State Tournament: What We Witnessed on Day 2

<p>And the field narrows. The state finals are set and we are in for a treat. Here are some highlights from Friday's action at the 2018 state tournament.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Class AAA</strong></span></p> <p><strong><em>The Future is Now and a Triple-Double</em></strong><br /> The opening semifinal match of the day started things off with a bang, waking everyone up to a very competitive four-set contest. This match featured some terrific play from a handful of non-seniors. It was the sophomore standout <strong>Kennedi Orr (S/RS | 2021)</strong> that led Eagan to the win and the right to play for a state title on Saturday, which is very familiar territory for the Wildcats as this is their sixth straight title match appearance. Orr did it all on Friday earning a triple-double with 20 kills, 22 assists, and 13 digs. Junior <strong>Christine Jurgens (OH | 2020)</strong> added 14 kills on a .286 clip as her savvy veteran leaders were somewhat neutralized by the Ponies' terrific defense. Stillwater was led by their junior middle sensation <strong>Maddie Whittington (MB | 2020)</strong> as she hit .283 for the match in hammering 19 kills while earning five blocks. Part of that great defensive effort from Stillwater was provided by a freshman in <strong>Lucy Zollar (DS | 2021)</strong> as she helped the Ponies say close in collecting 19 digs. Eagan will play Champlin Park for the class AAA crown at 5pm. The Rebels turned back the Cougars from Lakeville South 3-1. After falling behind 0-1 after the first set, Champlin Park rallied to own the remainder of the match closing it out 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, 25-16.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Class AA</strong></span></p> <p><strong><em>North Branch Fever</em></strong><br /> The Vikings advanced to the class AA championship match for the second consecutive year taking down top-ranked Kasson-Mantorville. This was the Vikings' second five-set thriller in as many nights. The KoMets opened up the match with a 25-20 set one win only to see this one extend far beyond what they are used to. North Branch turned the tables quickly winning the next two sets winning 25-20, 25-11. K-M would respond with a convincing 25-17 fourth set win to set up the final frame where the Vikings closed it out 15-13 earning their spot in the finals on Saturday. And once again, the junior highlight reel of <strong>Cianna Selbitschka (OH | 2020)</strong> was in full effect. Resilience, dominance, and sheer competitiveness, those are elements that describe the North Branch effort collectively and the large contributions from their leader individually in defying many expectations regarding the outcome of this match before it even began. Selbitschka, a UM-Duluth commit, unleashed for 30 kills and picked up 24 digs against the KoMets. She now has 64 kills over the Vikings' two state tournament matches this year. She continues to display great ability to score from many locations, at times with three blockers up, and with relentless pressure as she often sees multiple attempts in a single rally. Her ability to endure that type of effort in the finals will be key if the Vikings are to be successful. Other North Branch athletes deserving recognition for their contributions include <strong>Haley Hadrava (RS | 2020)</strong>,<strong> Reagan Irons (MH | 2021)</strong>, and <strong>Paige Sheehan (S | 2021)</strong>. The #4 seeded Vikings will face #3 seed Marshall for the state crown on Saturday. Marshall was a 3-1 winner over #2 seed Concordia Academy-Roseville, improving upon their 2017 results that saw their title chase end with a loss in the semifinals. <strong>Bria Morris (OH | 2020)</strong> led the Tigers with 14 kills.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Class A</strong></span></p> <p><strong><em>Contrasting Storylines will Clash for the Crown</em></strong><br /> The final stage for the class A state championship is set and it promises to be a great one given the first two days of action for these two great offenses. The pair of teams entering Saturday's title match present the old and the new and one of them is destined to prevail. On Friday, the Medford Tigers defeated Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 3-1 to advance to their first state championship match appearance while Minneota returns to the state finals for the second consecutive year with their own 3-1 win in defeating Ada-Borup/Norman County West. In similar fashion, both teams came back to win after dropping the first set in the semifinals and each team was led in kills by their primary offensive threat. In the end, great offensive balance keyed these wins overall as multiple athletes for both squads reach double-figure kills. <strong>Emma Kniefel (OH | 2020)</strong> paced the Tigers with 19 kills to lead the match and was followed by<strong> Kinsey Cronin (MH | 2021)</strong> and <strong>Rachael Luebbe (MH | 2019)</strong> with 11 kills apiece. For the Vikings, it was <strong>Lydia Sussner (MH | 2019)</strong> that led the offense with 18 kills with teammates <strong>Natalee Robliecki (MH | 2021)</strong> and <strong>Morgan Hennen (OH | 2020)</strong> each adding 13 kills. Be sure to tune in as this one truly is up for grabs given how these two teams have been playing lately. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>