3 Best: Teams with Stamina

<p>  At this point in the season, we start to see more upsets.  Some teams are able to beat a better team by outlasting them.  The schedules are demanding, volleys are long, and competition is grueling.  These three teams have the stamina it takes to succeed in playoffs.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Southwest Christian:  <span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Minnesota River conference is a tough one with some of the top single A teams in the state.  Although they may not always get the attention of their opponents in the polls those in the conference know you can never underestimate Southwest Christian.  They have had a handful of big victories this season, many that take more than three sets.  They had an exciting win early on over <em>Chanhassen</em> (2-1) </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">at the Shakopee invite. They started October strong with their five set win against <em>Benilde-St. Margarets</em>.  Other notable wins include: <em>Belle Plaine, Andover,</em> and <em>Rosemount.  </em>The Centennial team does very well at their weekend tournaments; a testament to their conditioning and stamina.  Most recently at the Eastview Lightning invite they pushed endlessly to almost defeat Minneota (2-1).  The first set could have gone either way, with final score of 25-27.</span></span></p> <p><em>Top players: </em>   <strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Estelle </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Haugen</span></strong><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> (soph. OH)       </span><strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Mackenzie </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Close</span></strong><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> (sr. RS)</span><strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">        Felicia Luther <span style="font-size: 8pt;">(jr. S)</span></span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Hutchinson:  <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leading the east of Wright County conference is Hutchinson.  This team has it all: determination, heart and a little big of luck.  So far they have had 10 matches go to four or 5 sets; winning seven of them!  This included thrilling victories over: New Prague, Mankato West, and Litchfield.  Most recently, they prevailed over Watertown Mayer (3-2).  Perhaps most exciting for them was when they beat Waconia on the 11th of October 3-1.  They had lost to them early on in the season but showed their dominance this time.  In the deciding match, both teams rallied back and forth until Hutchinson finished 28-26.  They head into playoffs with a conference title after they took down Orono.  We think their stamina will help them claw their way to the finals.</span></span></p> <p><em>Top players: </em>   <b>Grace Daak</b><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> (6'3'',sr. MH)</span><b>        Michaela Stamer</b> <span style="font-size: 8pt;">(5'6',sr. S) </span><b>    Adri Rhoda </b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">(6'2',soph. OH)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Fillmore Central:<span style="font-size: 12pt;">  This small-town team strengthens their stamina by taking on bigger schools.  They have shown over and over again that they have the grit it takes to challenge better teams and to never give up.  They are second in the Three Rivers conference, behind Caledonia.  Their coach,<em> Travis Malley</em> doesn't let his players shy-away from playing the best.  Right away, in August, the Falcons took <em>Stewartville Tigers</em> to four sets.  Followed by a close match vs. Rochester John Marshall (3-2.)  They beat<em> Lewiston Altura</em>, conference rival, in five sets giving them a higher ranking.  They have been working all season to get themselves in the best position to make a run during the sections playoffs.</span></span></p> <p><em>Top players: </em> <b>Lauren Mensink </b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">(5'7", soph. S/OH) </span><b>   Kandace Sikkink</b><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> (5'8'', sr. S/OH) </span><b> Kjerstiana Corson </b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">(5'3", jr. L)</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>