Weekly Review 2: Middle Earth & Stat Wasteland

#6 posting 8.31.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

WEEKLY REVIEW #2: Middle Earth & Stat Wasteland

Volleyball throughout the state really took off this week with most every team playing one match at least.

The theme of this week was middles with Tia Gaffen of Wayzata, Tori Dixon of Burnsville, Holly Hafemeyer of Bethlehem Academy and Ariel Carlson of Alexandria among the stars in the spotlight. Not only effective defensively, but this group was ferocious offensively as well.

I attended seven matches during the week (three on Saturday at the Eden Prairie Tournament). Unfortunately I arrived too late to catch the start of the Wayzata vs Anoka contest. One of the sites stated the game would start at 7:30, but most contests start at 7. The next day I double checked to make sure I got to Holy Angels at the right time. Thanks to a football game the event was moved up an hour. Luckily I was there on time. Friday I traveled for the two defending A and AA champ battle at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault. That facility has character and charm that is missing in the cookie cutter warehouses they call gyms in the metro. Eden Prairie is a unique facility. It too has permanent seating like FBA and seems to be built exclusively for volleyball and gymnastics. That means there are no overhead basket obstructions.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
There were many options for this honor this week but for there win over Marshall the TOW goes to Bethlehem Academy. BA fell behind 1-0 and then straightened out their game. In the three games they won the Cardinals had a FBSO % of .605. As the night grew longer they grew stronger.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Again with all the middles showing their skills at a high level this was a challenging selection. Holly Hafemeyer of Bethlehem Academy gets the nod. She had 19 kills and 6 blocks plus an ace to help BA to victory. Hafemeyer picked up steam as the night went on and she has decent awareness to put the ball where the defense isn't.

Team of the Week
1. OH Kara Pioske, Waconia 11 points, 5.5 ppg
2. OH Katie Froehle, Eden Prairie 17.5 points, 4.38 ppg
3. MH Holly Hafemeyer, Bethlehem Academy 26 points 6.5 ppg
4. MH Tori Dixon, Burnsville 23 points 5.75 ppg
5. S/RH Kayla Wallerich, Marshall 10.5 points, 2.63 ppg
6. S Hayley Buchanan, Eden Prairie 6.5 points, 1.63 ppg
L: Shay Birath, Marshall
Now if I could move players where they didn't play during the week I would definitely, in a heart beat, add Tia Gaffen of Wayzata to the middle and move Dixon to the outside. I would put Ariel Carlson of on the right side and away from the middle that she plays at Alexandria. That would be an imposing front line in any language.

STATS AND THE INTERNET
One thing that bothers me about volleyball is the fact that it is not promoted or covered like it should be considering it has the highest numbers of participants in the state. Now there are a multitude of sites that want to do stats and stories. That isn't a problem. The problem is the fragmentation of the information. There is no central clearing house. The MSHSL should be the clearing house and should be where folks go to find solid numbers, but they have dropped (or shanked) the ball. Entering stats is not as user friendly as it could be. The look and feel of the site is cumbersome.
This is how it should be---Every school should be required to put in their stats---an I am talking individual and team stats---after every match. The central site should be the MSHSL. I don't want to hear about how you want to keep information secret so the other teams don't use it as a scouting tool. We need to publicize our sport, our players and the achievements. Can you imagine the NFL not releasing stats? That would dry up the fan base like a march through the Sahara. Don't give me the "I don't have time" excuse. Assign the job to a manager. High school kids are wiz-bangs (or is it gear-fab) with high tech.
How would you monitor this? what would be the consequences? If a school did not enter their stats in a timely manner, they would be barred from post season. Can you imagine a team 20-0 not allowed to play in November because they weren't professional enough to enter their stats? It wouldn't be pretty.
You say this can't be done, but you are wrong. They do it in Iowa. They have embraced the high tech revolution.
Another state (Michigan) has also done something that this state should consider---starting a cable show of the high school season.
I hope some one at the MSHSL will get the ball going on this. The sport deserves it.

By the way here are the different sites that all want your stats right now. MSHSL, MaxPreps, High School Sports Net, Varsity Online, and Minnesota Sports Online.
I used to work at Varsity Online back in 1999-2001. MN Sports Online is in association with Minnesota Scores and is working with the StarTribune. MaxPreps is national in scope. KARE 11 is working with High School Sports Net.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

St. Olaf, St. Mary's 4-0, MIAC Preview

#5 posting 8.31.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

D3 RESULTS
At Ripon Augsburg beat Beloit in a sweep and lost to UW Superior in three. Katie Christensen (Mankato West) had 12.5 points vs Beloit. Dani Boner (Omaha Mercy) had 10.5 points vs UWS.

At the Carleton/St. Olaf tournament Carleton beat Martin Luther in a sweep. Annie Eckhoff (Northfield) had 11 kills for Carleton.
St. Olaf swept both Buena Vista and Crown. Kim Smisek (Northfield) had 16 points vs BV. Francis Xin (Ames, IA) had 9.5 points for St. Olaf vs Crown.
McKenzie Moore (Harlan, IA) had 8 for BV vs St. Olaf.
Naomi Anderson had 10 for Crown vs St. Olaf.
Earlier Buena Vista beat Martin Luther in three.
On Friday Buena Vista split their games with a loss to Northwestern, MN and a win over Crown.

St. Mary's finished 4-0 at the Elmhurst tournament. The Cardinals beat Centre in four and Elmhurst in four. Sarah Gardner (Rochester Mayo) had 13 kills against Centre and 14 kills against Elmhurst.

Host UW Whitewater beat St. Benedict in four. CSB beat Central, IA in four to finish the Whitewater tournament.

St. Catherine's lost twice on Saturday in Colorado. UW Platteville beat the Wildcats in four and then they lost to UW Oshkosh in a sweep.

At UW LaCrosse St. Thomas swept both Viterbo and Fontbonne.

In the preseason MIAC poll (and team previews) St. Thomas held the top spot followed by St. Benedict, and Concordia Moorhead.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NORTHLAND INVITE
Hibbing beat Mesabi Range in three, beat Rochester twice by two points, and St. Cloud in three.
Mesabi Range beat St. Cloud twice by two points.
Northland beat Hibbing, Mesabi Range and St. Cloud.
Rochester won three times beating Mesabi Range, Northland, and St. Cloud.

In Kansas MN West lost to Northeastern OK A&M. (plus Friday night high school results). In the Worthington Daily Globe.

Riverland beat Gogebic in a sweep in Austin Friday night.

Next up: Weekly report

Northern State, UM Duluth, Wayne State 4-0

#4 posting 8.31.2008

D2 RESULTS
In Las Vegas Bemidji State won twice Saturday. They swept Newman and beat Huntington 3-1. Brie Groskreutz (Reedsburg, WI) had 15 points vs Newman. Nicole Olson (Lake of the Woods) had 17.5 points vs Huntington.
Also in Las Vegas Northern State beat Newman 3-2 and swept Oregon Tech. Kelsey Aden (St. James) had 22 points vs Newman, and 18 points vs OTU.

In San Bernardino Concordia St. Paul swept Shippensburg. Emily Palkert (SW Christian Chaska) had 16 points for CSP.

In Omaha Mary lost twice Saturday. Host UN Omaha swept the Mauraders and NW Missouri State beat Mary 3-1.
Also in Omaha MSU Moorhead beat Northern Michigan in five.

In Golden, Colorado MSU Mankato won twice Saturday. The Mavericks beat Western State 3-1 and Chadron State 3-0.
Wayne State, Nebraska finished the event in Golden as 4-0 golden. The Wildcats swept Western State and beat Colorado Mines in a fiver.
Jennifer Hefner (Central City, NE) had 17.5 points vs Western State. Tali Fredrickson (Grand Island Central Catholic) had 18 points, all on kills, vs CO Mines.
Winona State was also at Golden with a split Saturday. The Warriors beat Adams State in five and then were swept by Mesa State.

In Rolla, Missouri, St. Cloud State lost to UM St. Louis in five. Ashley Shields (Whitefish Bay, WI) had 15 points vs UMSL. SCSU swept SW Oklahoma State. Two milestones fell in that contest Patricia Mickow picked up her 300th career win and senior libero Andreana Pieper (Lake of the Woods) became SCSU's all-time career digs leader.

