blanked Bemidji State. Tricia Ingvalson (Caledonia) tied her career mark with 19 kills.

Wayne State shut out UM Crookston.

Mary swept Upper Iowa.

NON CON
#6 Truman State swept #13 Augustana, Cayla Schroeder (Kasson-Mantorville) had nine kills for Augustana.

Northwest Missouri State lost twice on Saturday. Amber Ryan (Esko) had 13 kills in match one in #8 Central Missouri. Ryan had 12 kills in the St. Mary's TX match.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Samantha Weber, St. Mary's TX 27.5 vs NW Missouri State 3-1
Sara Falcone, NW Missouri State 24.5 vs St. Mary's TX 1-3
Kelsey Aden, Northern State 23.5 vs Winona State 3-1
Jillian Ohrman, Central Missouri 23 vs NW Missouri State 3-1
Rachel Fister, Central Missouri 22.5 vs NW Missouri State 3-1
Tricia Ingvalson, SW MN State 22 vs Bemidji State 3-0
Kori McCarver, St. Mary's TX 21 vs NW Missouri State 3-1
Alicia Johnson, NW Missouri State 20 vs Central Missouri 1-3

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

next up; D3

Five Way Tie for 1st in Summit

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

COLLEGE REPORTS
D1
BIG 10
Illinois beat Indiana in four on the road. Laura DeBruhler had 23 kills for Illinois.

Michigan State knocked off instate rival #20 Michigan in four. Ashley Schatzle had 27 kills for Michigan State.

Penn State broomed Iowa.

Wisconsin topped Purdue in four.

OTHERS
North Dakota State swept IUPUI. There is now a five way tie for first in the Summit League. Christy Stuewe (Mayer Lutheran) had 16 kills for NDSU.

South Dakota State swept Oakland. Samantha Pearson (Chaska) had 17 digs for SDSU.

Northern Iowa won their 6th straight with a sweep of Bradley. Amy Sampson (Champlin Park) had six kills for UNI.

Fairfield outlasted Siena in five. Karlie Urbaniak (Mabel-Canton) had 14 kills, and Lauren Wagner (Cretin-Derham Hall) had 5 for Fairfield.

#15 Kansas State topped Iowa State in four. Erin Boeve (Hills-Beaver Creek) had 17 kills for ISU.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Ashley Schatzle, Michigan State 28 vs Michigan 3-1
Laura DeBruhler, Illinois 25.5 vs Indiana 3-1
Erin Boeve, Iowa State 23 vs Kansas State 1-3
Danielle Meyer, Ohio State 22 vs Minnesota 3-2
Katie Bruzdzinski, Michigan 21.5 vs Michigan State 3-1
Rachelle Hagerty, Minnesota 21.5 vs Ohio State 2-3
Stephanie Lynch, Purdue 21.5 vs Wisconsin 1-3
Brittney Dolgner, Wisconsin 21 vs Purdue 3-1
Katie Johnson, Michigan State 21 vs Michigan 3-1
Blair Brown, Penn State 20.5 vs Iowa 3-0

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

next up: D2 action.

Nagle: 37 Kills, 1000 Career

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

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFFS
AAA
2: #4 Chaska broomed #5 Hutchinson and now the Hawks are eager to face #1 Shakopee (#2 overall in the state polls). From the Chaska Herald.

AA
St. Charles and Caledonia advanced in 1E action. See the Wabasha-Kellogg story below for the recaps.
Stewartville and Cannon Falls moved on in 1W.

A
#5E Wabasha-Kellogg upended #1E seed Goodhue in four. Both teams were in the top 10 at various points in the year.
In the other game #2 Fillmore Central needed every one of Chelsea Nagle's 37 kills in a fiver with LeRoy-Ostrander. A long the way Nagle picked up her 1000th kill. From the Winona Daily News.
Bethlehem Academy and Kenyon-Wanamingo moved on in 1W.

