Southwest Minnesota Volleyball Club Claims 18 Club National Title

26-2 set record and 13-0 match record, Southwest Minnesota Volleyball Club out of Minneota, MN (100 miles Northeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota) bulldozed their way to an 18 Club National Championship at the AAU National Tournament in Orlando, Florida.  

SWMNVB went 2-1 in their opening match against Prime Time 18 Blue out of Illinois and never looked back.  In Gold bracket play they started off with a sweep of Sports Performance 18 White (IL), followed by XCel 18x Select (NC) in straight sets to advance to the finals.  In the championship, Southwest faced Crossroads out of Terre Haute, IN splitting the first two sets before taking the third set 15-10 to win the championship.

With athletes from the Class of 2018 and 2019 combined to make this team from some small school powerhouse programs in Southwest Minnesota, three were named AAU All Americans.

Alexis Farrell, RS/MB – Luverne High School – Committed to Southwest Minnesota State

Farrell is a 6’2 explosive hitter who can play any front row position.  A high contact point and aggressive take off Farrell continued her success from the high school season at Luverne to the club ranks for a solid year.  An All Area player, Farrell will take her game to the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State which is always a perennial contender in the Northern Sun Conference which is one of the top NCAA D2 conference in the country.

Sydney Schwitters, Setter – MACCRAY High School (Clara City, MN) – Committed to University of Northwestern in St. Paul

Schwitters was a Class A All State player this Fall and earned AAU All American honors for SMV this past week.  Schwitters will be taking her game to one of the top Division 3 programs in the nation at University of Northwestern in St. Paul.  An all around student athlete, she will be able to compete among the best in the nation. The Eagles were one of the top ranked in NCAA Division 3 the past two years with a final four appearance in 2017.

Madison Guetter, Outside Hitter – Wabasso High School – Class of 2019 Uncommitted

Guetter is a high flyer outside hitter at 5’11 who was named MVP of the 18 Club Tournament.  Guetter is a 2019 prospect that will have another year of high school and club volleyball before heading to the college ranks.  A 2017 Honorable Mention Nominee, Guetter will definitely be on the radar of the Northern Sun Conference with plenty of high level Division 2 programs in her backyard as well as drawing interest from schools out of state.

Class of 2018 Commits

Whitney Schwartz, Middle Blocker – Marshall High School – Committed to Minnesota – Morris

Ellie Thein, Libero/DS – MACCRAY High School – Committed to South Dakota State