Out & About: Lakeville North/Eagan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next up: tomorrow morning

STMA Sweeps Alex

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

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

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

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

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

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

next up: college reports.

New Life Run Ends

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

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

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

MVP
Liz Glesne of Bethel was named MIAC MVP.

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

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

next up: later tonight.

Out & About: Delano/Orono

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRENCH PLAYER
Kayla Koenecke

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

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

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

next up: tomorrow morning

25 Games Tonight, 6 Games Last Night

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

next up: college reports.

Out & About: Blaine/Osseo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

next up: tomorrow morning

Out & About: Maple Grove/Totino-Grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsey Jacobs

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

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

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

next up: Blaine/Osseo 5AAA Semifinals

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

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

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

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

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.

AA & A Results

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

AA PLAYOFFS
3: Worthington has the tough challenge of facing #5AA Marshall. From the Worthington Daily Globe.

7: Moose Lake-Willow River beat Aitkin in four leads the Duluth News Tribune coverage of AA action. After the Duluth East game.

A PLAYOFFS
6: Lake Park-Audubon swept Barnesville on Monday. They now face Ada-Borup. From the Detroit Lakes Tribune.

7: Silver Bay outlasted AlBrook in five to move on. Again it is from the Duluth Tribune, further down the recaps.

OTHER NEWS
the Lake Superior Conference has named their all conference squad. From the Superior Daily Telegram.

STATS
After the football stats you will find the area stats in volleyball in the Duluth News Tribune.

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

next up: college reports.

No Surprises in AAA

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

AAA PLAYOFFS
1: #7 Rochester Century swept #10 Hastings. #5 Rochester JM defeated #12 Albert Lea in four. Albert Lea won the first game. #8 Austin beat #9 Winona in four. From the Rochester Post Bulletin and Winona Daily News.

7: Duluth East broomed Cambridge-Isanti. plus other playoff action from the Duluth News Tribune.

8: Moorhead opened their post season with a sweep over Brainerd. From the Fargo Forum. St. Cloud Tech beat rival Apollo in four. From the St. Cloud Times midway down the round up.

TODAY
Willmar heads to Minnetonka. From the West Central Tribune.

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

next up: AA and A results