LATE ACTION
AA
Perham swept Detroit Lakes in the first round. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

BREAKDOWN
class, games, % sweeps, % 5s; % first game winners; % upsets;
AAA: 4; 1.000; .000; 1.000; .000
AA: 4, .500; .250; 1.000, .250
A: 4, .250; .250, incomplete, .250

JO TRYOUTS
Minnesota North will having tryouts at Duluth Marshall on the following dates and times: 18s (grades 11-12) Nov. 11 from noon to 2:30 p.m.; 16s (grade 10) Nov. 11 from 1:30-4 p.m.; 15’s (grade 9) Nov. 18 from noon to 2 p.m.; 14s (grades 7-8) Nov. 18 from noon to 2 p.m.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Chelsea Nagle, Fillmore Central 37 vs LeRoy-Ostrander 3-2
Ava Perry, Wabasha-Kellogg 20 vs Goodhue 3-1

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

next up: College reports

Out & About: Minnesota/Ohio State

#6 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball & information

OHIO STATE buckeyes 3,
MINNESOTA gophers 2

Ohio State rallied from a 2-0 deficit to break the Gophers' hearts Saturday in Williams Arena. The game was eerily similar to the one in Columbus when Minnesota won the first two, lost the next two and hung on for the fifth. Minnesota has now lost 7 straight, and four straight at home, counting Williams Arena as home.

This game is ironic considering Minnesota outpointed Ohio State 126-123 and earned 86 points to Ohio State 78. The Gophers out hit OSU .117 to .083, and out blocked OSU 22 to 11. One thing Minnesota led in was 45 errors to 40 for OSU.

The Gophers broke free in game one with an 8-1 run over the serves of Brook Dieter and Rachelle Hagerty. Ohio State was having problems with ball control as Hagerty had two overpass kills, plus another kill for three of the points. Lauren Gibbemeyer had two blocks and a slide for another three points. That put Minnesota in the drivers seat at 21-17. Ohio State closed to 24-22 when another Gopher five point run put them on the verge at 29-22. All the points, after the side out, came off of Christine Tan's serve. OSU added two points with a side out and an ace. The Gophers took a time out to break the momentum. A kill by Jessy Jones ended game one 30-24.

Minnesota used the momentum in the first game win to open with a 3-0 lead. The only time they trailed in game two came early at 5-4. The Gophers extended their lead to 14-9 on a some Ohio State hitting errors during Hagerty and Fallon's serve. Minnesota kept pushing out to 26-16 during Hagerty's serve in the next sequence. Again Ohio State errors were gift wrapped as Gopher points. Ohio State fought back with an 8-5 finish. As it was Minnesota went into the locker room at the break with a solid 30-23 win. For this game the first ball side out % for Minnesota was .688 (11/16).

Game three is when the Gophers fortunes took a turn south. Neither team shook free from the other with 16 ties in this game. The last tie coming at 25 after a Ohio State hitting error. The Gophers biggest lead came at 20-17 after a quick kill by Jones. OSU took a time out after that. Minnesota's last large lead came at 21-18. After that OSU had a 12-6 run to finish the game. Minnesota was victimized by dumps by Briana McCarthy plus hitting errors now being gift wrapped by the Gophers. Fallon missed a serve to put OSU in the lead at 26-25. Ohio State added two more points to make it 28-25. A double contact gave the ball back to the Gophers. A block by Roehrig cut the margin to 28-27. However two hitting errors ended game three 30-27 for Ohio State.

Game four is the game you can pin point the spot where the momentum definitely shifted. Minnesota led 14-8 early with the Gophers gaining 6/7 first ball side outs. A Dieter hitting error handed the ball back to OSU. Brook Dieter then served up six points. Six of the seven points in the run (including the side out) were all Minnesota errors either hitting errors, double contacts, or net violations. All in all it was a 10-2 run for Ohio State as they took the lead 20-18. Minnesota did bounce back with a run of four during Hartmann's serve. Jessy Jones had a had in two of the points with a block and an overpass kill. Minnesota could smell the finish line at 26-21 after a Jones tip kill. But Meyer wasn't about to let the match end. She spearheaded a 10-3 run to finish the game. The Gophers desperately tried to stop the momentum with a time out when they led 26-24 and then again at 27-26. A Gibbemeyer slide put Minnesota up 28-26. Dieter's serve went wide. McCarthy returned for Ohio State with an ace to tie it at 28. Hagerty got the side out kill and then was up to serve. An overpass kill gave the ball back to OSU. They never gave the ball back. A hitting error and then an ace ended game four 31-29 Ohio State.

