KoMets vs. Tigers Part II: When it Matters Most

<p>Kasson-Mantorville and Stewartville have been atop the class 2A rankings all season and have generated a lot of hype and excitement towards their opportunities to compete for a coveted state crown. That hype gets elevated when they are standing on opposite sides of the net from one another and for the volleyball world, we are pumped that we get to see that happen on Thursday night. The unfortunate thing for us prep volleyball enthusiasts is that they have to face each other too early in that process towards a state title and not on Minnesota's biggest stage. Nonetheless, their upcoming match is sure to bring a lot of excitement with athletic plays, thunderous kills, and all the ebbs and flows that highly competitive volleyball matches tend to provide. Not to mention, their loyal followings will be present, shoulder to shoulder in the stands, making noise, and doing all they can to push their teams to a big-time win. All eyes will be focused on the KoMets versus Tigers match this Thursday as the winner earns the opportunity to advance to the Section 1AA finals with a label as one of the favorites to claim it all in the coming week.</p> <p>Minnesota Prep Dig contributors have been talking about this match and we have decided to approach this preview with some of those thought comparisons and predictions. Chris Fitzgerald and Mike Bryant are true volleyball enthusiasts and have been anticipating this rematch since their last conversations when the KoMets, on their home floor, in front of an epic crowd, and in the teams' only meeting this season, dismantled the Tigers 3-1 (25-14, 25-9, 21-25, 25-15) for the Hiawatha Valley Conference crown. With the win, K-M also took over Stewartville's top position in the class 2A rankings. Thursday's match is on a neutral floor at the Mayo Civic Center and follows two relatively easy wins for both teams in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Take a look at what Fitz and Mike have to say about the match and some of its critical elements.</p> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ball control</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>Kasson-Mantorville has the edge in this category with how they serve receive. Senior libero, <strong>Bailey Berge</strong> leads the way out of left back where she anticipates extremely well and manages to get a touch not only on the first contact, but keeps the ball in play on a scramble when needed on a second contact. <strong>Peyton Seuss</strong>, the Wake Forest commit, definitely has the numbers as a hitter, but her serve receive is definitely key to the KoMets getting in system. <br /> </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em>In the true sense of serve-receive, Stewartville does some unconventional things in having both of their middles (<strong>Erin Lamb</strong> and <strong>Jolie Stecher</strong>) at times in the serve receive pattern as a passer as a middle hitter. This can work really well when the ball control is in-system as both are athletic and dynamic enough to make good things happen. However, if the right pressure is applied from the service line then K-M will win the serve/serve-receive battle. The Tigers have the ability to pass effectively and consistently but they need to be a 'pass first' team in order to even out this part of the game. K-M has the advantage here.</em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Depth</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>The slight edge might have to go to Stewartville here when you are talking about the number of different players who can contribute from a variety of positions. They have junior <strong>Kaitlyn Prondzinski</strong>, an Illinois State commit,on the outside as well as <strong>Erin Lamb</strong> in the the middle, and overall have such an athletic team. However, in the first match the role players really stepped up for K-M with middle <strong>Mckenzie Evans</strong> and <strong>Emilee Terry</strong> coming up with some big kills. </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em>The depth of athleticism goes to the Tigers. The depth of experience favors K-M. Whichever one prevails will position that team to be successful with it coming down perhaps to some of the intangibles. The Tigers endured a crazy tough schedule late in their season and should be prepared to play their best volleyball when it matters most. However, the KoMets have been the picture of consistency with a front-loaded schedule against some of the state's best teams (e.g. Champlin Park, Rochester Century, Minneota, Marshall) and then managing a collection of solid opponents the rest of the way. Suess is the veteran of the match and has proven herself as a viable leader in every way for the KoMets. She also has more to lose given this is her senior year and the final weeks to continue to grow her legacy. This one could come down to the setting role (discussed next). The edge here goes to K-M.</em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Setting</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>Even though she is a Freshman Maddie Converse plays beyond her years. Not only is she solid in distribution, but is able to play great defense out of right back, which is so underrated when evaluating setters.  </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em><strong>Jaidyn Brower</strong> is simple in her game play as a setter, content to do her job and let her offense shine. This can have a calming presence among a core of attackers that feed off of their feisty demeanor and the impact of a huge kill. She transitions her team well and has good command of her offense. If she can manage to balance her distribution across the big hitters and role players then that will keep the KoMets from being able to hone in on the two big arms of Prondzinski and Lamb. That one-dimensional attack will only work if the Tigers can play low-error volleyball. Although undersized at 5'6, she can establish a good block that is capable of doing enough for the defense behind her to go to work and create good opportunities. Both setters are young and it will come down to the decision-making and who handles the pressure better. Head-to-head, Brower has the edge.