At Fort Lauderdale, Florida SW MN State beat PR Rio Piedras in five and beat Dowling 3-1 to wrap up the tournament. Laura Hegerle (Kasson-Mantorville) had 19.5 points vs PRPR and 16.5 points vs Dowling.

At Ferris State UM Duluth improved to 4-0 with two more wins on Saturday. The Bulldogs beat Mercyhurst in four and then downed the hosts in four later. Hannah Johnson (Greenway) had 13 kills vs Mercyhurst, while Lindsey Clairmont (Wayzata) had 14 kills against Ferris State.

At the St. Ambrose Tournament Upper Iowa split their Saturday with a pair of five gamers. They beat the hosts, and fell to Quincy.

NUMBER CRUNCHING
Kelsey Aden, Northern State 22 vs Newman 3-2

Next up: D3 results

Lopez, Rooney MVPs

#3 posting 8.31.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MORE D1 NEWS
Here is how Minnesota players and their teams fared on Saturday. If I am missing any, let me know.

Cincinnati beat Tennessee Tech in the Bearcat tournament. Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville North) had 14 points--10 on kills---for Cincinnati.
Also at Cincinnati Marshall beat Wright State 3-2. Megan Carlson (Andover) had 8 points--6 on kills---for Marshall.

Colorado State won their own tournament. CSU beat Denver in a sweep. The Rams took the championship by beating Eastern Washington in five. Tessa Nelson (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) had 7.5 points in the Denver sweep and 9 points with EWU.
Denver swept Arkansas in their finale.

In their own Bluejay tournament Creighton lost to #21 LSU in five and finished with a sweep of Texas A&M.
Jessica Houts (Bloomington Kennedy) had 21 points in the LSU match and 10 vs TA&M.
Allie Oelke (Chaska) had 6.5 points in the LSU game and 10 vs TA&M.

In Milwaukee Iowa State swept Mississippi.

In the DC Challenge George Washington beat George Mason in four. In the championship Georgetown swept GWU. Abby Syverson (Minneapolis Southwest) had 7.5 points for GWU vs Georgetown.

In Marquette's tournament the Golden Eagles swept Chattanooga and then lost to Tennessee in four.
Leslie Bielski (Chaska) had 7.5 points in the Chattanooga match and 12.5 points vs TN.

MD Eastern Shore split yesterday. MDES lost to Coastal Carolina 3-2 and beat Winston Salem State in a sweep. Chanita Wesley (Benilde-St. Margaret's) had 7 digs in the WSSS game.

At the Illinois tournament #11 Oregon swept North Carolina and then the TarHeels lost to #24 New Mexico State 3-1.
UNC's Brianna Eskola had 9 digs vs Oregon and 10 vs NMSU.

At Monterrey North Dakota swept Merrimack followed by a 3-1 win over Western Oregon. Devin Trefz (Bagley) had 17 points for UND and then 19.5 points against WOU.

In Montana North Dakota State won twice Saturday and ended up in a three way tie for first. NDSU beat Gonzaga 3-2 and then swept the host Montana. Jennifer Lopez (DGF) was named MVP. Brooke VandenBergh had 16.5 points in the Gonzaga game and 12 points in the Montana game.

Northern Iowa won the Florida Atlantic tournament. UNI swept Bethune-Cookman. UNI then swept the hosts FAU. Shannon Aschoff (Ankeny) was named tournament MVP.
Amy Sampson (Champlin Park) had 6.5 points in the BC game and 12 points in the FAU match.

Rhode Island split at Quinnipiac. Jillian Bekke (Cretin-Derham Hall) had 3 points in a 3-1 loss to Fordham.

South Carolina beat UNLV in Tempe, AZ. Bridget Denson-Dorman (Hopkins) had 52 assists and 12 digs in the game for USC.

At Middle Tennessee State South Dakota State lost to Idaho in a sweep and lost to Middle Tennessee State 3-1. Mackenzie Angner had 21 kills against MTSU.

TCU won their own tournament with a sweep over UMKC. The Horned Frogs took the championship game 3-1 win over Belmont.
Jess Menden (Shakopee) had 25 assists vs UMKC and 10 assists against Belmont.

In the Hawaii tournament the hosts swept Ohio. Amanda Andersen (Centennial) had one kill for Ohio.

Davidson split their matches yesterday at Winston-Salem. The Wildcats were swept by Winthrop and then swept Norfolk State. Brittany Narr (Minnehaha) got into the NSU game.

At Montana State Portland split on the day. They first lost to #9 Washington. The Pilots beat the hosts in five Saturday. It was the first win for coach Joe Houck.
Jennifer Sheedy (Totino-Grace) had 1 kill vs Washington and 14 points vs Montana State.

Virginia won the James Madison tournament with a sweep over New Hampshire and then beat the hosts 3-1. Marlow Bruneau (Lakeville) made the all tournament team for the Cavaliers. Bruneau had 29 assists against New Hampshire and 34 assists against James Madison.

Washington State won the Boise State tournament with a 3-2 win over Seattle and a 3-1 win over the hosts in the finale.
Emily Rooney (Red Wing) was named tournament MVP. Rooney had 19.5 points vs Seattle and 17 points against Boise State.

In the Arizona tournament Weber State beat San Jose State in five. Brittney Bisaillon (Jackson County Central) had 20 points and Leah Burmeister (JCC) had 6 points for Weber State.

At Hampton, Virginia South Dakota swept both Fairleigh Dickson and Providence. Friday the Coyotes won twice beating Wofford in five and then Delaware State in four.
Laura Slagter (Roseville) had 12.5 points vs FD and 10.5 vs Providence. Friday Laura had 9 points vs Wofford and 11.5 vs Delaware State.
Jolene Slagter (Roseville) had 3 assists vs FD. Jolene played against Wofford.
Jennifer Henke (Rosemount) played against Wofford and Delaware State.

Next up: D2 results

Five Big 10 Tournament Champs

#2 posting 8.31.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BIG 10 NEWS
Five Big 10 teams won tournaments this weekend, with one more tournament a possibility. Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin all won tournaments.

#16 Minnesota Gophers won the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha with two wins on Saturday. First the Gophers beat Texas A&M in four. The Gophers swept #21 LSU 11-21-22 in the finale. Kyla Roehrig (Papillion LaVista, NE) had 21 points in the Texas A&M match. Brook Dieter (Bloomington Kennedy) had 16 points in the LSU match.

Illinois won their own tournament beating #23 New Mexico State in four, and then topping #11 Oregon in five. Oregon led 2-0 in that match. Laura DeBruhler had 22 points against New Mexico State and 33 points against Oregon.

Michigan won the Rice tournament with a sweep UT San Antonio and then a sweep over host Rice. The Wolverine's Beth Karpiak had 13 points vs UTSA, and Megan Bower had 17 points vs Rice.

Purdue won their own tournament on Saturday. They first beat Tennessee State in a sweep. Boilermaker coach Dave Shondell picked up his 100th win. Danita Marleau had 16.5 points for Purdue in the TSU match. Purdue beat #14 Kansas State 3-1 in the championship. Stephanie Lynch had 18.5 points for Purdue vs KSU.

Wisconsin won the Kentucky Tournament with a sweep over Pittsburgh and a sweep of host Kentucky. MVP Brittney Dolgner had 18.5 points vs Pittsburgh. Katherine Dystra had 15.5 points in the Kentucky win. Nikki Klingsporn (Tartan) had 18 assists vs Pittsburgh and 16 assists against Kentucky.

In Hawaii Penn State beat #6 UCLA in a sweep. Christa Harmotto had 15.5 points for PSU in the win.

At Long Beach State Indiana lost to Missouri State 3-1. Erica Short had 29 points for the Hoosiers in the loss. Indiana closed out the tournament with a sweep of San Francisco. Kelsey Hall had 16 in the win.

At the Alabama tournament Iowa lost to Kentucky Western in four. Catherine Smale had 21.5 points for the Hawkeyes. Iowa also lost to the host Crimson Tide in four. Megan Schipper provided 19 points for Iowa in that match.

At Oklahoma Michigan State lost their third match of the year 3-1 to Wichita State. Jenilee Rathje had 21 points for the Spartans.

In the Chicagoland Classic Northwestern lost to Loyola Chicago 3-1. Sabel Moffett had 16 points for NW.