Game five started off all right for Minnesota with a 4-3 lead. That was because Minnesota was siding out three straight times. They didn't, or couldn't the next five Ohio State servers. The Buckeyes had a run of three to go up 9-6. Minnesota took a time out. After the break the Gophers got the side out which started a run of three which tied the game at 9. Hagerty missed her serve and that kicked off a four point run by OSU 13-9. A Gibbemeyer block held off OSU for a time. Kelly Roysland served for Gibbemeyer, but OSU only allowed 3 points on Minnesota serves in game five on 5/7 servers. Minnesota allowed 8 points. That was the difference.

Minnesota is young and needs to finish. Game three could have gone either way, but missed serves at key points (25 all) opens the doors to bad things. However the 26-21 lead at game four was the back breaker. Five hitting/net errors and two aces can be cleaned up. In game five the missed serve opened the door to four straight OSU points. Ball control is still not as consistent. The Hawkeyes come to town on Halloween. I think the Gophers are going to take their frustrations out on the Hawkeyes. They are not used to losing seven straight and they are not used to losing at home either.

MINNESOTA
rotation, name, position, aces-blocks-kills ----points---errors---totals
1. Rochelle Hagerty, OH 1-4/3-15----21.5 -18 3.5
1serve Kelly Fallon 0-0-0----0 -1 -1
2, Lauren Gibbemeyer, MH 1-0/10-12----18 -10 8
2. Kelly Roysland, DS 0-0-2-----2 -1 1
3. Rachel Hartmann, S 1-0/9-3----8.5 -5 3.5
4. Christine Tan, L 1-0-0-----1 -4 -3
4fr Kyla Roehrig, OH 0-1/4-7-----10 -8 2
5 Hailey Cowles, DS 0-0-0-----0 -8 -8
5fr Jessy Jones, MH 0-1/6-7----11 -4 7
6 Brook Dieter, RH 2-0-12----14 -8 6
Totals: 6-22-58----86 points, 40 points on Ohio State errors

OHIO STATE
rotation, name, position, aces-blocks-kills
1 Betsy Hone, DS 1-0-0----1 -3 -2
1 Kristi Hunter, OH 1-0/5-6----9.5 -8 1.5
2 Ashley Hughes, L 0-0-0----0 -1 -1
2 Susan Halvorson, L 0-0-0----0-0 0
2 Kaila Calhoun, MH 0-0/9-4----8.5 -9 -0.5
3 Katie Dull, RH 2-0/3-12-----15.5 -12 3.5
4 Ami Stevens, OH 1-0/1-7----8.5 -11 -2.5
5 Danielle Meyer, MH 1-0/2-20-----22 -15 7
6 Briana McCarthy, S 2-0/2-10----13 -10 3
totals 8-11-59----78 points, 45 points on Minnesota errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Danielle Meyer

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/attempts; fbso%; points; earned %; allowed %
Minnesota 44/79; .557; 126; .683; .366
Ohio State 40/73; .548; 123 .634; .317
3+ runs: Minnesota 11, Ohio State 11
missed serves: Minnesota 15, Ohio State 14

ROTATIONS
MINNESOTA
Hagerty/Fallon 30-23 .566
Gibbemeyer/Roysland 18-22 .480
Hartmann 18-13 .581
Tan 25-25 .500
Cowles 15-23 .395
Dieter 19-17 .528
totals: 126-123 .506

OHIO STATE
Hunter/Hone 18-24 .429
Calhoun/Hughes 17-16 .515
Dull 22-26 .458
Stevens 18-18 .500
Meyer 24-24 .500
McCarthy 24-18 .571
totals: 123-126 .494

Minnesota started the first three games with Hagerty in the one spot. In game four Tan was in the one spot and the Gophers reverted to Hagerty in game five.
Ohio State had three different starting points. In the first two games the Hunter/Hone combination was in the one spot. In games three and four Dull led off. In game five another new line up with McCarthy taking the first serve.

