Postseason Begins this Week: Unranked Top Seeds and Potential Spoilers

<p>The road to the state tournament begins this week. Several teams have high hopes for a successful march through section playoffs and an opportunity to be among Minnesota's elite November 8-10 at the Xcel Energy Center. </p> <p>A handful of teams could work their way through section brackets to play the spoiler among the ranked and top-seeded favorites across all classifications. The following is a list of those potential contenders and some of their stars.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Class 1A</span><br /> <em>Medford</em> - Entering the postseason as the Section 1 top seed, the Tigers are 23-5 overall and will face Lyle/Pacelli, a Tuesday night 3-0 winner over Christian Life Academy. Medford's trio of offensive threats includes 2017 all-conference performer <strong>Emma Kniefel (OH | 2020)</strong> and a pair of middles in <strong>Rachael Luebbe (MH | 2019)</strong> and <strong>Kinsey Cronin (MH | 2021)</strong>. Their season includes wins over section foes Hayfield, Blooming Prairie, and Bethlehem Academy.</p> <p><em>New York Mills</em> - At 21-2, the Eagles are the Section 6 North #1 seed. The Park Region Conference champions are led by returning all-conference selections <strong>Madalyn Erp (MB | 2019)</strong> and <strong>Karli Kawlewski (OH | 2020)</strong>. Their first match is Thursday against NCE/UH, a round-one five-set winner over Frazee. NYM has had some regular season success against section opponents with wins over Henning, Wadena-Deer Creek, West Central Area, and Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Class 2A<br /> </span>In addition to <em>Jackson County Central</em> and <em>Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta</em> that were previously highlighted in the 2A preview, here a couple more conference champions and top seeds.</p> <p><em>St. Cloud Cathedral</em> - The Crusaders are 18-2 entering postseason play and bring with them a Granite Ridge Conference title where they finished with an unblemished record at 10-0. They are led by a trio of attackers in 2017 all-conference selections <strong>Gabby Heying (OH | 2019)</strong> and <strong>Hallie Hupf (OH | 2019)</strong> as well as <strong>Meg Januschka (MH | 2019)</strong>. As the top seed in Section 6, they open up with the #16 seed Holdingford on Thursday.</p> <p><em>St. Peter</em> - Coming off a Big South East championship, the Saints are 24-5 and the South #2 seed in Section 2. Their first opponent is Blue Earth at home on Thursday evening. <strong>Claire Nuessmeier (MH | 2019)</strong> is having another all-conference type of season as she leads the team in both kills and blocks. <strong>Paige Hewitt (S | 2020)</strong> leads the Saints in assists as <strong>Allie McCabe (Lib | 2020)</strong> is the digs leader. Section 2 is loaded but a wide open race with 2A #7 ranked Belle Plaine, #8 ranked Kenyon-Wanamingo, and a solid Norwood Young America team. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Class 3A</span><br /> <em>Benilde-St. Margaret's</em> - At 19-9 on the season, they enter the postseason as the #2 seed in Section 6. Their leader is <strong>Maizy Jackson (OH | 2019)</strong>, a long and athletic pin attacker that can do everything for the Red Knights. <strong>Sarah Luong (S | 2020)</strong> is a savvy setter that can defend well at the net at only 5'8. Although Jackson gets a lot of offensive opportunities, the Red Knights also get solid solid contributions from <strong>Erin Beacom (MH | 2019)</strong> and <strong>Alexis Brixius (OH | 2020)</strong>. With a bye in the first round, they open play on Thursday against the winner of the Hopkins versus Minneapolis Washburn match.</p> <p><em>St. Michael-Albertville</em> - Back-to-back Mississippi 8 Conference crowns is what the Knights can claim but they are looking for more. The #4 seed in Section 5 and bringing with them a 22-6 overall record, they open up against Rogers (20-7) on Thursday. A win in round one sends them to Champlin Park, a daunting opponent for any squad. However, STMA has some great experience and competitiveness in <strong>Syra Tanchin (OH | 2019)</strong>, a recent 1,000-kill club member. The Knights also look to <strong>Mikala Henderson (OH | 2020)</strong> and <strong>Evie Harrington (MH | 2019)</strong> to score points. </p> <p><em>Willmar</em> - One of the best setters outside of the metro area is <strong>Carly Wedel (S | 2019)</strong>. A South Dakota State commit, she has great size and good mobility as an offensive setter and is a big threat to opposing hitters at the net. Her hitters include a trio of fellow seniors in <strong>Caitlyn Ogdahl (OH | 2019)</strong>, <strong>Sydney Olson (MH | 2019)</strong>, and <strong>Grace Marti (OH | 2019)</strong>. The defensive spark is sophomore <strong>Abbey Stark (Lib | 2021)</strong>, one of the best in the Central Lakes Conference in which the Cardinals went undefeated this season. They open up as the top seed in Section 8 and will play the winner of the opening round match between Alexandria and Bemidji on Friday.</p> <p>Keep an eye on these teams and athletes and don't be surprised if some upsets occur over the next couple of weeks!</p>