In their own tournament Ohio State swept Youngstown State. Kaila Calhoun had 15.5 points for OSU. Susan Halvorson (Apple Valley) had 8 digs and 8 receptions without error for OSU.

TOPPING THE CHARTS
Five Games
Laura DeBruhler, Illinois 33 vs Oregon
Four Games
Erica Short, Indiana 29 vs Missouri State
Laura DeBruhler, Illinois 22 vs New Mexico State
Jenilee Rathje, Michigan State 21 vs Wichita State
Kelsey Hall, Indiana 20.5 vs Missouri State

Next up: more D1 news

Wabasha-Kellogg, Mabel-Canton Win Tournaments

#1 posting 8.31.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SATURDAY TOURNAMENTS
Wabasha-Kellogg won the Rochester Century tournament with four straight 2-0 wins. WK beat the hosts in the final 20-19.
In the Mabel-Canton tournament the hosts triumphed with a championship win over Rushford-Peterson.
From the Winona Daily News. (second & third item)

I reported on the Eden Prairie Tournament yesterday.

LATE RESULTS
Nevis swept Park Rapids on Thursday 14-21-14. From the Park Rapids Enterprise.

Detroit Lakes swept DGF on Thursday with the second game going 29-25. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

PREVIEWS
Ashley Mertens is the setter for East Grand Forks and broke assist records there last year. 6-2 Lisa Stewart of Win-E-Mac has a passion for volleyball
Both are featured in the Grand Forks Herald.

The St. Cloud Times looks at their area volleyball teams with St. Cloud Cathedral in the spotlight with its "Murderer's Row."

Next up: Big 10 Results

Out & About: Eden Prairie/Alexandria

#8 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

EDEN PRAIRIE TOURNAMENT
Championship
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 2, ALEXANDRIA cardinals 0
(25-22, 25-23)

#9AAA Eden Prairie won their own tournament with a narrow two game sweep over #10AAA Alexandria. Katie Froehle had 10 points, all on kills, to lead EP. Both games went down to the wire. The difference was EP made 8 fewer errors than Alex. The Cardinals actually earned three more points during the match, but the mistakes ate that advantage away.

If you look at the "race to" point totals below in game one you will see EP led at every break point, but Alex actually rose from the dead with a eight point run on Samantha Dale's serve after trailing 20-13. EP got the key side out on an Alex hitting error. But the Cards wasn't able to get the FBSO on the next two serves while EP did shut the door on Alex. With the game tied at 22 EP took the next three points, but they were gift wrapped because they were all Alex errors.

Alex took advantage of an early lead with the first three points coming on EP errors. EP did ramp up their FBSO game with 9/10 sequence. EP took their second lead at 18-17. The Eagles may have had a bigger lead, but they ended their own runs with three missed serves in four chances. The Cardinals regained the lead on a fake set by Katie Brown. Taylor Simpson got the side out on a quick kill. That started a four point run that put the Eagles in the driver's seat. EP again struggled from the serving line with two more missed serves. Alex closed to 23-22 after a Dale kill. Katie Froehle returned the ball back to EP with a sideout kill to put the Eagles on the verge at 24-22. Both teams traded side outs with Froehle finishing the day with a kill.

You can see the entire Eden Prairie vs Alexandria photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, (year) position, aces-blocks-kills---totals
EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Claire Willeck (2011) MH 0-0-2---2
1br: Sara Smoot (2009) L
2. Nicole Garbowicz (2009) DS 1-0-0---1
2fr: Kathleen Krause (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
3. Natalie Carlson (2011) OH 0-1-5---6
3br: Jackee Cairncross (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
4. Taylor Simpson (2010) MB 0-0.5-7---7.5
4br: Sara Smoot (2009) L
5. Hayley Buchanan (2009) S 0-0.5-0----0.5
6. Katie Froehle (2010) OH 0-0-10----10
totals: 1-2-25---28 points, 22 points on Alex errors

ALEXANDRIA
1. Katie Brown (2010) S 1-0-3---4
1fr: Angela Christianson (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
2. Greta Wood (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
2fr: Alicia Montbriand (2009) OH 0-0-5----5
3. Ariel Carlson (2009) MH 0-2-3---5
3br: Valerie Smith (2009) L
4. Keely Gross (2010) S 0-0-0----0
4fr: Jacque Brown (2010) RH 0-0-2---2
5. Samantha Dale (2009) OH 2-1-7---10
6. Valerie Smith (2009) L 0-0-0---0
6fr: Sam Trumm (2011) MH 0-0-4---4
totals: 3-3-25---31 points, 14 points on EP errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Katie Froehle

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Eden Prairie 19/28-.679; 50, .560; .311
Alexandria 13/28 .464; 45; .688; .440
Runs 3+: EP 6, Alex 4
Longest string: Alex 8, EP 4
Missed Serves: EP 5, Alex 2
Time Out %: Alex 0/3-.000; EP 0/2-.000

ROTATIONS
EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Willeck 10-9 .526
2. Garbowicz 10-9 .526
3. Carlson 9-6 .600
4. Simpson 9-5 .643
5. Buchanan 7-12 .368
6. Froehle 5-4 .556
totals: 50-45 .526

ALEXANDRIA
1. Brown 11-11 .500
2. Wood 9-9 .500
3. Carlson 6-9 .400
4. Gross 4-8 .333
5. Dale 12-5 .706
6. Smith 4-9 .308
totals: 45-50 .474

RACE TO:
Game: 5 10 15 20 25
game 1 E E E E E
game 2 A E A E E

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2
EP 7 3
Alex 1 3

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Alexandria/Waconia

#7 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

EDEN PRAIRIE TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
ALEXANDRIA cardinals 2, WACONIA wildcats 0
(25-16, 25-22)

#10AAA Alexandria moved to the finals of the Eden Prairie tournament with a two game sweep of #7AAA Waconia. Ariel Carlson had 10.5 points to lead Alex. The story of this game was the net play of Alex. The Cards came up with nine points off their blocks. Waconia didn't have a lead in either game, but did make the match interesting in the second game.

Alex used a 4-0 lead at the start of game one and built up that momentum. Carlson started the game with a kill. Alex broke free with a five point run with two blocks from Carlson to make it 14-8. Waconia did take a time out after two straight hitting errors. After that break Carlson came up with her third block of the first game. Alex had a 7-1 run, with only a missed serve marring the scoreboard. Game one ended on an ace by Keely Gross.

The odd fact in game one was Margo Schwartz did not have one kill or point for Waconia. That was rectified in game two with 7 kills. But again it was not in the Cards for the Wildcats. Alex grabbed a 7-2 lead after a four point run, three on Carlson's serve. That forced a Waconia time out. Schwartz answered with a side out kill. Alex maintained their lead and then added to it with a run of three to make it 18-10. At that point Waconia scrambled back in the contest. The Wildcats had a 9-3 run, with two of the Alex points coming on missed Waconia serves. Alex took a time out at 21-17, but Schwartz had added two kills. Alicia Montbriand got the key side out for the Cardinals. Waconia did try to hold off the inevitable with two points to make it 24-22. Sam Trumm finished the match with a kill.

you can see the entire Alexandria vs Waconia photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, (year) position, aces-blocks-kills---totals
ALEXANDRIA
1. Katie Brown (2010) S 0-0-1---1
1fr: Angela Christianson (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
2. Greta Wood (2009) DS 1-0-0----1
2fr: Alicia Montbriand (2009) OH 0-0-4---4
3. Ariel Carlson (2009) MH 0-4.5-6---10.5
3br: Valerie Smith (2009) L
4. Keely Gross (2010) S 1-0-0---1
4fr: Jacque Brown (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
5. Samantha Dale (2009) OH 1-0.5-2---3.5
6. Valerie Smith (2009) L 0-0-0---0
6fr: Sam Trumm (2011) MH 0-3-4---7
totals: 3-9-19---31 points, 19 points on Waconia errors

WACONIA
1. Jessica Rice (2010) MB 0-0.5-0---0.5
2. Emily Willems (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
2frg1: Beth Aeling (2010) RH 0-0.5-000
2frg2: Emily Storms (2009) RH 0-0-1---1
3. Chandra Honebrink (2011) OH 2-0-5---7
4. Dana Noeldner (2011) DS 0-0-0---0
4fr: Margo Schwartz (2009) MB 0-0-7---7
5. Jenna Lester (2009) S 0-0-1---1
6. Kara Pioske (2009) OH 0-0-11---11
totals: 2-1-26----29 points, 9 points on Alexandria errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Ariel Carlson