As you can see both teams were fairly even with four .500 or better rotations for Minnesota and the same amount for Ohio State. The one rotation that was hurt was Cowles in game four with Meyer notching 7 points off them.

next up: tomorrow morning

UN Omaha Beats Augustana in Five

#5 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D2 ACTION
NORTH CENTRAL
UN Omaha took down #13 Augustana in five. UNO led 2-0. Cayla Schroeder (Kasson-Mantorville) had a 20/20 game for Augustana

#12 MSU Mankato held on to beat South Dakota.

NORTHERN SUN
Northern State had the upper hand with Upper Iowa in a sweep.

#7 SW MN State blanked UM Crookston.

Mary stopped Winona State 3-1. It is the 4th straight win for Mary.

Wayne State shut down Bemidji State in three.

NON CON
#4 Concordia St. Paul swept North Dakota

D3
MIAC
Hamline beat Macalester in four. With the win Hamline is in the MIAC playoffs for the second straight year.

UMAC
Bethany shutout Presentation

St. Scholastica outlasted Northwestern in five.

Martin Luther beat UM Morris in three. From the New Ulm Journal.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TOURNAMENT
Ridgewater won twice in the opening day of the Minnesota State Community College tournament. From the West Central Tribune.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
d2
Amanda Beekman, MSU Mankato 25 vs South Dakota 3-2
Kathleen Hruska, South Dakota 24 vs MSU Mankato 2-3
Cayla Schroeder, Augustana 21 vs UN Omaha 2-3

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

next up: later tonight with a report on the Minnesota/Ohio State match.

Wisconsin Avoids Indiana Upset Bid

#4 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D1 REPORTS
BIG 10
Illinois swept Purdue.

Northwestern surprised #20 Michigan in five.

Ohio State blanked Iowa.

#8 Wisconsin survived Indiana's upset bid with a 16-14 5th game win. Indiana lost the first two games before tying the match at 2-2.

OTHERS
North Dakota State chopped down Oakland in three. Kari Fagnan (Fridley) had a school record 32 digs for NDSU.

South Dakota State dropped IUPUI in four.

Stony Brook topped Albany in five. Alicia Nelson (Eastview) had one kill for Stony Brook. Tawny Dahmes (Chaska) had 11 digs for Albany.

Creighton swept Indiana State. Allie Oelke (Chaska) had 11 kills for Creighton.

Northeastern topped William & Mary in four. Leah Neubeck (Hopkins) had 26 digs for Northeastern.

#19 Ohio swept Akron. Amanda Andersen (Centennial) had 2 kills for Ohio.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Kristina Martin, South Dakota State 28.5 vs IUPUI 3-1
Mackenzie Angner, South Dakota State 26.5 vs IUPUI 3-1
Laura DeBruhler, Illinois 25.5 vs Purdue 3-0
Erica Short, Indiana 24 vs Wisconsin 2-3
Taylor Reineke, Wisconsin 22.5 vs Indiana 3-2
Megan Hodge, Penn State 22 vs Minnesota 3-0
Katie Bruzdzinski, Michigan 22 vs Northwestern 2-3
Brittney Dolgner, Wisconsin 21.5 vs Indiana 3-2
Devicka Bellamy, IUPUI 21 vs South Dakota State 1-3
Allison Wack, Wisconsin 20.5 vs Indiana 3-2

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

next up: D2 and D3 information

Competitive A Games

#3 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

A PLAYOFFS
Five sections were in action last night and the games were more competitive than AA or AAA. Their were 6 upsets last night where the higher seed fell, but none bigger than #8 Kittson County Central's shocker against #1 Win-E-Mac. This is the second #1 to fall in Class A this year to a #8.

