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.
Photo by Paul Trende
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.
Photo by Paul Trende
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.
Photo by Paul Trende
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).