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Alexandria 15/25-.600; .620; .237
Waconia 11/25-.440; .763; .380
Runs 3+: Alex 6, Waconia 2
Longest string: Alex 5, Waconia 4
Missed Serves: Waconia 6, Alex 2
Time Out %: Waconia 2/3-.667; Alex 1/2-.500

ROTATIONS
ALEXANDRIA
1. Brown 12-8 .600
2. Wood 9-9 .500
3. Carlson 10-7 .588
4. Gross 7-5 .583
5. Dale 4-5 .444
6. Smith 8-4 .667
totals: 50-38 .568

WACONIA
1. Rice 6-9 .400
2. Willems 5-9 .357
3. Honebrink 11-7 .611
4. Noeldner 6-10 .375
5. Lester 5-8 .385
6. Pioske 5-7 .417
totals: 38-50 .432

RACE TO:
Game: 5 10 15 20 25
game 1 A A A A A
game 2 A A A A A

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2
Alex 10 8
Waconia 0 0

Next up: Eden Prairie Championship

Out & About: Eden Prairie/Mayer Lutheran

#6 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

EDEN PRAIRIE TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 2, MAYER LUTHERAN crusaders 0
(25-12, 25-14)

Eden Prairie advanced to their own tournament finals with a two game sweep over #6A Mayer Lutheran. Taylor Simpson had 8 points to lead EP.

The Eagles got the jump early with a 4-0 lead in game one. Three of the first four points were on ML errors. Add on that the EP side out game which checked in on game one with a .778 FBSO% plus only three EP errors and you come up with a EP victory. EP simply didn't make many mistakes. The Eagles had four runs in game one, all four points or greater. The Crusaders tried to stop the momentum at 11-5, and 19-11, but each time EP added to their totals. In the final EP four point run in game one ML had three errors.

Mayer Lutheran started off with the lead in game two. It was a fairly tight game at 7-6 when Katie Roehle put down a side out kill giving the ball to Hayley Buchanan. Buchanan then served up 8 straight points, four of which were aces. ML tried to halt the march at 10-7, but EP marched on to 15-7 lead. ML responded with three straight points. but never could get their FBSO game going against EP. The Crusaders didn't stop the Eagles the last four servers. Three of the last four EP points came on kills from Taylor Simpson.

you can see the entire Eden Prairie vs Mayer Lutheran photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, (year) position, aces-blocks-kills---totals
EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Claire Willeck (2011) MH 1-0.5-1---2.5
1br: Sara Smoot (2009) L
2. Nicole Garbowicz (2009) DS 1-0-0---1
2fr: Kathleen Krause (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
3. Natalie Carlson (2011) OH 0-0-5---5
3br: Jackee Cairncross (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
4. Taylor Simpson (2010) MH 1-0-7---8
5. Hayley Buchanan (2009) S 6-0-0---6
6. Katie Froehle (2010) OH 0-0.5-7---7.5
totals: 9-1-23---33 points, 17 points on Mayer Lutheran errors

MAYER LUTHERAN
1. Maddie Wikstrom (2010) S 1-0-0---0
1fr: Rowe (2010) RH 0-0-1---1
2. Allison Struble (2009) OH 0-0-4---4
3. Kayla Thom (2009) MH 0-1-4---5
4. Heidi Hilgers (2010) S 0-0-0---0
4fr: Dana Schlottman (2009) RH 0-0-1---1
5. Emily Schrupp (2009) OH 0-0.5-5---5.5
6. Megan Presler (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
6fr: Kelli Bones (2010) MH 0-1.5-2---3.5
Totals: 1-3-17---21 points, 5 points on Eden Prairie errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Taylor Simpson

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Eden Prairie 10/17-.588; 50, .660; .192
Mayer Lutheran 5/18-.278; 26, .808, .340
Runs 3+: EP 7, ML 2
Longest string: EP 9, ML 3
Missed Serves: ML 4, EP 2
Time Out %: ML 0/4-.000; EP no time outs

ROTATIONS
EDEN PRAIRIE
1. Willeck 11-5 .688
2. Garbowicz 9-5 .643
3. Carlson 7-5 .583
4. Simpson 6-2 .750
5. Buchanan 14-6 .700
6. Froehle 3-3 .500
totals: 50-26 .659

MAYER LUTHERAN
1. Wikstrom 6-10 .375
2. Struble 4-7 .364
3. Thom 4-7 .364
4. Hilgers 3-14 .176
5. Schrupp 4-7 .364
6. Presler 5-5 .500
totals: 26-50 .342

RACE TO:
Game: 5 10 15 20 25
game 1: E E E E E
game 2: M E E E E

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2
EP 13 11
ML 0 2

Next up: Alexandria vs Waconia

Book Wins 600 & 601: D3 Results

#5 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

FRIDAY'S D3 RESULTS
Augsburg won twice yesterday. They beat Milwaukee School of Engineering in five with the final game going 15-10. The Augies also defeated Ripon in four.

UW Whitewater split their contests yesterday. Central, IA beat UW Whitewater in five. Central trailed 2-1 in that match. UWW swept Alma 14-16-22.
St. Benedict won twice with a 3-1 win over Wheaton and a fiver against Millikin.

Concordia Moorhead won twice Friday. They swept Presentation 14-19-9, and then turned the same trick on UW Stevens Point 8-18-13. Valerie Glynn (Ellendale, ND) had 11.5 points vs Presentation. Jenna Green (DGF) had 10 points against UWSP.

St. Catherine split on Friday with a sweep over Colby Sawyer and a five game loss to Colorado College.

St. Mary's won twice at Elmhurst, IL with a pair of sweeps against Transylvania and then against Fairleigh-Dickinson-Florham. Amy Kujak (River Falls, WI) had 11 points vs Transylvania and 14.5 vs FDF.

St. Thomas split with a sweep of Maryville, MO and a 3-1 loss to host UW LaCrosse.

ST. OLAF/CARLETON TOURNAMENT
St. Olaf won twice with a sweep of Martin Luther 20-13-16 followed by a sweep of Northwestern, MN 17-12-(26-24). St. Olaf coach Cindy Book won her 600th and 601st match. Kim Smisek (Northfield) had 11 kills in each game.

Northwestern, MN did pick up a win over Buena Vista 13-21-16.

Buena Vista topped Crown 23-22-17 as did Carleton 9-14-12. Kyla Walter (Aspen, CO) had 10 points for Carleton.

Macalester beat Martin Luther 3-1 and swept Crown. Majra Mucic (St. Louis Park) had 16 points vs Crown. Sonia Muzikarova (Slovakia) had 17.5 points against Martin Luther.

Next up: Eden Prairie vs Mayer Lutheran

Wayne State, UM Duluth and Upper Iowa 2-0 Friday

#4 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

FRIDAY'S D2 RESULTS
MSU Mankato lost twice on Friday. The Mavericks were swept by Adams State 20-21-(26-24). They lost to Mesa State in five with the last game going 15-13. Ashley Nachreiner (Round Rock, TX) had 15 kills against Mesa State. Amanda Beekman (Marshall) had 9 kills against Adams State.

Wayne State, Nebraska won twice Friday. They swept Adams State, and beat Mesa State 3-1. Danielle Wessel (Humphrey St. Francis, NE) had 12 kills vs Adams State. Jennifer Hefner (Central City, NE) had 13 points vs Mesa State.

Concordia St. Paul won twice Friday in San Bernardino, CA. CSP swept Lewis 18-17-21. They then beat UC San Diego 3-1. Whitney Meierotto (Washburn, WI) had 19 points, all kills against UCSD. Emily Palkert (SW Christian Chaska) had 15.5 points in the Lewis win.

St. Cloud State lost twice Friday. Missouri Tech beat the Huskies in five, the last game going 15-12. SCSU also lost to Pittsburg State in four. Erica Beacom (Elkhorn, NE) had 16.5 points in the Missouri Tech match. Laurel Heggernes (Mora) had 12.5 in the Pittsburg State match.

#12 SW MN State split on Friday. #24 Nova Southeastern beat the Mustangs in four. SW swept Lynn 17-17-19. Laura Hegerle (Kasson-Mantorville) had 13 points in the Lynn contest. Kasey Loeslie (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) had 13 points in the Nova SE match.