3: Windom and Murray County Central moved on in the South half. From the Worthington Daily Globe.
Also in the south a pair of Southwests moved on with SW Christian and SW Star picking up wins. From the WDG.
In the North defending state champ Minneota opened with a sweep over KMS. From the Marshall Independent.
#5 MACCRAY upset #4 RTR in four. From the Marshall Independent.
Lakeview upset TMB in four. TMB spent time in the top 10 this year.
Renville County West swept Wabasso. From the West Central Tribune.

5: Way down in the St. Cloud Times volleyball round up is BBE's convincing sweep over Eden Valley-Watkins.

6: Ada-Borup allowed only 27 points in their sweep win over Park Christian

7: Chisholm beat Deer River in a minor upset.

8: Cass Lake-Bena sent Indus packing. From the Bemidji Pioneer. In Kittson County Central's upset win over Win-E-Mac they lost the first game and won the rest.

A BREAKDOWN
games, sweeps%, 5%, First game won%, and upset%
28, .429; .107; .786; .214
As you can see the A level is where the outcome is in doubt. In the other two classes sweeps were in the in the high 60s and low 70s. also upset were even more rare.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Amber Bloom, Carlton 21 vs Wrenshall 3-1

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

next up: later today with college reports. I am off to see my JV and B teams in their last tournaments.

Lopez Notches 28 Kills for DGF

#2 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

AA PLAYOFF ACTION
Four Sections were in action last night with most of the favorites moving on. There were two upsets with Lac Qui Parle Valley beating Morris and Greenway edging Hermantown.

3: Montevideo, YME, Benson, and LQPV's wins are highlighted in the West Central Tribune.

Marshall blanked Worthington. From the Marshall Independent and the Worthington Daily Globe. The WDG also has information on Pipestone's sweep over Luverne and JCC's win over Fairmont.

New Ulm broomed St. James. From the New Ulm Journal.

6: New London-Spicer and Litchfield both picked up wins. From the West Central Tribune. Scroll down a bit to find the St. Cloud area 6AA results. Albany's win over Holdingford is where the AA results start. Fromt he St. Cloud Times.

7: It was mother vs daughter with the mother coming out on top in Hibbing's sweep over Virginia. plus Greenway's win over Hermantown. From the Duluth News Tribune.

8: DGF swept Crookston to move on despite an ankle injury keeping Jenna Green out. DGF's Jennifer Lopez had 28 kills. From the Fargo Forum.

AA BREAKDOWN
Games, sweep%; 5%; first game won%; upset%
24; .708; .042; .958; .083

NUMBER CRUNCHING
Jennifer Lopez, DGF 28 vs Crookston 3-0
Hannah Johnson, Greenway 23 vs Hermantown 3-0
Taylor Voss, Albany 21 vs Holdingford 3-1
Paula Hebel, Warroad 20 vs East Grand Forks 3-1
Megan Lambertson, Litchfield 20 vs Annandale 3-0

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

next up: Class A action

#7 Maple Grove Takes #2 Centennial in Five

#1 posting 10.27.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

PLAYOFFS
AAA
Class AAA is one of the least reported on in the newspapers. So some of these results in the Metro especially are thin, thin, thin.
But the big news was in 5AAA with #7 Maple Grove taking #2 Centennial in five games. MG had the jump early, Centennial battled back to tie, and MG took the final game 15-11. There was another upset winner in 5 with Osseo sweeping on the road at Champlin Park.
There were no other upsets of note.

1: Farmington moves on with a sweep of Rochester Century. Owatonna broomed Austin. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

8: Bemidji kept rolling with a sweep of St. Cloud Tech. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

Sartell topped Big Lake in a fiver. plus other area results in the St. Cloud Times.

