Who’s Dominating the Post Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams are well into the postseason and some have been pretty dominant so far without dropping a set. Let's take a look at a few of these squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mabel-Canton</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mabel-Canton was looking in great form when I saw them at the Class A Showcase in September. This squad shows off a highly productive offense balanced with scrappy relentless defense. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='117876' first='Sahara' last='Morken'] has a great connection with her hitters and is absolutely everywhere on the court as she refuses to let the ball drop on her side. Middle hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='727761' first='Saijal' last='Slafter'], has a fast snap after she contacts on top of the ball. Another senior, [player_tooltip player_id='400311' first='Hope' last='Erickson'] has a natural ability to find the split in the block for a point when swinging from the right pin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mayer Lutheran</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mayer Lutheran has multiple players performing in big ways this season. Seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='488409' first='Marley' last='Martin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='736338' first='Mari' last='Buhr'] have been leading a charge into the postseason. Martin hits a great line shot from a slide route and she is so fast off the ground. Meanwhile, Buhr will take care of the net by putting up a really solid block and help with anything on her half of the net. They've also got a lot of juniors and sophomores who are contributing in big ways and learning how to keep the winning tradition going.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Minneota</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minneota is a perennial powerhouse and took their opening match in 3. This particular squad has a lot of contributors. [player_tooltip player_id='273213' first='Nevaeh' last='Hennen'] is a tough senior server and has a quick release of the ball out of her hands when she sets. She also plays tough and gritty defense with quick reactions. Another senior is [player_tooltip player_id='166363' first='Elivia' last='Faris'] and I've seen her swinging from everywhere on the net in the same set. She is explosive from the right side and is a natural and springy as a blocker. I'd keep her as a pin whenever possible because she can make some awesome defensive plays as an off blocker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Russell-Tyler-Ruthton</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RTR is picking up where they left off last season. They are quickly showing they could be one of the top teams in Class A. Junior Brezlyn Buchert has big shoes to fill but she is getting the job done as the team's setter. Middle Blocker, Ava Karbo controls the net. She closes the block and presses really well to put up a huge block that gets in the face of opposing attackers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sebeka</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, Sebeka took care of business in their first two play-off matches and sent a very clear message to anyone they will see down the road. When I saw them at the Class A Showcase they were led by a pair of seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='492608' first='Jaylin' last='Lillquist'] and [player_tooltip player_id='736504' first='Miranda' last='Lillquist']. Jaylin had really good timing on the block and a nose for the ball. She was doing a little bit of everything. Miranda is an intimidating presence at the net at 6'1 and she makes hitters think twice about entering her airspace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->