Bemidji State split in Las Vegas. The Beavers swept Newman 23-16-13 and fell to Northern State in five in the second match of the day. BSU's Heather Sampson (Champlin Park) had 11.5 points against Newman. Nicole Olson (Lake of the Woods) had 17.5 points in the Northern State contest.
For Northern Kelsey Aden (St. James) had 16.5 points.
Northern State also beat Newman in three. Aden had 16 points in that contest.

Mary lost twice in Omaha getting swept by Michigan Tech and #11 Emporia State.

Also in Omaha MSU Moorhead beat Northern Michigan in five. Mary Sussenguth (Willmar) had 14 points for the Dragons.

Host UN Omaha swept UM Crookston.

UM Duluth won twice at Ferris State. UMD beat Wheeling Jesuit in four, and then swept #16 Hillsdale. Hannah Johnson (Greenway) had 13 kills vs WJ. Sarah Wyffels (Marshall) had 12 kills vs Hillsdale.

Upper Iowa won twice at the Early Bird tournament at St. Ambrose. UIU swept UI Springfield and beat Sioux Falls 3-1.

Winona State lost twice Friday. WSU fell to Chadron State in five and then did the same to Colorado Mines. Three players had 11.5 points in the Chadron match--Carmen Stankowski (Mosinee, WI), Alysha Pettit (Burnsville), and Kerry Daly (Woodbury). Daly had 16 points in the Colorado Mines contest.

Next up: D3/Community College results

First Wins for New Coaches: D1 wrap

#3 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

MORE D1 NEWS
In their own tournament, Cincinnati swept Wright State 17-20-20. Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville North) had 9 points, 8 on kills, for the Bearcats.

In their own tournament, Colorado State swept Arkansas 16-18-18.

At the UW Milwaukee tournament Iowa State split matches with a 3-1 win over Illinois State followed by a 3-2 loss to the hosts. Diane Kieger (Mounds View) played one game in the UWM match.

Denver swept Eastern Washington at the Colorado State Tournament.

In the Georgia tournament Furman beat Georgia State 3-1. Pamela Gehrke of Eastview had 2 digs for the Paladins.

George Washington beat American 3-2 in the DC Challenge. Abby Syverson of Minneapolis Southwest had 11 points, 6 on kills for GW.

Houston beat Marquette 3-1. Leslie Bielski (Chaska) had 11.5 points--9 kills-- for Marquette.

Marshall swept Tennessee Tech (26-24)-16-23. Megan Carlson (Andover) had 8 points--6 kills--for the Thundering Herd.

Virginia Tech beat Maryland Eastern Shore in four.

In the Cal State Monterrey tournament North Dakota swept Humboldt State. Amanda Polzin (Hutchinson) had 9 points--8 kills for the Fighting Sioux. UND then beat the hosts in four. Devin Trefz (Bagley) had 12.5 points--11 kills in that match for the Sioux.

In the Montana tournament UC Riverside beat North Dakota State in five. Lauren McLaughlin (Cary-Grove, IL) had 26 points--24 kills for NDSU. Kristen Hille (Sauk Rapids) had 19 points--all kills also for NDSU.

Northern Iowa swept North Florida 13-10-17. Amy Sampson (Champlin Park) had 3.5 points for the Panthers.

Rhode Island split at the Quinnipiac Tournament Friday. The Rams lost to Towson State and beat Morgan State.

South Carolina lost to host Arizona in a sweep. Bridget Denson-Dorman (Hopkins) had 17 assists for the Gamecocks. USC then beat Dayton 3-1. BDD had 37 assists in that contest along with 15 digs.

South Dakota State won their first match for coach Nana Allison-Brewer. SDSU beat Southeast Missouri 3-1 at Middle Tennessee State's tournament.

Texas Christian swept Louisiana Tech 18-21-17. Jess Menden (Shakopee) had five assists for TCU.

#6 UCLA swept Ohio 21-22-17. Amanda Andersen (Centennial) played in one game for the Bobcats.

Wake Forest swept Davidson 19-11-13. Brittany Narr (Minnehaha) had 1 dig for Davidson.

Montana State beat Portland 3-1 in the Montana State Tournament. Jennifer Sheedy (Totino-Grace) had 15 points--all kills for the Vikings.

Virginia swept Murray State 17-19-15. Marlow Bruneau (Lakeville) had 30 assists and 12 digs for the Cavaliers.

Former SDSU coach Andrew Palileo won his opener at Washington State with a 3-2 win over Cal State Northridge. Emily Rooney (Red Wing) had 17 points---12 kills for the Cougars.

Weber State split their contests yesterday with a sweep loss to host Arizona and then a sweep of their own against Gardner-Webb. Two Jackson County Central players, Brittney Bisaillon had 8 points Leah Burmeister had 3.5 points vs Arizona. Bisaillon had 11 kills against GW. Burmeister had 7 kills and 8 digs.

Next up: D2 later in the day

Gophers Sweep Creighton, More Big 10 News

#2 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BIG 10 NEWS
#16 Minnesota swept host Creighton at the Bluejay Invitational 14-10-16. Brook Dieter (Bloomington Kennedy) had 16 points (14 on kills) for the Gophers. Another Kennedy player--Jessica Houts--had 13 points, all on kills for Creighton. Houts is returning from an injury that limited time last season.

Illinois beat North Carolina in a sweep 21-14-12. Laura DeBruhler had 18 points, 14 on kills, for the Illini. Brianna Eskola of Columbia Heights had 11 digs for NC.

#24 Long Beach State swept Indiana 19-20-21. Kelsey Hall and Erica Short had 10 kills each for the Hoosiers.

Iowa swept Nicholls State in the Bama Bash. Megan Schipper had 11.5 points for the Hawkeyes. It was the first win at Iowa for new coach Sharon Dingman who answers 10 questions.

Michigan swept Louisiana Lafayette in the Rice Tournament 10-22-17. Beth Karpiak had 10 kills for Michigan.

Michigan State lost their second game at the Oklahoma Sooner Tournament. This time it was a heartbreaking five game loss to #10 Cal Poly. Jenilee Rathje had 24 kills for the Spartans.

Northwestern swept UI Chicago in the Chicago Challenge 19-21-18. Chelsy Hyser and Sabel Moffet each had 11 points for NW.

Ohio State split yesterday opening with a sweep against Toledo 17-11-15. Katie Dull had 13 points for OSU. Susan Halvorson of Apple Valley received 13 serves and had 6 digs. The Buckeyes lost to Xavier in four. Katie Dull had 26 points, 23 on kills for OSU. Susan Halvorson had 28 receptions and nine digs.

#1 Penn State swept host #12 Hawaii in front of 7000+ fans. Megan Hodge provide 14 points for PSU.

#25 Purdue beat Duke in four in the Purdue Tournament. Stephanie Lynch had 22 points for the Boilermakers.

#13 Wisconsin swept Western Carolina 13-9-(27-25). Brittney Dolgner had 11 points for the Badgers. Nikki Klingsporn (Tartan) had 18 assists.

Next up: More D1 results

More BA/Marshall, Todd Bachman's Funeral

#1 posting 8.30.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
Last night I reported on the match between the 2007 A and AA champions when Bethlehem Academy beat Marshall 3-1. Here are the Faribault Daily News and Marshall Independent's stories.

Minneota swept Murray County Central Jenna Hennen had 11 kills for Minneota. plus three more game results in the Marshall Independent.

LATE RESULTS
Blue Earth started the season Tuesday with a sweep of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. From the Faribault County Register.

Perham topped Wadena-Deer Creek in five on Thursday. Mallory Malikowski had 12 kills for Perham. From the Perham Enterprise.

St. Cloud Cathedral beat Litchfield 3-1 on Thursday. From the Litchfield Independent Review.

Crookston beat Mahnomen 3-1 on Thursday. From the Crookston Times.

Superior, Wisconsin swept Proctor on Thursday. From the Superior Telegram.

Hibbing swept Hermantown with video from KBJR.

PREVIEW
Morris will have nine seniors this year. From the Morris Sun.

