Area Preview: Southwest Minnesota's Best

As the prep season is in full swing, we at Prep Dig continue to be amazed at the depth of volleyball talent all across the state. In a series of early-season articles, Prep Dig will highlight some of the best teams and individual talent from various pockets around Minnesota. First up: The Southwest. Southwest Minnesota is home to two programs that are perennial championship contenders and certainly provide a lot of excitement and pride for that region of the state. The area also is home to a handful of top talent with a few of them profiled below. TOP SOUTHWEST TEAMS Minneota Vikings (2018 Class A State Champions) One of the state’s volleyball juggernauts at any level and among the best regarding tradition, team culture, individual talent lives in Minneota. The 2018 Class A state champions continue to develop athletes and reload their roster. Even after losing Ms. Baden-type candidates to graduation, Minneota seemingly has more developing in the wings. This year is no exception regarding their level of talent and competitiveness as they look to repeat their trip to the pinnacle. After losing such a great group of athletes and leaders it is not uncommon to think that a team like this might slip a notch. Given their standards on the volleyball court, their expectations remain high. As the preseason’s #4 ranked team in Class A, the Vikings have plenty of talent on a squad that is ready to take on bigger roles as individuals and carve out their own legacy as a team. One key returning element is sophomore outside Natalie Rolbiecki. Although still considered an underclassman, Rolbiecki has plenty of experience behind her as a varsity member and key contributor the past two years. Also back to help with the point scoring are junior outside [player_tooltip player_id="72033" first="Abby" last="Hennen"] and senior middle Morgan Hennen. Abby Yost (2021) and Abby Frye (2022) should factor into the offense more. The Vikings’ offense changes hands away from a terrific leader and floor general that graduated last year. Setters [player_tooltip player_id="72811" first="McKenna" last="Yost"] (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="73494" first="Ireland" last="Stassen"] (2023) are being developed to assume this pivotal role and sustain the level of offense that Minneota and the rest of the state are accustomed to every season. Marshall Tigers (2018 Class AA State Runner-up) The Tigers (preseason #5 ranked in Class AA) continually boast one of the most dynamic offenses and also seemingly have great balance of current and emerging stars among their roster year in and out. This season is no exception with several key pieces back on the court and hungry for another shot at the title. With eight straight conference titles, Marshall shows no signs of slowing down. This year’s squad is loaded with veteran talent and leadership across all positions and will undoubtedly make a great run once again in 2019. [player_tooltip player_id="71659" first="Logan" last="Sherman"] is a do-all type of athlete and has so many tools to help her team win. She is among the best athletes that can both distribute the ball as well as terminate. She gets a lot of offensive help from senior outside [player_tooltip player_id="71685" first="Bria" last="Morris"], senior middle [player_tooltip player_id="57516" first="Paige" last="Andries"], and junior outside Jordyn Hilgemann. Senior setter Rachel Schwarz shares the offensive leadership with Sherman and has done a great job thus far at putting her hitters in great situations. Senior libero [player_tooltip player_id="71656" first="Mia" last="Schnaible"] has great skills in the back row and is a critical part to the Tigers’ offensive success with her ball control. Marshall is not a team to shy away from competition and will face some of the state’s best in the coming weeks. Look for them to be battle-tested and very prepared for a deep postseason experience once again. TOP SOUTHWEST ATHLETES TO WATCH In addition to the stars highlighted above, here are five additional highly talented athletes competing around the southwest region: Karoline Dahl - 2021 | Outside Hitter | Dawson-Boyd A 2018 Camden all-conference selection, Dahl will once again be a key threat in the Dawson-Boyd offense. She recently tallied 13 kills to go along with seven digs and two blocks in a 3-1 win over Murray County Central. [player_tooltip player_id="57493" first="Alyssa" last="Groves"] - 2020 | Right Side | Murray Country Central | Prep Dig #54 An athletic and dynamic athlete in the middle, Groves was identified early on in her career as one to watch and has been producing for MCC for a while now. A 2018 Red Rock all-conference selection, she is now in her final season and will undoubtedly close out her prep career with a great legacy behind her. [player_tooltip player_id="57507" first="Madison" last="Hinz"] - 2020 | Setter | Yellow Medicine East | Prep Dig #70 Recently surpassed the 2,000 career assists mark in a match earlier this week. A mainstay for YME in her fifth varsity season, Hinz will be a big factor in their challenge to overcome the loss of two of the area’s best arms to graduation. [player_tooltip player_id="71686" first="Brooke" last="Nelson"] - 2020 | Outside Hitter | Canby | Prep Dig #72 Nelson returns for her senior season following a successful junior campaign that earned her all-conference honors. At 5’8, she has vision that allows her to hit with good range from the left pin, and can serve and pass effectively, making her a well-rounded athlete and contributor. LeeAnn Stensrud - 2020 | Right Side | Lakeview A primary offensive threat for Lakeview in her final season of her prep career. Stensrud has started the season well in producing points for her team. Her efforts in 2018 earned her 1st team selection for the Camden conference.