AAA BREAKDOWN
Games, sweeps%; 5%; first game win%; upsets%
24, .667; .083; .917; .083

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
Steph Tillman, Sartell 23 vs Big Lake 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: Minnesota/Penn State

#5 posting 10.26.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

PENN STATE nittany lions 3, MINNESOTA gophers 0
(30-21, 30-25, 30-15)

Penn State handed Minnesota their 6th straight loss in Minneapolis tonight. Penn State could move up to #1 in the nation next week after the sweep loss by #1 Nebraska earlier this week. As it was Minnesota tried different combinations with changes in the line up, but the results were the same. The changes included Brook Dieter moving from left to right, flipping with Katie Vatterodt to start, and Rachelle Hagerty to finish. It doesn't seem like the Gophers have a line up they can live with. In the back row Kelly Roysland is now seeing limited touches. Christine Tan is now working on left back issues. Lauren Gibbemeyer is seeing more action in the back row. Hailey Cowles also has moved to middle back. The retooled lineup is still trying to get used to the new spots.

Minnesota hung with Penn State early having leads at 3-1 and 8-7, but a fatal 9-0 run on a side out and Christa Harmotto's serve to take a 16-8 lead. Three hitting errors and two aces were part of the Penn State run. The Gophers tried to stop the bleeding at 12-8. Truth be told neither team was on top of their first ball side out game. Penn State allowed three runs of 3 points in the first game, and only had a fbso of .583.

The Gophers best chance for a win came in game two. Penn State led early 9-5 but a four point run on a side out and Christine Tan serve tied the game at 9. Rachelle Hagerty had a hand in three straight points with two kills sandwiched around a block. There were six ties in game two with the last coming at 24. That came after a 4-1 run by the Gophers. Penn State took a time out to talk about it and put their foot down, or at least the ball down, with a 6-1 run.

That winning momentum propelled Penn State to a commanding lead in the third game with a 4-0 start and break points at 13-3, and 23-9. The Gophers were not able to get a side out, Penn State sided out for the Gophers with three straight missed serves. However Penn State was able to squeeze points off all of those serves, but one. Minnesota, on the other hand, did not score a point on their own serve until their 11th serve of the game. There really wasn't any rhythm to the game for Minnesota, Penn State controlled the action at the net, and picked and chose where and when to put the ball down. Seemingly down balls came back to life with Penn State's defense and that deflated the Gophers.

MINNESOTA
rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills----total points
1. Lauren Gibbemeyer, MH 0-1/0-7----8
1bf Kelly Roysland, DS 0-0-0-----0
2. Rachel Hartmann, S 0-0-0----0
3. Christine Tan, L 1-0-0-----1
3fr Kyla Roehrig, OH 0-1/0-6----7
4 Hailey Cowles, DS 0-0-0-----0
4fr Jessy Jones, MH 0-0/1-5-----5.5
5 Brook Dieter, RH 0-0-6----6
6 Katie Vatterodt, OH 0-0-1----1
6 Rochelle Hagerty, OH 0-0/1-10----10.5
6br Kelly Fallon, DS 1-0-0-----1
totals: 2-2/2-35-----40 points, 21 points on Penn State errors

PENN STATE
1. Nicole Fawcett, OH 0-0/2-13----14
1br Alyssa D'Errico, DS 0-0-0----0
2 Roberta Holehouse, L 0-0-0---0
2fr Melissa Walbridge, MH 0-1/4-3---6
3 Kate Price, RH 1-0-0-----1
3 Kara Callahan, DS 0-0-0----0
4 Megan Hodge, OH 2-0/2-19-----2
5 Christa Harmotto, MH 1-2/4-6----11
5 Ann Naylor, DS 0-0-0----0
6 Alisha Glass, S 0-2/3-4----7.5
6 Blair Brown, RH 0-0/1-6-----6.5
Michelle Osterreider 0-0-0-----0
totals: 4-13-51-----68 points, 22 points on Minnesota errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Megan Hodge

NUMBER CRUNCHING
team, fbso/attempts; fbso%; points; %earned; %allowed
Minnesota 19/43, .442; 61, .656, .244
Penn State 28/42, .667; 90, .756, .344
missed serves: Penn State 12, Minnesota 7
3+ runs: Penn State 12, Minnesota 4

ROTATIONS
MINNESOTA
Lauren Gibbemeyer 9-16 .360
Rachel Hartmann 7-12 .368
Christine Tan 13-10 .565
Hailey Cowles 10-17 .345
Brook Dieter 10-23 .303
Hagerty/Fallon 12-11 .522
totals: 61-90 .404
This is the rotation they used in game one. In games 2 & 3 Cowles led off.

