Section 1AA Preview
Matt Bigelow
<p>***Photo Credit: Rochester Post Bulletin***</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Section 1 has always been one of the most competitive sections in the state and traditional powers Stewartville and Kasson-Mantorville are both strong again this season. Stewartville looks very much back as one of the elite teams in Class AA and K-M has one of the best individual players in the entire 2019 class in Peyton Suess. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Favorite</strong>: <em>Stewartville</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Tigers head into the postseason ranked No. 3 in the Class AA Coaches Poll after going 22-5 on the season. The Hiawatha Valley League is one of the best in the state and the Tigers picked up quality wins over teams like Kasson-Mantorville, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Bethlehem Academy and Moorhead. Emily Rinken is one of the top liberos in the state and Julianne Waugh is a stellar outside hitter.</span></p>
<p><strong>Next Up: </strong><em>Kasson-Mantorville</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The KoMets enter postseason play ranked No. 10 in Class AA. Playing a difficult schedule, the KoMets went 18-10 on the season. They only lost two conference matches and have one of the best players in the state in junior middle hitter Peyton Suess. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>In the Mix:</strong> <em>Plainview-Elgin-Millville, Byron, Cannon Falls</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There seems to be a sizable gap between Stewartville and the field, but there are a handful of teams in the field that could give any team trouble. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">PEM is the top team in the North subsection and went 21-8 on the season. The Bulldogs have a dynamic middle hitter in Hayley Dessner and a </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Byron and Cannon Falls both had some success in a solid HVL this fall and both teams played solid out-of-conference schedules. Success for the Bears starts with Kansas State basketball commit and middle hitter Ayoka Lee. Allison Connelly is a difference-maker in the back row. The Bombers traditionally have an athletic and scrappy group and that’s no different this year. Tatum Pickar is one of the top liberos in the state and Kara Loeschke does a great job dispersing the ball around the floor from the setter spot. Both teams are in the same subsection as Stewartville and K-M. That’ll create some potentially very interesting subsection semifinal matchups. </span></p>
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