Class 1 Final Four Preview

The Class 1 field has one newcomer in Jasper Eagles and then three teams combined for 17 state titles, ten 2nd place, eight 3rd place, and ten 4th place finishes, and a combined 45 trips to the final four. It's a pretty impressive field in Class 1 volleyball.   Semifinal 1:   Advance Hornets 22-11-2 vs. Santa Fe Chiefs 23-9   How they got here:   Advance made it to the final four by sweeping Oak Ridge before knocking out another tradition-rich program in Bernie 3-1. Santa Fe pushed past Osceola 3-1 and then Rock Port 3-0.   Common Opponents: No   Previous Meeting: No   Players to Watch:   Advance:   [player_tooltip player_id='170048' first='Addison' last='Carlton'] – 2025 – 5'3" – Outside   394 kills and 392 digs   [player_tooltip player_id='475335' first='Olivia' last='Kennedy'] – 2027 – 5'9" – Middle   287 kills, 84 blocks   Cashlynn Sturgeon – 2027 – 5'7" – Middle   179 kills   Santa Fe:   [player_tooltip player_id='174283' first='Emma' last='Michael'] – 2025 – 5'10" – Middle   417 kills and 237 digs   Brooke Dierking – 2025 – 5'7" – Outside   186 kills and 105 digs   [player_tooltip player_id='735265' first='Mia' last='Lark'] – 2026 – 5'4” – Libero   444 digs   Prediction:   Advance is the two-time defending state champion, looking for its sixth title in seven years. The program was built to last, and you have yet to see the latest Advance after this season. They will return every player except one, so we've yet to see the last of the Hornets in the final four. Advance is built around playing tremendously on the defensive end and a quicker offense. The entire team is made up of kids who believe defense wins championships. They develop their schedule to play as many Class 4 and Class 5 teams as possible and prepare the kids for the first weekend in November.   Santa Fe has won more titles and made it to the final four in Class 1 than any other program. The domination started in 1984 and has been going strong ever since. Santa Fe will need a big game offensively to beat Advance. Santa Fe needs the defense that Advance does. Advance will be relentless in its pursuit of the ball and only makes a few unforced errors. They wait for you to make those errors. Advance Hornets will sweep past Santa Fe into the title match for the third straight season.   Semifinal 2:   Winona Wildcats 32-3-2 vs. Jasper Eagles 34-1   How they got here: Winona blew by Chadwick 3-0 and then had to fight tooth and nail to get by Bismarck—taking the victory 27-25, 24-26, 25-12, 22-25, and 15-8. Jasper had a little trouble with Archie but prevailed 3-1 and then got sweet redemption against Galena. Jasper was 1 point away from the final four last season before Galena caught fire and won the match in 5. Jasper thumped on Galena this year, winning 25-16, 25-12, and 25-10.   Previous Meeting: No   Common Opponents: Lockwood, Marionville, and New Heights Christian   Both teams beat Lockwood and New Heights 3-0, and both beat Marionville 2-1.   Players to Watch:   Winona:   Sadie Kile – 2028 – 5'9" – Middle   523 kills and 315 digs   Lauren Martin – 2028 – 5'6" – Outside   161 kills and 312 digs   Bristol Lay – 2028 – 5'6” – Libero   290 digs   Jasper:   [player_tooltip player_id='234361' first='Crystal' last='Smith'] – 2025 – 5'10" – Middle   553 kills and 1977 career kills   [player_tooltip player_id='493079' first='Shiloh' last='Storm'] – 2025 – 5'7” – Setter   903 assists and 3032 career assists   Aspen Lehman – 2026 – 5'7" – Outside   168 kills   Prediction: This will be the better of the two semifinal matches in Class 1. Jasper is the new kid on the block, while Winona's the old-timer. Winona has the best freshman hitter in Class 1 in Sadie Kile. Jasper is the best hitter in Class 1 in senior [player_tooltip player_id='234361' first='Crystal' last='Smith'], who can jump out of the gym. The kid has an unreal vertical and can bounce the ball. Jasper has a great setter who's been feeding the ball to her big hitter for years. They've played together for years and feel great about what each other will do. The connection is something that has benefited Jasper all season. Jasper's only loss was to Pittsburg, KS, a much bigger school. If Jasper wants to win, they will need to play tremendously on defense and pass well enough to give the ball to their middle early and often. Crystal will not be stopped, but the question is, can they pass well enough to give her the ball 60+ attempts? Jasper will have a great chance to reach the championship match if they can.   Winona is stacked with young talent and will return every player for next year. No Seniors! They have the best Class 1 2028 hitter in Sadie Kile and 523 kills. The hard-hitting [player_tooltip player_id='237001' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] comes to the net when Sadie rotates to serve. Winona has two big hitters working out of the middle. These two have combined for 917 kills and 576 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='232323' first='Lexi' last='Lindsey'] is a top-notch setter who started her first year and led Winona to a 3rd place finish two years ago. If Winona wants to win this one, they must score in bunches while Jasper's [player_tooltip player_id='234361' first='Crystal' last='Smith'] is in the backcourt. If they can take advantage of that aspect, they will sit in a perfect position to advance.   The difference between the teams is the level of competition they play on any given night. Winona had to beat the third-best team in Class 1 in Bismarck to survive and be here. Jasper has the best hitter, but after that, they fall off. Winona has two solid hitters and one more that can be produced when needed. Both will pass and play defense about the same. Winona will win it in 4 to meet Advance for the title.

The Class 1 field has one newcomer in Jasper Eagles and then three teams combined for 17 state titles, ten 2^nd place, eight 3^rd place, and ten 4^th place finishes, and a combined 45 trips to the final four. It's a pretty impressive field in Class 1 volleyball.