FUNERAL
Todd Bachman's funeral was held yesterday. Bachman was murdered in Beijing just as the Olympics were beginning. His daughter Elisabeth played volleyball at Lakeville, is a former Olympian and is married to the men's volleyball indoor coach Hugh McCutcheon. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Next up: Big 10 results

Out & About: Bethlehem Academy/Marshall

#3 posting 8.29.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BETHLEHEM ACADEMY cardinals 3
MARSHALL tigers 1
(13-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20)

In a cross class champion clash it was the smaller A school, and host and defending champ Faribault Bethlehem Academy defeating defending AA champ Marshall 3-1. BA is currently #1 in A, Marshall is #2 in AA now. Middle Holly Hafemeyer of BA had 26 points on the night with 19 kills, 6 blocks and one ace. Each of the wins ended on a either a kill or block by Hafemeyer.

It was the first time I had been to BA, and for those that haven't been there, it is a throw back facility with plenty of character. The seats are permanent with a stage opposite. The name of the facility is the Van Orsow Auditorium. The lighting was good and both teams drew well.

This was the second game of the young year for Marshall, and the first for BA. Both times the Tigers were on the road against ranked Cardinals. On Tuesday, Marshall beat Alexandria. Tonight these Cardinals went through their first game problems and then buckled down. The entire night featured great defense, and long heart stopping rallies. Most of all it featured the long, tall presence of Hafemeyer.

In game one however it was Marshall putting the clamps down on BA. The Tigers side out game was almost air tight at 7/9. The Tigers serving game was a big difference in the first game. Marshall had five aces in game one. FBA took their first time out after two straight aces by Kayla Wallerich. After the time out BA went on a 6-1 run to close to 11-10. That was as close as it was going to get in game one. The Tigers led 16-13 when they got a bump kill for a side out and then ran the table on Rachel Westby's serve. Westby served 8 straight points.

After game one BA shook off the loss and came out smoking. Hafemeyer opened game two with three kills in the first four points as the Cards led 4-0. They never trailed in game two. BA had four runs in this game, three when Hafemeyer was patrolling the front line. The highlight of the night came Marshall's 18th point. The rally lasted quite some time with both sides making saves, digs, and coming back with challenging attacks. The point ended on a BA hitting error, but the crowd acknowledged the performance by both teams. Another BA error forced a time out. Stephanie Meschke got the key side out to bump the Cardinal lead back to 22-19. The rest of the game both teams traded side outs. Hafemeyer got a FBSO kill for point 25.

Marshall raced out to a 5-1 lead with Tina Tauer knocking down two straight kills. BA Franz Boelter didn't waste any time using his first time out. Hafemeyer got the side out kill. Marshall maintained their advantage out to 15-14. However two plays previously a Tiger miscommunication stopped a rally to make it 14-13. If Marshall got the point it would have been 15-12. After that miscue the door was open for BA and they seized the opportunity with an 8-2 run. Marshall was forced to use their second time out trailing 19-16. After the break Kari Anne Nass served up an ace. Marshall had one more run in them with four straight points to close to 22-21. Dani Beekman started the run with two straight kills. BA took their second time out and once again that turned the trick. Both teams traded side outs with Hafemeyer using her reach for a block on point 25.

In game four both teams never got too far from the other. Marshall did have a four point run to claim a 10-8 lead with Westby spearheading a 6-2 run with four kills. After that BA slammed the door on Marshall's serving game with 6/7 FBSO to close out the game. Marshall finished the contest with a FBSO of 2/6. BA took their first lead at 16-15 on a Marshall tip hitting error. The game was tied at 19 all when a hitting error gave the ball back to the Cardinals. Another Tiger hitting error forced Marshall to take a time out at 21-19. After that all the BA points were scored by Hafemeyer. Marshall took another time out at 23-10 but there was no stopping Hafemeyer. The Tigers did get a side out but Hafemeyer ended the night with her 19th kill and her 10th point in game four.

You can see the entire Bethlehem Academy vs Marshall photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, (year) position, aces-blocks-kills---totals
BETHLEHEM ACADEMY
1. #22 (???) L 2-0-0----2
1fr: Maddie Borwege (2013) MH 0-0.5-4-4.5
2. Stephanie Meschke (2009) OH 1-0.5-10---11.5
3. Jena Budde (2011) S 0-0-1---1
4. Holy Hafemeyer (2010) MH 1-6-19---26
4br: #22 (???) L
5. KariAnne Nass (2011) OH 1-0-8---9
6. Regan Kriechbaum (2009) DS 0-0-0---0
6fr: Abbey Carver (2010) RH 0-0-4----4
totals: 5-7-46----58 points, 30 points on Marshall errors

MARSHALL
1. Hope Weilage (2009) MH 3-0-8---11
2. Kelsey Deragisch (2010) S 2-0-0----2
2fr: Dani Beekman (2010) OH 0-0-7----7
3. Tina Tauer (2010) MH 0-1.5-8---9.5
4. Rachel Westby (2010) OH 1-0-9----10
5. Kayla Wallerich (2010) S 3-0.5-7---10.5
6. Shay Birath (2009) L 1-0-0----1
6fr. Danielle Gladis (2009) OH 0-0-3----3
totals: 10-2-42---54 points, 36 points on Bethlehem Academy errros
totals:

TRENCH PLAYER
Holly Hafemeyer

BY THE NUMBERS
Bethlehem Academy 30/53-.566; 88; .659; .400
Marshall 30/51-.588; 90; .600; .341
Runs 3+: BA 9, Marshall 7
Longest run: Marshall 9, BA 5
Missed Serves: BA 11, Marshall 4
Time Out %: BA 3/4-.750; Marshall 2/5-.400
BA's FBSO was 26/43 the last three games good for .605, while Marshall was 23/42 for .548. On top of that the longest run for BA came in game 4, Marshall's came in game one.

ROTATIONS
BETHLEHEM ACADEMY
1. #22 25-16 .610
2. Meschke 17-18 .486
3. Budde 14-10 .583
4. Hafemeyer 9-19 .321
5. Nass 11-11 .500
6. Kriechbaum 12-16 .429
totals: 88-90 .494

MARSHALL
1. Weilage 22-18 .550
2. Deragisch 17-17 .500
3. Tauer 11-16 .407
4. Westby 18-11 .621
5. Wallerich 11-10 .524
6. Birath 11-16 .407
totals: 90-88 .506

RACE TO:
Game: 5 10 15 20 25
game 1 M M M M M
game 2 B B B B B
game 3 M M M B B
game 4 B M M B B

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2 3 4
Bethlehem Academy 0 6 5 5
Marshall 12 0 5 2

Next up: tomorrow

#1 Concordia St. Paul Swept

#2 posting 8.29.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BIG 10 NEWS
The Gophers are previewed in the StarTribune. The Official Gopher site also previews the 2008 squad.

Oklahoma beat Michigan State 3-1 in the Nike Sooner Legends Invitational. Jenilee Rathje had 20 kills for the Spartans.

The Wisconsin Badgers continue their meet the freshman series with Katie Schill.

Purdue looks at their 2012 players.

MORE D1 NEWS
The Atlantic Coast Conference has their media guide available online.

Cincinnati hosts the State Farm Invitational starting tonight. The host Bearcats will see Wright State. Marshall plays Tennessee Tech.

Here are the game notes for the Colorado State Hilton Classic. The Rams have set a single season record for season tickets with 648.

Furman plays Georgia State today at the Bulldog Invitational.

George Washington faces American in the DC Challenge.

Rhode Island is at the Quinnipiac Tournament.

Texas Christian hosts their own tournament and will face Louisiana Tech tonight.

North Dakota State is battling injuries. From the Fargo Forum.

D2
Defending D2 champ and current #1 Concordia St. Paul was swept in their first match of the year by #4 Cal State San Bernardino. Whitney Meierotto provided 12.5 points for CSP.

Bemidji State is off to Las Vegas. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

St. Cloud State is off to Missouri Tech. From the St. Cloud State Chronicle.

UM Duluth will discover life without Braegelmann. The Bulldogs are at the Ferris State tournament.

D3
Brianne Stankus of UW LaCrosse gets a feature in the LaCrosse Tribune.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Rochester beat North Iowa Area CC in a sweep. Ashley King had 10 kills for RCTC. From the Rochester Post Bulletin and Mason City Globe Gazette.

LATE THURSDAY HS RESULTS
Here is the Fergus Falls Daily Journal story on the Willmar sweep over Fergus Falls.

Staples-Motley beat Frazee 3-1. Cydney Hasselberg had 12 kills for SM. Plus five more game results. From the Brainerd Dispatch.