PENN STATE
1. Fawcett/D'Errico 13-8 .619
2 Roberta Holehouse 13-9 .591
3 Kate Price 19-8 .703
4 Megan Hodge 16-12 .571
5 Ann Naylor 20-13 .606
6 Glass 8-11 .421
totals: 90-61 .596
Only one Penn State rotation failed to win tonight. Four Gopher rotations were sub .400

Next up: tomorrow morning

Late Thursday Results

#4 posting 10.26.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

LATE LAST NIGHT
AA
5N: Pine City swept Zimmerman. PC had lost twice to Zimmerman during the year. From the Elk River Star News.

A
2: #2N MN Valley Lutheran moved on with a tight four game win over #7 ACGC.

#4N GFW ended #5 Buffalo Lake-Hector's season in a sweep.

#1N Sleepy Eye St. Mary's swept Cleveland.

#2S Nicollet let the first game slip away to #7 Madelia, but swept the next three.

All from the New Ulm Journal.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
AAA
3: Burnsville staved off elimination with a five game win over Lakeville South. The Blaze did it the hard way dropping the first two games and then taking the last three. From the Savage Pacer.

LAST WEEK
Farmington's match with Shakopee is chronicled in the Farmington Independent.

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

next up: later tonight with #2 Penn State vs the Gophers

#8 Brandon-Evansville Upsets #1 Ashby

#3 posting 10.26.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

A LOOK AT THE PLAYOFF NUMBERS
CLASS, Matches, Sweeps%, Fives%, 1st Game winners%; Upsets
AAA 8, .625, .125, .875; .000
AA: 37 .649; .108, .892; .189
A: 45 .600; .156; .800; .111
This shows that the more competitive games occurred in A with only 60% of the games ending in sweeps. It is still critical getting the first win with class AA coming in at almost 90% of the match winners winning game one.
But AA also had the most upsets with 7 teams toppling higher seeds. Section 1 had the most fall with three teams falling of the eight matches, or .375 upset %.
To look at it in another way it was more common in AA for an upset rather than going five.

#1 FALLS
6A #8S Brandon-Evansville upset #1S Ashby in five. Story in the Fergus Falls link below.

SLOW START
8AA Fergus Falls fell in the first game and only managed to score 9 points, but then picked up three straight wins over Pelican Rapids. Plus other area recaps including the Brandon-Evansville upset win. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

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

next up: later today

#2 Penn State, Ohio State in Town

#2 posting 10.26.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COLLEGIATE REPORTS
D1
The Gophers will have their hands full tonight with #2 Penn State. Tomorrow Ohio State & Minnesota will play in Williams Arena. Minnesota is looking to snap a five match losing streak. More in the 10 page Gopher weekly press release.

Late Wednesday Iowa State swept Texas Tech. Erin Boeve (Hills-Beaver Creek) had 12 kills for ISU.

D2
MSU Moorhead lost two tight games to St. Cloud State, then won the last three for a five game win. Melissa Henderson (Osseo) had 17 kills to lead MSU Moorhead. St. Cloud State lost their second five game match in a row.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
TOTAL POINTS
Mary Sussenguth, MSU Moorhead 21.5 vs St. Cloud State 3-2
Megan Norling, MSU Moorhead 20 vs St. Cloud State 3-2
Kayla Tschida, St. Cloud State 20 vs MSU Moorhead 2-3

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

next up: later today.

Wabasha-Kellogg Slips by Mabel-Canton

#1 posting 10.26.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

THURSDAY NIGHT PLAYOFF ACTION
AAA
2: Minnetonka swept Willmar. From the West Central Tribune.

Mankato East coach Bob Gospeter will retire at the end of the playoffs. His career record is 425-164. Mankato East beat Buffalo in four. From the Mankato Free Press.

