Section 1A Preview

Postseason play is right around the corner. With sections set to start in less than two weeks, PrepDig is breaking down each section with teams and players to watch. Section 1A is arguably the most loaded section in the state when it comes to top-shelf talent and competition through the middle of the bracket. With four teams currently ranked in the top-10, whoever gets through the section tournament will have a great shot at making a long run in the state tournament. Caledonia emerged from Section 1 a year ago and advanced all the way to the championship before losing to Mayer Lutheran. Favorite: Hayfield The Vikings went into the season with sky-high expectations after knocking off Bethlehem Academy in last season's subsection final match to advance to the section final. They returned a healthy crop of their top players and to this point, they haven't disappointed. Ranked No. 4 in the latest coaches poll, Hayfield will earn the top seed in the 1A-West subsection. Playing a Hiawatha Valley League schedule has prepared them about as well as possible and they've picked up a number of impressive wins along the way including a 3-2 win over Stewartville, a 3-1 win over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and three wins in the Class A Showcase. Carrie Rutledge was a force for the Vikings in their section run a year ago and will be tough to contend with for every opponent. Maggie Streightiff is one of the top players in the state and gives the team not only a terrific setter but also a very talented striker and Kate Kruger provides a solid third head in the middle of the floor. Hayfield isn't a runaway favorite by any means, but the Vikings have the combination of talent and experience that make the thought of a state berth realistic. Next up: Caledonia, Bethlehem Academy, Mabel-Canton This section is a grind. Caledonia was a top-five preseason team and the 2016 state runner-up. BA has earned volleyball royalty status with sustained success over the last 15-plus years and was the 2014 state champion and 2015 state runner-up. The Warriors haven't played quite as difficult a schedule as Hayfield or BA but they do have wins over quality teams like Plainview-Elgin-Millville and Kenyon-Wanamingo. Beyond that, there isn't much to glean from their record as the Three Rivers doesn't host traditionally great volleyball programs. There is good depth in the league this year with teams like Fillmore Central and Wabasha-Kellogg but Caledonia is operating on a different tier from the rest of the conference. Adrianna Reinhart is one of the top setters in the state and Caledonia's attack is very good in large part because of her ability to manipulate play. Madisyn Heaney is their go-to striker. The Cardinals knew 2017 was going to border on retooling as life post Payton Nutter meant a lot of unanswered questions. BA may not have quite as much dynamic talent as it has in previous years but it does still have an elite player in Mary Campbell and an elite coach in Franz Boelter. Olivia Nass is a solid libero, Delaney Donahue's come along nicely as a very good all-around player and the Cardinals have a nice host of frontline talent with Meagan Donahue in particular. Their schedule is tougher than perhaps any team in the state. That's by design as the trial-by-fire approach lends itself to late-season improvement. BA may not be a favorite in this section this year - for the first time in a long time - but the Cardinals will not be shocked by anything they see in postseason play. Mabel-Canton is something of a model of consistency. This Cougars team is like a lot of Cougars teams in recent years in that they don't have great size and they may not have the dynamic top-level talent that some of the other contenders have; but they are full of pesky, tough-minded and athletic back-row type players all over the floor. Savannah Slafter and Maddy Michels are their go-to strikers and Lexi Thorson is a highly-regarded Libero which keys their defense-to-offense. Upset Bids: Spring Grove, Grand Meadow, Wabasha-Kellogg, Medford Spring Grove has four losses to Mabel-Canton but gave the a good match in the most recent loss. The Lions also just recently gave Caledonia a competitive match and have racked up a lot of wins over the second half of the season. Grand Meadow is on the verge of a 20-win season and aside from losses to top teams like Mabel-Canton, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and Norwood-Young America, the Superlarks have shown they can hang with anybody. Jordyn Glynn is a player to watch. Wabasha-Kellogg and Medford could both earn top-three seeds in their subsections. Medford's played a solid schedule with losses to top teams like Hayfield, WEM and Le Sueur-Henderson but also a handful of good wins. W-K is coming off a weekend tournament in Cannon Falls in which it struggled but the Falcons have sport wins over Caledonia and Kenyon-Wanamingo, so they shouldn't be taken lightly by any means. *Photo courtesy of Rochester Post Bulletin*