LAST FRIDAY
Redwood Valley swept Springfield. From the Redwood Falls Gazette.

Next up: Later today with an out & about

Rochester Schools go Five to Win, 1000 Assists

#1 posting 8.29.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
AAA
Red Wing beat Zumbrota-Mazeppa 3-1. RW's libero Emily Reich went down with an ankle injury in the first game. Hannah Nowariak had 13 kills for the Wingers. From the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Rochester Century beat Mankato West in five, the last game going 18-16 for the Panthers. Mayo also went five games to beat Rosemount. Bevy Lehman and Brittany Looker each had 19 kills for the Spartans. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Owatonna beat Lakeville South in five. Jordan Spatenka had 31 kills for the Huskies. From the Owatonna's People Press.

Worthington is 3-0 after sweeping New Ulm. Martha Awal had 23 kills for the Trojans. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

Hutchinson swept Annandale. From the Hutchinson Leader.

Willmar swept Fergus Falls. The Cardinals are now 2-0. From the West Central Tribune.

Bemidji swept Duluth Central. Ashley Hirt had 10 kills for the Lumberjacks. plus Northome-Kelliher's five game win over Cass Lake-Bena. From the Bemidji Pioneer.

AA
Dover-Eyota swept Lake City. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Caledonia beat St. Charles in five. Libby Augedahl had 15 kills for the Warriors. Brianna Ihrke picked up her 1000th career assist. From the Winona Daily News.

NRHEG swept Hayfield. The second game was a marathon at 31-29. From the Albert Lea Tribune.

Blooming Prairie swept Medford. Marie Morem had 11 kills for BP. From the Austin Daily Herald.

YME swept ACGC. Plus Morris' five game win over Minnewaska. The final game went 19-17 to the Tigers. Montevideo beat Central Christian in five. Brooke Tastad had 16 kills for the ThunderHawks. Plus wins by St. Cloud Cathedral and BBE. From the West Central Tribune.

A
Mabel-Canton beat LeRoy-Ostrander 3-1. Kate Horihan had 19 kills for MC. From the Austin Daily Herald.

Rushford-Peterson beat Winona Cotter 3-1. Kenzie Lind had 13 kills for RP. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

MN Deaf swept Cannon Valley Lutheran, plus the Faribault loss to Prior Lake. From the Faribault Daily News.

MN Valley Lutheran swept St. James, plus four other results. From the New Ulm Journal.

SW MN Christian swept Luverne plus Windom, Pipestone and JCC wins in the Worthington Daily Globe.

#3 BBE swept Sauk Centre. Heidi Lensing had 16 kills for the Jaguars. Plus nine other game results from the St. Cloud Times.

Bigfork beat Blackduck 3-1. Shelby Goble had 11 ace serves, seven in the first game, for the Huskies.

TONIGHT
It will be champion vs champion as class AA champ Marshall heads to Faribault to face class A champ Bethlehem Academy. From the Faribault Daily News.

LATE GAMES
TUESDAY
Farmington swept Albert Lea at home. From the Farmington Independent.

Aitkin beat Pine River-Backus in five games. Emily Mehr had 13 blocks for the Gobblers. From the Brainerd Dispatch.

Osakis beat Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in five Kari Ludwig had 15 kills for the Silverstreaks. Ashby swept CGB. Alisha Sethre had 18 kills and Amanda Johnson added 17 for the Arrows. All from the Echo Press.

Silver Bay swept Ely. From the Lake County News-Chronicle.

LAST FRIDAY
Red Wing beat Hastings in five. Elly Braaten had 16 kills for the Raiders. From the Hastings Star Gazette.

LAST THURSDAY
Virginia swept Two Harbors. From the Lake County News-Chronicle.

Farmington swept Austin. From the Farmington Independent.

TEAM PREVIEWS
Hutchinson is reloading, not rebuilding. From the Hutchinson Leader.

Rosemount is previewed in the Rosemount Town Pages.

The South Washington County Bulletin looks at Park-Cottage Grove's season. (scroll to the bottom).

Cannon Falls and Randolph have their seasons previewed in the Cannon Falls Beacon.

Next up: Later today with collegiate reports.

SW MN Challenge Brackets (really)

#4 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SW MN CHALLENGE BRACKETS
Apparently there is a problem with the link I set up. Here is the brackets for next weekend's SW MN Challenge in Marshall.

FRIDAY GAMES
At SW MN State Rec Facility
5 pm: St. Michael-Albertville vs Sioux Falls Washington
5 pm: Hopkins vs Willmar
5 pm Waconia vs Minneota
5 pm Tartan vs Pipestone
STMA/SFW vs H/W at 7:30 at SW State
W/M vs T/P at 7:30 at SW State

6:15 pm Wayzata vs West Fargo
6:15 pm Burnsville vs Fergus Falls
6:15 pm Eastview vs Bemidji
6:15 pm Litchfield vs Bismarck Century
W/WF vs B/FF at 8:45 at SW State
E/B vs L/BC at 8:45 at SW State

At Marshall High School
5 pm Marshall vs Lincoln HI
5 pm BOLD vs Hutchinson
5 pm RTR vs Woodbury
5 pm Owatonna vs SW Star
M/LHI vs BOLD/H at 7:30 at MHS
RTR/W vs O/SWS at 7:30 at MHS

6:15 pm Lakeville North vs Montevideo
6:15 pm Holy Angels vs Fargo South
6:15 pm Stillwater vs Andover
6:15 pm Rogers vs Hibbing
LN/MTV vs HA/FS at 8:45 at MHS
S/A vs R/H at 8:45 at MHS

Quarterfinals take place on Saturday at MHS at 10:45 am
Semifinals take place at MHS at 1:15 pm
The Championship is at 3:45 pm at MHS

Next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Burnsville/Holy Angels

#3 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

BURNSVILLE blaze 3, HOLY ANGELS stars 1
(25-22, 25-27, 25-10, 25-17)

The Burnsville Blaze used their net play and serving game to beat the host Holy Angels Stars 3-1. Burnsville had 15 aces on the night and seven blocks. Tori Dixon provided 23 points including 19 kills in the Blaze win.

This was an early start game to avoid conflict with the Holy Angels football game. Luckily I went to two different web sites, and figured out there was going to be a time issue.

FBSO was a big part in the Burnsville win. Holy Angels struggled to get a FBSO in game one. They were only able to stop the Blaze twice. The first Burnsville run came on two aces by Abby Olson. The next Blaze surge came on a four point run, two of which came on two blocks by Molly Duehn. That put the score at 13-6 Burnsville and forced a HA time out. Another 8-2 run for Burnsville put the Blaze on the brink at 24-12. Dixon had three kills in the run. A missed serve gave the ball back to HA and Madeline Haben made good use of it. She served up nine more points forcing Burnsville to take a time out at 24-17. The Stars shined for five more points. Amanda King had three kills in the resurrection. On the 11th game point HA had a hitting error and Burnsville survived game one.

Holy Angels used the momentum at the end of game one with an early four point run as HA earned all the points with Catherine Hanson delivering two kills. Neither side had stellar side out games in this game---only 33%. Burnsville tied the game at five, and 12, but never got the lead. Each time the Blaze tied it up, the Stars added three more points. The Blaze tied it up again at 18. But again the Stars responded with two points. A key overrule on a serve by Dixon (it was ruled in and then out) gave the ball back to the Stars. After leading 20-18, the Stars missed on a serve with a foot fault. That opened the door for the Blaze and they took advantage of it. They added three more points and led 22-20. HA took two time outs in the run, the second time out stopped the Blaze with Catherine Hanson getting the key side out. The Blaze again were on the verge at 24-21, but they could not get the game point on the next three serves and all of a sudden the Stars fought back. Another missed serve was the break point. Michelle Daddario had two straight kills to put HA back up 25-24. They didn't get the next point, but closed out the second game with a net violation and another Daddario kill. Daddario had seven kills in the second game.

The FBSO problems that bothered the Blaze in game two disappeared in game three. The Blaze had an 8/9 advantage and HA was never really competitive. It started with a run of seven helped by four straight HA hitting errors. HA took a time out to stop the hitting errors, but the Blaze added two more to the total. Another 10-1 Blaze run all put finished off the Stars. Duehn had four points with three kills in the mix as the Blaze stretched the lead to 21-6. The Blaze made some substitutions and both teams traded side outs. Dixon ended game three with two side out kills.

