Week One Key Performers from Around the State

<p>The high school volleyball season officially began with a couple of days of competition on Thursday and Friday August 22-23. Several early-season matches provided some great drama with many of the of the stars making an immediate impact for their respective teams. Here is some information from one of the week’s key matchups as well as a list of other great performances from last week:</p> <p><strong>MARSHALL vs. WILLMAR</strong></p> <p>This match provided a lot of excitement as the Cardinals came up just short against the juggernaut that is Marshall. The match went the distance in favor of the Tigers as they made a comeback to claim the victory. Set scores were 25-20, 20-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-12. Several great performances highlighted this marathon contest including:</p> <p><strong>Key Performances:</strong> Marshall found great balance in their offense with great contributions from various positions. <em><strong>Jordyn Hilgemann</strong></em>, a talented and versatile athlete led the effort with 10 kills and 24 digs. The highly touted <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57516" first="Paige" last="Andries"]</strong></em> contributed 9 kills and 2 blocks, while <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71659" first="Logan" last="Sherman"]</strong></em> terminated 16 kills. The terrific libero skills of <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71656" first="Mia" last="Schnaible"]</strong></em> were on display as she collected 35 digs to help keep the Cardinals’ offense at bay. For Willmar, some offensive questions were answered this early in the season as three athletes reached double-digit kills and have solidified themselves as athletes to keep watching as the season moves forward. The athleticism of <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29784" first="Bailey" last="Olson"]</strong></em> produced 19 kills for Willmar as she was joined by teammates <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72063" first="Sophie" last="Kobienia"]</strong></em> (14 kills) and <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="73491" first="Sydney" last="Schnichels"]</strong></em> (12 kills) in reaching double-digits. With defense as a strength for Willmar, two athletes, Olson and <strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id="71945" first="Abby" last="Stark"]</em></strong>, picked up 17 digs each. Kobienia and <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72094" first="Madelyn" last="Gregory"]</strong></em> each added six blocks.</p> <p><strong>Week 1 Stars</strong></p> <ul> <li><em><strong>Jennifer Albrecht </strong></em>(Houston): 13 kills, 6 digs, 4 blocks; Houston defeated Lyle/Pacelli 3-1</li> <li><em><strong>Kennedy Barrett</strong></em> (Hermantown): 35 assists; Hermantown defeated Duluth Marshall 3-0</li> <li><em><strong>Olivia Christensen </strong></em>(Lyle/Pacelli): 18 kills, 11 digs, 8 blocks; Houston defeated Lyle/Pacelli 3-1</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71690" first="Emma" last="Goss"]</strong></em> (Rochester Mayo): 10 kills; Rochester May defeated Cambridge Isanti 3-0</li> <li><em><strong>Hailey Jennings</strong></em> (Caledonia): 42 assists; Caledonia defeated Winona 3-2</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57515" first="Lida" last="King"]</strong></em> (Northfield): 40 assists; Northfield defeated Farmington 3-0</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71663" first="Lydia" last="Lange"]</strong></em> (Caledonia): 18 kills; caledonia defeated Winona 3-2</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71947" first="Kenidi" last="McCabe"]</strong></em> (Mabel-Canton): 24 assists, 10 digs, 5 aces, 4 digs; Mabel-Canton defeated LeRoy-Ostrander 3-0</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="73488" first="Lola" last="Pilon"]</strong></em> (Mounds Park Academy): 13 kills and 12 digs; Chaska defeated Mounds Park Academy 3-1</li> <li><em><strong>Lindsey Rout</strong></em> (St. Charles): 13 kills, 24 digs; St. Charles defeated Zumbrota-Mazeppa 3-2</li> <li><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="30257" first="Cianna" last="Selbitschka"]</strong></em> (North Branch): 18 kills; North Branch defeated Moorhead 3-1</li> <li><em><strong>Kandace Sikkink</strong></em> (Fillmore Central): 17 kills, 16 assists, 15 digs; Fillmore Central defeated Hayfield 3-2</li> <li><em><strong>Maryx Young</strong></em> (Hayfield): 35 assists, 23 digs; Fillmore Central defeated Hayfield 3-2</li> <li><em><strong>Haley Wambach</strong></em> (Hermantown): 14 kills; Hermantown defeated Duluth Marshall 3-0</li> </ul>