Three Falcons, Three Gophers, Two Trojans Make All-TRC

Volleyball Post-Season Wrap-Up 

It was a shortened year of volleyball with no post-season, but two of the three ‘‘Journal 10” squads from the TRC had excellent seasons and boasted a trio of All-Conference picks. 

Fillmore Central boasts a pair of repeat picks in seniors Maddie Krage (5’6” OH) and K.J. Corson (5’3” libero).  Krage was the Falcons’ go-to hitter.  She was one of the best in the TRC at powering down shots.  The senior leaper had a team-high 142 kills on .262 hitting.   Krage averaged 4.4 kills/set (second best of all “Journal 10” athletes).  She hit for double-digit spikes in all but one match, including posting a season-high 26 versus Chatfield.  Only Kingsland’s Ellie Buchholtz had more kills in a match of “Journal 10” athletes.  Corson concluded her fourth year of starting on varsity for Coach Travis Malley. FC’s libero led the team with 181 digs while also serving at a team-best 98.4% (125 for 127).  K.J. had four 20-plus-dig matches and hit double-digits nine times.  For her career, she (unofficially) registered 1,391 digs. 

Because COVID shortened the season, she couldn’t put together a fourth straight year of over 300 digs.  She’s been FC’s consistent passing force the past four years, contributing to teams that went 63-32.  Corson was All-TRC (2019/2020) or All-TRC HM (2017/2018) all four years.  Moving up from All-TRC HM to purely All-TRC is FC’s third pick, Lauren Mensink (5’6” junior setter).  Mensink moved from hitting and setting as a sophomore, to mostly setting as a junior.  She amassed 278 assists, 104 digs, and 36 kills while serving 94.8% (127 for 134).  FC’s offensive instigator notched six double-doubles (assists/digs) and went over 30 assists five times.  She is over 600 assists for her career.  Making All-TRC HM are seniors Hadley Yoder (5’8” MH) and Hope Sexton (5’5” DS).  Yoder was the Falcons’ second leading hitter with 79 kills (.278 clip).  She also racked up a team-best 21 aces.  Sexton amassed a team-second best 106 digs and a team second-best 11 aces.  Sexton, Yoder, Mensink and Corson all had 127-plus service attempts.  These Falcons helped the FC go 7-1 in the TRC, 9-1 overall.  They shared the TRC title. 

Posting its first winning season since 2005 were the Chatfield Gophers.  As a result, Molly Thomas’ group also gets three All-TRC picks. 

Senior Paige Erickson (5’9” MH) and junior Peyton Berg (5’6” junior OH) each are repeat All-TRC selections.  Erickson, a four-year player, again scored in multiple ways, notching a team second-best 87 kills, a team-best 34 blocks, adding 13 aces.  Erickson had a career-high 20 kills versus R-P.  After mainly playing libero as a sophomore, Berg was Chatfield’s best all-the-way-around player as a junior.  She registered a team third-best 58 kills, a team-best 132 digs, plus 13 aces.  Berg thrice had 25-plus digs in a match. 

After being HM as a sophomore, lengthy junior Zayda Priebe (6’0” MH) earns her first All-TRC selection.  Priebe was a major force, scoring a team-best 118 kills plus a team second-best 25 blocks.  She hit double-digit kills five times including a season-high of 21 versus St. Charles.  Rounding out Chatfield’s post-season honorees are All-TRC HM selections, senior four-year contributors Abi Hinckley (5’4” DS/libero) and Mollie Henry (5’7” OH).  Hinckley had a team second-best 89 digs, Henry 37 kills.  Chatfield’s girls worked hard for their season.  The Gophers went 5-1 in the TRC and 7-4 overall, sharing the league title.  But they played in seven matches that went four or more sets, winning all seven.  They went 0-4 in three set matches.  The Gophers also stayed as clean as any team in the TRC as it relates to COVID, playing right up until the season was cancelled. 

Rushford-Peterson’s season wasn’t fruitful as FC and Chatfield before it.  But Nikki Schultz’s Trojans battled defensively and served well.  They get a pair of All-TRC picks in Alyvia Eide (5’6” libero) and

Kaylee Ruberg (5’10” MH).  Eide, a senior, earned her third All-TRC selection.  The senior libero amassed a team-best 133 digs while serving at 94.9% (74 of 78).  Eide went over 1,000 career digs late her junior year and finished with (unofficially) 1,135 for her career.  She had at least 16 digs in all seven of R-P’s matches in 2020.  After making All-TRC HM last year, Ruberg earned her first All-TRC selection.  The sophomore had a team-best 66 kills, a team best 10 blocks, and tied for the team lead with eight aces (serving 70 of 75, 93.3%) while adding 81 digs.  The Trojans also have two All-TRC MH picks in senior Alayna Helgemoe (5’5” OH) and junior Elly Malone (5’7” junior OH).  It is Malone’s second HM selection, as she amassed a team second-best 41 kills and a team second-best 102 digs while serving at a team-best 97.5% (80 of 82).