Preview: Breakdown Side Out Classic

The high school volleyball season in Minnesota gets started with a bang, as for the fourth consecutive year, Breakdown Sports is sponsoring a season-opening Side Out Classic at Hopkins High School. The country’s best high school volleyball preview publication brings together 34 terrific programs from around the state for a one-day showcase event this Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017.

Only the best programs in the state are invited, featuring teams that are listed highly in PrepDig’s preseason rankings, including five of the top-10 programs in Class AAA (No. 2 Prior Lake, No. 3 Champlin Park, No. 6 Stillwater, No. 7 Hopkins, and No. 9 Moorhead).  In fact, the Breakdown has invited eight teams ranked in the preseason top-10 rankings among all three classes and another handful of honorable mention candidates. The full schedule is listed below:

2017 Breakdown Side Out Classic Schedule

Court 1

Top match-up: No. 7AAA Hopkins vs. No. 2AAA Prior Lake

Two teams likely to be in this fall’s MSHSL state tournament end the day of action on Court 1, as No. 2AAA Prior Lake faces No. 7AAA Hopkins. The Lakers have made back-to-back state appearances, earning second place in 2015 and the consolation title last year. Despite graduating a big senior class that included setter Ellie Veldman (now at North Dakota), Prior Lake should remain in contention for a state title — or at least a berth opposite powerful Eagan in the final. Coach Mike Dean has another talented senior class in place, anchored by All-State libero CC McGraw (committed to Minnesota) and a pair of 6-foot-plus imposing middles in Kayla Bair (Michigan) and Maddie Bremer (Northern Colorado). Keep an eye on the setter battle between junior Katie Brostrom and senior Megan Palmer, as it likely will determine just how strong Prior Lake will be this fall.

Hopkins has also advanced to consecutive state tournaments, but is quite settled at setter with All-State senior Tara Lee running the show. She’s another coach on the court, which isn’t a surprise considering her adoptive mother is Royals’ coach Vicki Swenson (with other daughter Sam Seliger-Swenson setting at the University of Minnesota). Like her counterparts on the Lakers, Lee has some great hitting options to feed, such as senior OH Jane Nelson and junior OH Anna Erickson. Six-foot-2 middle Chudear Tut was raw last year, but could explode into a force at the net in her sophomore season, making the Royals even more imposing.

Players to watch (other than those in the top match-up above): 

Eastview — sr. S Erica Slinde and fr. RH Lauren Crowl
Edina — sr. RH Lauren Turner (San Diego) and jr. OH Christine Graf
Osseo — jr. OH/MH Kate Achenbach and so. LI Taylor Quan
Waconia — so. OH Kali Wolf and so. MH Ellie Dammann
Minnetonka — sr. MH Katelyn Lannom and jr. S Dresden Pass
Moorhead — sr. S Kortney Carney and sr. OH Lexi Gilbertson
Blaine — sr. OH Isabelle Erne and sr. OH/RH Aleaha Mokamba
Rosemount — sr. S Madeline Mackinac and jr. LI Marissa Hinkle (UCLA)
Champlin Park — jr. S Izzy Ashburn and jr. OH Emma Schmidt
Stillwater — sr. OH Mikayla Gjerde and sr. RH Rachel Houle

Court 2

Top match-up: Rochester Mayo vs. No. 9AA SW Christian

While most of the “super-powered” match-ups are on Court 1 during the day, there are still plenty of intriguing ones on the other two courts, including this 3 p.m. battle between Rochester Mayo, a perennial contender from Section 1AAA, and Southwest Christian, which moved up into Class AA last year and has started to build another powerful team under coach Greg Sayuk. Mayo coach Deb Frederick has brought her program to five of the last nine state tournaments and is looking to unseat Lakeville South from atop the section. The Spartans did graduate their top hitter in Kate Holtan, but will have veteran setter Lexie Lang back along with MH Jade Boysen and libero Hallie Olson, all of whom were all-conference picks last year in the Big Nine. Boysen may have to take on more of the attacks that left with Holtan, but watch out for a few of the Spartans’ sophomore outsides to step up, as well.

Southwest Christian won a state title in Class A as recently as 2013, but was just over .500 (17-14) last year in its first season in Class AA. But as mentioned, Sayuk is building a deep and balanced attack that could pay dividends this fall. Four returning hitters had triple-digit kills — seniors Anna Sperbeck (197) and Brooke Herman (135), junior Brenna Krommendyk (119), and sophomore Mackenzie Close (103), which should make the Stars difficult to defend.

Players to watch (other than those in the top match-up above): 

Byron — sr. MH Ayoka Lee (committed to play basketball at Kansas State) and sr. S Allison Connelly
Glencoe-Silver Lake — jr. MH Rhyan Hermann and sr. S Lexi Hansch
Cannon Falls — sr. S Kara Loeschke and sr. LI Tatum Pickar
Elk River — sr. LI Erin Davis and sr. OH Haley Ullrich
St. Michael-Albertville — jr. OH Syra Tanchin and sr. S Lexie Nelson
Centennial — So. OH Molly Perzichilli and sr. S Libby Macken
Jordan — sr. MH Meg Schmidt and jr. OH Carsyn Mizsak
North Branch — so. OH Cianna Selbitschka and sr. MH Maddie Hadrava

Court 3

Top match-up: Minneota vs. No. 8A Underwood

We’re dipping into the small schools to fill out our top match-up of the day on Court 3, as Minneota faces Underwood in a battle of rookie coach (the Vikings’ Hayley Fruin) and veteran coach (Underwood’s Diane Ross). All right, it’s not correct to call Fruin a rookie, as she previously coached at Lakeview and was an assistant at her alma mater (she won a state title as a player at Minneota) last year, but it is her first year leading the show. She takes over a program  that has made 10 state tourney appearances since 2001, including the aforementioned state title in 2006. The Vikings will be a relatively inexperienced bunch, as gone are their top passer (Amber Engels), setter (Charlie Josephson), and hitter (All-Stater Natalie Herigon). Junior Morgan Kockelman is the likely setter for this year’s team, and she does have junior middle Lydia Sussner and outside Lizzy Gillingham back after they combined for 567 kills last year, so the cupboard certainly isn’t bare.

Ross, on the other hand, has 650 matches over her 31-year career as a coach and had a 30-win Underwood team in last year’s state tournament. The Rockets return one of the top players in all of Class A, senior outside hitter Brenna Tinjum, who had 411 kills and 272 digs in an All-State junior season. Underwood is strong across the front row, as well, with junior OH Emma Fitzgibbons (284 kills) and senior Sydney Hovland on right side. Ball control could be key for the Rockets, as they did graduate their top setter (Jacey Ross) and libero (Madison Hoekstra).

Players to watch (other than those in the top match-up above): 

Heritage Christian — so. MH/RH Jordyn Allen and fr. OH Ainsley Halvorsen
Mound Westonka — jr. S Isabel Speakman and jr. MH Jennifer Schaible
Kenyon-Wanamingo — so. OH Ally Peterson and sr. MH Corynne Dahl
Cambridge-Isanti — fr. S Paige Sheehan and sr. OH Emily Higley
Bemidji — sr. S Addie Colligan and sr. OH Alexis Wade
Minneapolis Washburn — sr. OH Lizzy Stark and sr. OH Frances Egan
St. Louis Park — sr. OH Ella Trotter and jr. S Maddy McIntosh
Tartan — so. OH Alexandra Lyle and sr. RH/S Jessie Bradshaw
Chanhassen — so. MH Lauren Snader and sr. OH/RH Sidney Brastad
Orono — sr. OH Kayla DiMartini and sr. RH Tricia Johnson