Hutchinson swept Mankato West. From the Hutchinson Leader.

AA
1E: St. Charles beat Winona Cotter in four. plus other results from the Winona Daily News.

8: East Grand Forks sweeps Thief River Falls. From the Grand Forks Herald.

A
1E: Goodhue, and Kenyon-Wanamingo both advance after sweeps. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

In the most competitive and compelling game of the night it was Wabasha-Kellogg edging Mabel-Canton in five. Both teams spent time in the top 10 this fall. There was no single game coverage of this game by the papers that I found.

5: BBE spiked Kimball in three. plus other area results in the West Central Tribune.

Osakis swept Upsala. plus other area action in the St. Cloud Times.

6: Moorhead Park Christian swept Norman County East. From the Fargo Forum.

ACTION TO COME
Chaska plays Hutchinson on Saturday night in Chaska. From the Chaska Herald

Bemidji hosts St. Cloud Tech tonight in 8AA. Bemidji is going for a school record 21 wins. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

Marshall faces Worthington tonight in 3AA. From the Marshall Independent.

ACTION PAST
AAA
5: Mounds View topped Rogers 3-1. Rogers wrapped up their season at 11-16. From the Elk River Star News.

8: Big Lake beat Elk River in four. ER was 5-22 on the year. From the Elk River Star News.

A
West Central survived Hillcrest on Monday in a fiver. Brandon-Evansville swept Battle Lake in a tight affair. From the Alexandria Echo Press.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
KILLS
AA
Jenny Gilbertson, Winona Cotter 23 vs St. Charles 1-3
Kiley Severson, Hayfield 23 vs Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 3-1
A
Kate Horihan, Mabel-Canton 26 vs Wabasha-Kellogg 2-3
Ava Perry, Wabasha-Kellogg 20 vs Mabel-Canton 3-2

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

Next up: collegiate reports.

Pine Island, Orono Advance

#5 posting 10.25.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

TONIGHT'S RESULTS
AA
1W: in a minor upset #5 Pine Island swept Rochester Lourdes 25-13, 25-18, 25-23. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

5S: Orono swept Minneapolis Henry 25-9, 25-23, 25-14. The only compelling game was Game 2 where Henry had an early 12-5 lead. Orono claimed their first lead at 17-15 after a 8-1 run. Orono held a 23-20 lead late when a missed serve, the 8th in the game, opened the door. Henry added two more points during Carrie Moua's serve to tie it at 23. After an Orono time out Moua's serve was returned tight to the net. A mishandled ball put it back in Orono's hands and kill from the left side ended game two.

LATE RESULTS
5A: Barnum swept McGregor. From the Cloquet Pine Journal.

7A: Littlefork-Big Falls blanked Nashwauk-Keewatin. In the International Falls Daily Journal.

7AA: Hermantown beat International Falls in a sweep. From the International Falls Daily Journal.

4AAA: Stillwater blitzed St. Paul Como Park. From the Stillwater Gazette.

FEATURE
Senior Sam Pitzl of Burnsville is featured in the Savage Pacer.

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

next up: tomorrow morning.

National Volleyball Showcase

#4 posting 10.25.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE
Biokats Sports Network will be hosting the NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE in Sacramento, CA. The NCAA has opened up December 16th as an open date for recruiting (all levels D1-JC) around the AVCA convention. Be sure to mark your calendars. The AVCA is planning to have over 1100 coaches at the convention. This is a great opportunity for your players to be seen.

When: SACRAMENTO ON DEC 16, 2007
Times: 12-6pmWhere: TBA
Who: Fresh-Seniors High School and Junior college sessions
Cost: $60

Knowing the challenges of the recruiting process, our goal is to help players get seen with out traveling too far. We will have drills and games going on during the event. Our event is designed by college coaches to showcase the athlete and see what they can do on the court.
For more information http://www.biokats.com/volleyball.php
Be sure to have players register (Our sessions have limited number of spots available).http://www.biokats.com/volleyball.php

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

Next up: later today.
Be sure to spread the word with your parents and booster clubs