Spring Grove scored seven of the last eight points in set four to get to a fifth set, which then opened with a 7-to-2 Lion run and eventual victory over Fillmore Central in a Section 1A volleyball thriller on Halloween at Rochester. Both teams rallied from deficits before Spring Grove finally prevailed, 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 13-25, 25-19, 15-12). The Lions had the most scoring blocks (SG 10, FC 4), but it was a rare match in which the team with the most attacks and kills (FC 65 kills, SG 48) did not win. However, the Falcons also gave up the most error points (FC 49 errors, SG 31). Overall, the Lions scored 102 points and Fillmore Central 100.
Photo by Lee Epps
The Falcons finish with a 19-11 record, while for the second straight season, the Lions (28-4) move on to face top seed Faribault Bethlehem Academy (19-10). It was the second straight season for No. 4 seed SG to eliminate No, 5 seed FC in the section quarterfinals. With no playoffs in 2020, the teams met in a third-straight postseason with the Falcons having won the 2019 sub-section semi-final in yet another No. 4 over No. 5 decision.
Fillmore, with four straight kills from Kammry Broadwater, fought back in set five to trail only 12-11. A push kill by Lion Joelle Halverson made it 13-11. The match ended with a Grove hitting error followed by two Falcon miscues.
Addyson McHugh (15 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace) scored with her 1,000th career kill during that Lion surge at the end of set four while Kenadee Gerard led Lion attackers with 16 kills and 5 blocks. Top scorers were the Falcons’ Abby Bothun (22 kills, 30 digs) and Broadwater (19 kills, 1 block, 2 aces, 30 digs). Aubrey Daniels had 55 assists for FC while Kendal VanMinsel led the Lions with 38 assists.
Although there was little scoring with serves, Spring Grove held a slight edge in a very close match. Both teams served accurately (SG 94%, FC 92%), but there were relatively few aces as both lost points at the service line. SG served with 5 aces and 6 errors, better then the Falcons’ 4 aces and 8 misfires. For SG, Maggie Lile served 28 for 28 with 2 aces while VanMinsel served 15 for 15 with an ace. Falcon junior Alyssa Britton served 16 for 16 with 2 aces.
The Lions had defeated the Falcons in two competitive sets during a regular-season tournament and scored the first six points in this section rematch. After the teams traded 7-to-2 runs, SG still led by six (17-11) and went on to win the first set by seven. It was the only set during which SG had more kills than FC. The teams continued to trade points in set two, which was tied 16 times – finally at 24-24 before it ended with a Bothun kill and a Lion hitting error.
In set three (FC 25-13), neither team had many errors, but the Falcons dominated the net with 18 kills and 5 errors – a sharp contrast to their 8 kills, 8 errors back in set one. It was also Fillmore Central’s best serving set with 3 aces, 1 misfire. The Falcons could not extend their hot hitting and solid serving into set four, which was tied at 12-all before Grove scored the next four points. The Lions led only 19-18 before closing with a 6-to-1 run, which featured two kills and a block assist by McHugh. Both teams earned 13 points on their own merit, but FC had twice as many errors as did SG.
In front of Halloween-clad Lion students, Spring Grove blocked well and had only 2 errors in set five, opening with a 7-to-2 run and led 10-4 before withstanding a late Falcon rally for a 15-12 win. It was the first five set match of the season for Spring Grove and the second for Fillmore Central.
Match Totals
Earned Points: SG 63 (48K, 10B, 5A); FC 73 (65K, 4B, 4A)
Total Errors: SG 31, FC 49
Attacks: SG 192, FC 226
Kills/Errors: SG 48/20, FC 65/34
Hitting Efficiency: SG 15%, FC 24%
Ace Blocks: SG 10, FC 4
Serving: SG 94%, FC 92%
Aces/Errors: SG 5/6, FC 4/8
Digs: SG 96, FC 113
INDIVIDUALS
Digs 96: Kendal VanMinsel 19, Maggie Lile 15, Sydney Holland 15, Izabel Kaufmann 14, Addyson McHugh 12, Lydia Solum 9, Kenadee Gerard 7, Katelyn Kraus 3, Joelle Halverson 2
Set Assists 44: Kendal VanMinsel 38, Maggie Lile 3, Addyson McHugh 1, Lydia Solum 1, Izabel Kaufmann 1
Kills 48: Kenadee Gerard 16, Addyson McHugh 15, Joelle Halverson 10, Katelyn Kraus 2, Kendal VanMinsel 2, Lydia Solum 2, Maggie Lile 1
Hitting efficiency (K-E/att) Leaders: Joelle Halverson 23% (10-2/35); Addyson McHugh 20% (15-5/51); Kenadee Gerard 16% (16-7/55); Katelyn Kraus 11%$ (2-1/9); Kendal VanMinsel 5% (2-1/19)
Ace Blocks 10: Kenadee Gerard 4.5 (3 solo, 3 assists), Addyson McHugh 2.0 (4 assists), Katelyn Kraus 1.5 (3 assists), Joelle Halverson 1.0 (2 assists), Kendal VanMinsel 0.5 (1 assist), Lydia Solum 0.5 (1 assist)
Service Aces 5: Maggie Lile 2, Addyson McHugh 1, Lydia Solum 1, Kendal VanMinsel 1
Serving 94% (96-102): Maggie Lile 100% (28-28); Kendal VanMinsel 100% (15-15); Sydney Holland 100% (14-14); Lydia Solum 94% (16-17); Addyson McHugh 87% (13-15); Kenadee Gerard 77% (10-13)
Scoring 63: Kenadee Gerard 20.5 (16K, 4.5 B); Addyson McHugh 18.0 (15K, 2B, 1A); Joelle Halverson 11.0 (10K, 1B); Katelyn Kraus 3.5 (2K, 1.5 B); Kendal VanMinsel 3.5 (2K, 0.5 B, 1A); Lydia Solum 3.5 (2K, 0.5 B, 1A); Maggie Lile 3.0 (1K, 2A)
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