</em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Middles</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em><strong>Erin Lamb</strong> of Stewartville is one of the best athletes I've seen in the Class of 2021, that's across the board and in multiple states. What a gem. The way she can move, jump, and how dynamic she is, she is one of a kind. I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do on the basketball court as well. Middle blockers are only as good offensively as the serve receive and passing. If Stewartville can get in system Lamb is really dangerous and tough to stop. </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em>Agreed with Fitz here in that Lamb is a force and we cannot say enough about her athleticism and skill set. She is special. I think she can also be her worst enemy in that she feeds off of the emotion of the game, the big plays, and the momentum shifts. And frankly, she is a large part of all of that for the Tigers so if those things are not happening then it will be important for her to manage the game play and flow better to help get her and her team back on track quicker. Additionally, as she is a primary passer at times, that will also be a big factor in the middle game. Lamb and teammate Stecher bring more athleticism and dynamic elements to the game, but Evans and sophomore Mya Suess know their roles and play them well for the KoMets. The middle element favors the Tigers.</em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Pins</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>This is a tough one. Suess from K-M is so dominate in all six rotations and plays a really strong middle back. She has such a calming presence on the court as well and always playing with such composure.  <strong>Emilee Terry</strong> of KM just seems to come up big when the KoMets need her from the middle and right side. These two are so efficient and really low error. Prondzinski of Stewartville has the ability to take over a match, it really depends what her match up is. But even with the block set up on her, she has quite the selection of shots to score points in a variety of ways. I still give K-M the advantage here when thinking about the overall play in all rotations. </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em>The combination of Suess and Terry is tough to slow down given that there is always a very capable arm in the front row. Not to mention that when Terry is up she can attack on both pins and in the middle, while Suess is a dangerous threat from the back row at the same time. Prondzinski is versatile in her own right and can score in and out of system well. She will be relied upon a lot more in terms of volume as compared to the balance among K-M's pin attackers. The Tigers may want to utilize Lamb and Stecher a bit more on the pin to give some different looks for them as well as to keep the KoMets defense off balance. I like a Lamb/Stecher matchup against a Converse block in a serve receive situation that could create some quick point scoring for the Tigers in certain situations. Fitz nailed it in that matchups at the net will be a big key. The advantage overall goes to K-M as the experience and versatility of Suess is among the best in her class.</em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Intangibles</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>Stewartville will play better than they did the first time around against K-M when they lost in mid-October. This was also on the road in a packed house at K-M where this upcoming match will be at the Mayo Civic Center.  What separated these two teams from the start was serve and serve receive. Stewartville struggled in serve receive, which K-M was able to run free ball plays all night and was so solid in their execution. K-M has the talent and experience, but Stewartville will be playing with something to prove and will be the underdog. Despite how athletic Stewartville is, I really think the leadership of Suess and Berge just puts K-M at another level. Its unfortunate this game can't be about a week later at the Xcel Energy Center during the state tournament.  </em></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></div> <div class="gmail_default">MB: <em>The balance among K-M's primary rotation is solid as their is leadership in place and a great understanding of roles and standards needed for them to be successful individually and collectively. This is in some ways a 'more to lose' versus a 'more to prove' circumstance as Fitz eluded to with a senior Suess/Berge duo looking to will their squad to just keep doing what they've been doing, while the Prondzinski/Lamb pair will look to shock the bracket with authority in their arm production and the competitiveness that is elevated when the Tigers are playing their best volleyball. Whichever team can connect mentally to the match process from touch to touch and point to point will prevail. K-M tends to do that better and with more intent and purpose. This has all the conditions to play out in a long format and over a couple of hours at minimum. Stewartville's late tests against a bevy of class 3A teams over the final weekends of the regular season, in which they competed very well at times, needs to pay dividends here. The Tigers may be one year away from really making a return impact at the state level so the intangibles may favor the KoMets overall. However, I'm a sucker for an underdog and the unexpected manifesting itself in competitive sports. </em></div> <div> </div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Pick</strong></span></div> <div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Fitz: <em>Kasson-Mantorville in 4. <br /> <br /> </em></span></div> <div>MB: <em>Stewartville in 5</em></div>