Class A Showcase Preview
A collection of the top teams in the state will descend upon the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse in Burnsville Friday and Saturday for the Class A Showcase tournament. Of the eight teams that played in the state tournament a year ago,…
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Continue ReadingA collection of the top teams in the state will descend upon the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse in Burnsville Friday and Saturday for the Class A Showcase tournament.
Of the eight teams that played in the state tournament a year ago, five were in Burnsville for the showcase tournament. Seven of the teams ranked in the coaches poll will be there too.
Here are a few things to watch:
Heavy Hitters
The top three teams in the coaches poll – Mayer Lutheran, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton and Hayfield – are all in the field this year which could create a awful lot of intrigue. The Crusaders are the unanimous No. 1 teams in the state right now and heavily favored to win a second straight state title. TMB is a state fixture and Hayfield might be the best of an absolutely loaded Section 1A. The matchups Saturday in the semifinal and final could potentially be state semifinal and final caliber if all three teams advance through their respective pools.
Can anyone surprise?
The top of the shelf talent is certainly going to be in abundance Friday and Saturday with the top three teams in the state. But there is a lot more than three very good teams and it’ll be interesting to see which team surprises with a strong showing.
Mabel-Canton, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Minneota and Rush City are all ranked and in attendance. Can one of those teams come up with a good weekend and perhaps move up in the rankings? That may not matter a whole lot in the grand scheme, but can a strong showing help provide a launching pad for the remaining month of the season?
Canby, Stephen-Argyle, Cook County, Windom, Wabasso, Wabasha-Kellogg and Kittson County Central could all make some noise as well.
State Preview?
The last two winners of the Class A showcase have gone on to win the state championship as Waterville-Elysian-Morristown had something of a coming out party in 2015 while Mayer Lutheran cruised to the tournament title last season. Both teams went on the win the state title in November.
For many teams in attendance, this will be far and away the most competitive scene they’ll experience during the season. This is as close to a state tournament preview as it’ll get. And many teams that aren’t used to getting pushed will get pushed. That’s both a great opportunity to find something about oneself and a potentially humbling experience.