Week 4: Key Matches on Thursday’s (9/12) Slate
This week marks the opportunity to see some of the state’s hottest teams square off and earn some bragging rights as well as some valuable information about where they stand in the wake of the completion of the first month…
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Continue ReadingThis week marks the opportunity to see some of the state’s hottest teams square off and earn some bragging rights as well as some valuable information about where they stand in the wake of the completion of the first month of the high school volleyball season. The following highlighted matches feature some of the most respected programs, some great physicality and heavy arms, and good balance among personnel.
Moorhead @ St. Michael-Albertville
Moorhead continues to quietly pursue their season with great effort and success. After a season-opening loss to class AA”s defending state champion North Branch, the Spuds, currently ranked #8 in class AAA, defeated two high quality opponents in Chanhassen and Champlin Park in back-to-back contests. One of the best features of Moorhead’s program is style is that they consistently bring great balance. The point-scoring core includes senior Claire Howell, senior outside Jalen Ennan, and junior middle
Sam Zimmerman
Sam
Zimmerman
6'0" | MB
Moorhead | 2021
State
MN
. Howell also sets and shares that role with sophomore Alexa Grondwold. The libero is junior Carleigh Vedder, who can pass and dig well to go along with great ability to put a lot of pressure on opponents from the service line. The Knights of STMA also can bring depth and balance to the floor led by the very athletic and productive arm of senior outside hitter
Mikala Henderson
Mikala
Henderson
5'9" | OH
St. Michael-Albertville | 2020
State
MN
. She is dynamic, explosive, and fun to watch. Junior middle
Emma VanHeel
Emma
VanHeel
6'0" | MB
St. Michael-Albertville | 2021
State
MN
and pin attackers Liv Carel and Sam Palmer are viable options and can serve to limit the workload from Henderson if needed. Senior libero
Megan Kruschke
Megan
Kruschke
5'6" | DS/L
STMA | 2020
State
MN
leads the team in digs while fellow senior
Sophie Fritz
Sophie
Fritz
5'6" | OH
STMA | 2020
State
MN
handles the the offense as the Knight’s primary setter. The Knights have some solid wins behind that as well this season including victories of New Prague, Chaska, and Waconia, all teams that offer up some heavy offense. Both Moorhead and STMA can wear you down with good defense and ball control along with varied distribution in their offense. This match could be one of a very deliberate and methodical nature and will trend towards that team that can more consistently execute their respective game plan with good serving and passing and low error results in late-game moments as their is great potential for scores to be very close here. Prediction: Moorhead in five sets.
Lakeville South
@ Lakeville North
A head-to-head match up between North’s Maddy Hornyak on the outside and South’s
Ava Moes
Ava
Moes
6'3" | RS
Lakeville South | 2021
State
MN
at opposite is a volleyball enthusiasts dream. Both athletes can elevate and hammer and are big parts of their respective team’s offensive strategy. These are two of the state’s premiere programs and they both consistently boast a bevy of talent around the court. A big factor here will be how well the supporting cast can elevate their point production and defense to create some good disruption to their opponent’s game plan. This could be a factor here in the Hornyak-Moes match up given the higher percentage of offense that tends to go through outside hitters. North, currently #4 in class AAA, relies a lot on the middle tandem of
Ella Thompson
Ella
Thompson
6'1" | MB
Lakeville North | 2021
State
MN
and Abbey Milner to provide great effort and spark on both sides of the ball. Both are juniors and have shown some steady contributions and variety in their skills to help the Panthers overcome the loss of a very good and effective collection of senior athletes from a year ago. Sophomore setter Abby Jandro is contributing well and is the benefactor of the great ball control and defense of senior libero
Halle Wolfe
Halle
Wolfe
5'7" | DS/L
Lakeville North | 2020
State
MN
. South is currently ranked #5 in class AAA and has a record of 6-3, including a recent 2-0 loss to North at the very competitive Southwest MN Challenge event this past weekend. Their attack includes a group of very capable athletes including middles
Kendyl Storlie
Kendyl
Storlie
5'10" | RS
Lakeville South | 2021
State
MN
and
Emily Torborg
Emily
Torborg
5'11" | MB
Lakeville South | 2020
State
MN
, outside
Payton Stier
Payton
Stier
5'2" | DS/L
Lakeville South | 2020
MN
, and junior setter
Week 4: Key Matches on Thursday’s (9/12) Slate
Week
4: Key Matches on Thursday’s (9/12) Slate
‘ last=”]’ last=”]” last=”Starkey”] who has replaced veteran
Jasmine Weidemann
Jasmine
Weidemann
5'9" | S
Lakeville South | 2021
State
MN
. Weidemann is currently out recovering from an injury. The collective physicality of North seems to parallel more consistency currently so they get the edge here. Combined with playing at home, this all could create the perfect storm for North in their effort to wear down South. However, at any moment that switch for South could activate and lead to production that can level any match with any opponent. This one will be fun. Prediction: North in four sets.
Other Noteworthy Matches
- Eagan ‘ last=”]’ last=”] @ Prior Lake
- Southwest Christian @ Belle Plaine
- Eden Valley-Watkins @ Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa
- Chaska @ Benilde-St. Margaret’s