Burnsville put Holy Angels in a 9-2 hole early in game four. Steph McCullum had two aces, and then another stretch of HA hitting errors kept the Stars off their game. The rebounded with a 6-1 run with two points delivered on tip kills by Hanson. But the HA side out game, and the Blaze FBSO game for that matter, was not air tight. The Blaze responded after HA cut the margin to 10-8 with a seven point run. Laura Beckman had two aces in the run as the Blaze enjoyed a 17-8 lead. Dixon scored three of the last four Blaze points, all on kills, but the final point came on Casi Gries only kill of the game.

You can see the entire Burnsville vs Holy Angels photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, (year) position, aces-blocks-kills---totals
Burnsville is a little unorthodox with players filling in slots at the net two of the three times they are in the front row. Dixon played in each rotation, and the Blaze used her in the back row often.
BURNSVILLE
1. Alli Butler (2012) OH 2-0-2----4 left twice
1br: Lauren Butler (2009) RH 0-0-0---0
2. Steph McCullum (2009) L 3-0-0---3
2fr: Molly Duehn (2010) MH 0-4-6---10 middle twice, right once
3. Abby Olson (2010) S 2-0-0---2 right once
3fr: Alyssa Michaels (2011) OH 0-0-1---1 left once
4. Tori Dixon (2010) MH 2-2-19----23 middle twice, left once
5. Laura Beckman (2011) OH 5-0-8---13 left twice, middle once
6. #13 (???) RH 1-1-4---6 more right
6g3fr: Casi Gries (2009) OH 0-0-1----1
totals: 15-7-41---63 points, 37 points on Holy Angels errors

HOLY ANGELS
1. Amanda King (2011) RS 2-0-7----9
2. Michelle Daddario (2009) OH 1-0-12----13
2g3&4: Emily Ness (2011) OH 0-0-1---1
3. Heidi Anderson (2009) server 2-0-0---2
3fr: Samantha Wright (2010) MH 0-0-5---5
3br: Stephanie Drake (2009) L
4. Madeline Haben (2009) S 1-0-2---3
5. Cahterine Hanson (2009) OH 0-0-13---13
6. Stephanie Drake (2009) L 0-0-0----0
6fr: Mikayla Erickson (2009) MH 0-0-1---1
6fr: Sam Woods (2010) MH 0-0-1---1
totals: 6-0-42----48 points, 28 points on Burnsville errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Tori Dixon

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Burnsville 21/41-.512; 100, .630; .368
Holy Angels 13/40-.325; .632; .370
Runs 3+: Burnsville 13, Holy Angels 8
Longest run: Holy Angles 10, Burnsville 7
Missed Serves: Holy Angels 8, Burnsville 6
Time Out %: Burnsville 1/3--.333; Holy Angels 2/7--.286

ROTATIONS
BURNSVILLE
1. Butler 13-13 .500
2. McCullum 20-14 .588
3. Olson 19-15 .558
4. Dixon 16-18 .471
5. Beckman 18-6 .750
6. #13 14-10 .583
totals: 100-76 .568

HOLY ANGELS
1. King 14-20 .412
2. Daddario/Ness 14-19 .424
3. Anderson 13-18 .419
4. Haben 17-19 .472
5. Hanson 6-14 .300
6. Drake 12-10 .545
totals: 76-100 .432

The Burnsville front line in rotation five: Butler OH, Duehn MH, #13 RH

RACE TO:
Game: 5 10 15 20 25
game 1: B B B B B
game 2: H H H H H
game 3: B B B B B
game 4: B B B B B

BIGGEST LEAD
Team: 1 2 3 4
Burnsville 12 3 15 9
Holy Angels 1 3 1 0

Next up: tomorrow

SW MN Challenge Brackets, 48 Away from 1000

#1 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

SW MN CHALLENGE
A number of the teams that were in the state tournament last year are in the SW MN Challenge tournament this fall (Marshall, Andover, Lakeville North, STMA, Hopkins, Woodbury, & Owatonna). Six of the eight teams in the Class AAA state tournament field are entrants in the tournament.

The 2008 SWMN Challenge is the largest high school volleyball tournament in the history of Minnesota volleyball. Each team will play two matches on Friday and three matches on Saturday.

The 32-team field also includes three teams from North Dakota (Bismarck Century, West Fargo, Fargo South) and one team from South Dakota (Sioux Falls Washington). The 32 teams have over 150 state tournament appearances between them.

The 3rd Annual Southwest Minnesota Challenge will be played at the new Marshall High School and at Southwest Minnesota State University in the Recreational/Athletic Facility.

Here are the brackets for the SW MN Challenge.

BIG 10 NEWS
The Gophers will be in Omaha this weekend at the Bluejay Invitational hosted by Creighton.

Michigan State will be at the Nike Legend Tournament at Oklahoma.

The Wisconsin Badger continues their video countdown series with Faye McCormack interviewing fans. Brittney Dolgner is 48 kills away from 1000 kills.

OTHER D1 NEWS
Charlotte will travel to North Carolina Central for their first tournament.

Colorado State hosts the Hilton Classic.

Portland is at the Holiday Inn Classic at Montana State.

LATE WEDNESDAY RESULTS
Rochester JM beat Northfield 3-1. Alyssa Rushton had a hand in 17 of the JM points. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

LATE TUESDAY RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL
I already linked the Marshall story on the Tigers win at Alexandria. Here is the focus on the Cardinals. Underwood swept West Central. Parkers Prairie swept Verndale. Sari Noga had 12 kills for PP. All from the Echo Press.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NDSCS beat Ridgewater in five. From the Wahpeton Daily News.

PREVIEWS
D2
Mary has a demanding schedule and is picked for 11th in the Northern Sun. Plus thumbnails on all the Northern Sun teams. From the Bismarck Tribune.

Next up: later tonight with an out & about

Berg Returns, Henning Verbals

#1 posting 8.28.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

COACHING NEWS
Former Gopher Lindsey Berg will return to be a consultant to the Gophers. From the StarTribune.

There are four new coaches in the West Central coverage area: New London-Spicer, Yellow Medicine East, Central Christian and Morris.

BIG 10 NEWS
Indiana has named Juli Pierce and Erica Short captains. The Hoosiers will be at Long Beach State this weekend.

Ohio State held their Scarlet & Gray scrimmage yesterday. The Buckeyes have bonded by giving back.

Wisconsin players talk about their goals for the 2008 season on their countdown video feature.

Purdue will host the Mortar Board Premier. Kansas State, Tennessee State and Duke will attend.

MORE D1 NEWS
The Green swept the White in Marshall's scrimmage. Megan Carlson of Andover had 5 kills for the White.

WANTED: Northern Iowa will have open tryouts on September 2.

South Carolina is off to Las Vegas for the UNLV tournament.

Portland is headed to the Montana State Tournament.

North Dakota State will head to Montana. Hitter Kristen Hille of Sauk Rapids talks to the Fargo Forum. The Bison has also received a verbal from Libero Andrea Henning of Kettle Moraine Lutheran in Wisconsin.

FEATURE & PREVIEWS
D2
Ashley Nachreiner of MSU Mankato is a senior leader for the Mavericks. Nachreiner is from Round Rock, TX, but has New Ulm connections. From the Mankato Free Press.

D3
St. Olaf is hoping to continue their late season success in 2007 to start 2008.

In the UMAC, Northwestern, MN is tabbed to be the top team in their preseason polls. Bethany Lutheran is picked for fourth.

HIGH SCHOOL
Detroit Lakes will return a veteran team. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

Park Rapids season will depend on how quickly they adjust. From the Park Rapids Enterprise.

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg's volleyball team recently bonded by the camp fire. From the West Central Tribune.

LATE RESULTS
Here is the Waseca win over Rochester Lourdes. From the Waseca County News.

Stillwater beat Bloomington Kennedy in a sweep. Emily McDonough had 14 kills for the Ponies. From the Stillwater Gazette.

LeRoy-Ostrander beat Lanesboro 3-1. Kaylee Bunne had 15 kills for the Cardinals. From the Austin Daily Herald.

Thief River Falls beat Crookston in four. From the Crookston Times.

New York Mills beat Frazee 3-1. Hannah Rutten had 14 kills for NYM. From the Perham Enterprise.

Next up: later today