#2 Cougars Sweep SEC, Top GM in Showcase Match
Mabel-Canton ended its regular season by finishing their SEC schedule perfectly, notching their 30th win, then winning another SEC East-West Showcase match. Lonnie Morken’s #2-ranked crew won its final league game by sweep of Southland (25-5, 25-14, 25-21). The Rebels biggest pop was setter Maren Wehrenberg getting to 1,000 career assists. M-C did what they do. Sahara Morken tallied 32 assists, 10 digs, and 4 aces on 21 for 21 serving. Kinley Soiney (10 kills, 6 digs, 3 total blocks), Saijal Slafter (8 kills, 8 digs), and Hope Erickson (8 kills, 3 total blocks) gave M-C good offensive balance. Kailey Ingvalson (5 kills), Tylar Wenthold (5 kills, 6 digs), and Lydia Vatland (6 digs) also aided the cause. The SEC-East champ Cougars (14-0, 30-2) than played SEC-West Champ Grand Meadow (11-3, 15-12). GM never led, but also never folded. Lonnie Morken’s group bolted to 8-2 and 9-2 leads in games one and two. The Larks then got as close as two as late as 17-15 in game one only to fall 25-18. In set two, GM caught M-C in a different rotation late. A 21-11 Cougar lead was nearly erased by a 9-0 Lark run. GM’s Kendall Jack served eight straight points. But with the lead trimmed to 21-20, M-C senior Saijal Slafter scored with a kill, then served an ace. The Cougars scored the final four points for the 25-20 win. GM then stayed within two to four points in game three until the very end. M-C led 19-18 but scored six of the final eight for the 25-20 win, the 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-20, 25-20). The Cougars won by roughly the same scores (25-18, 25-19, 25-19) in the teams’ SEC opener on August 27. Morken (4 kills, 39 assists, 13 digs), Soiney (22 kills, 6 digs), and Slafter (10 kills, 12 digs, 17-17 serving, 6 aces) spearheaded the attack. Soiney had 10 kills in game one. Wenthold (7 kills, 5 digs), Vatland (8 digs), and Ava Jacobsen (7 digs) helped. Hallie Hendrickson (22 assists, 12 digs) keyed the Lark attack, and the junior setter recorded her 1,000th career assist. Lauren Queensland (9 kills, 10 digs) and Gracie Foster (6 kills, 15 digs) were her best accomplices. Jack (5 kills, 15-15 serving, 2 aces), Cheyenne Bakken (10 digs), and Regan Schaalma (6 digs) helped. M-C (14-0, 31-2) is Section 1A’s top seed and will host either 16-seed Houston (9-15) or 17-seed Lyle/Pacelli (7-19). GM (11-3, 15-13) is the 8-seed and will host 9-seed Lanesboro (9-5, 17-13).
Larks Rally Past Burros to Secure SEC-West Title
Grand Meadow (10-3, 14-12) trailed Lanesboro (9-4, 17-12) one-set-to-zero and then trailed a good chunk of set two before rallying to take the set, keying a 3-1 match win. Lanesboro grabbed the first game 25-22 by scoring the final three points, as they rode Jentrey Schreiber’s six-kill effort. The Burros then led game two 14-7. But Matt Rosaaen’s group rallied to tie the set at 19. It was then tied at every number up to 27. Lanesboro was at set point twice (24-23, 27-26). GM was at set point three times (25-24, 26-25, 28-27), finally getting a Gracie Foster big-smash kill for the set win, 29-27. Avoiding an 0-2 deficit, GM then was propelled to wins in games three (25-13) and four (25-21). The later was tied 17-17 before a five-point Lark run. Three of those five points came via Burro hitting errors. GM (11-3, 15-12) thus downed the Burros 3-1 (22-25, 29-27, 25-13, 25-21) to secure the SEC-West title over Southland (9-5, 11-9), which fell to Mabel-Canton the same night. Foster (19 kills, 23 digs) continued her late season emergence. Lauren Queensland (11 kills, 18 digs), Kendall Jack (9 kills), and Haylie Paul (8 kills, 3 total blocks) gave GM balance. Hallie Hendrickson (43 assists, 14 digs) ran the offense. Libero Cheyenne Bakken had 23 digs. Schreiber (10 kills, 9 digs) was the only Burro with more than eight kills. Taylor Hanson added 7 kills. Setter Jensyn Storhoff, who was honored for getting her 1,000th career dig at a tournament days before, did her usual stat-stuffing (7 kills, 28 assists, 25 digs, 2 aces). Ellie Howard (24 digs) and Ava Rein (4 kills, 11 digs) helped. The Burros (9-5, 17-13) are 1A’s 9-seed and will play at the 8-seed Larks (11-3, 15-13) for a Round of 16 play-off contest.
Three Rivers Conference Volleyball (10/15)
Rushford-Peterson 0, Fillmore Central 3 > 25-20, 25-23, 25-10 (FC: K. Hellickson 10 kills, 17 digs; Aubrey Daniels 3 kills, 17 assists, 7 digs; Katelyn Scheevel 7 kills; Annika Mensink 8 kills; Ella Dahly 4 kills, 12 digs; Josie Corson 11 digs, 15-15 serving, 3 aces; Hannah Vaalemoen 12 assists, 6 digs; Lily Miller 8 digs. R-P: Torryn Schneider 7 kills, 16 digs, 3 aces; Addison Drinkall 11 digs; Ava Helgemoe 7 kills; Avree Connaughty 9 assists, 5 digs; Kayla Magin 9 assists, 6 digs; Lindsey Hoiness 4 kills, 5 digs, 4 total blocks.)
Wabasha-Kellogg 0, #5 in AA Caledonia 3 > 25-12, 25-11, 25-20 (C: L. Myhre 19 kills; Elsa Blum 10 kills, 9 digs; Sienna Augedahl 5 kills; A. Augedahl 4 kills, 34 assists; Aubrie Klug 17 digs, 20-21 serving, 3 aces; Lauren Goetzinger 13 digs)
Southeast Conference Volleyball (10/14)
Lyle/Pacelli 0, Spring Grove 3 > 25-6, 25-10, 25-14 (SG: Emerson Ingvalson 13 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks, 12-12 serving, 2 aces; Jordis Neeley 11 kills; Joelle Halverson 8 kills; Kendal VanMinsel 7 kills, 23 assists, 3 aces; Sydney Holland 10 digs, 7 assists; Katie Klug 6 digs)
Kingsland 0, Houston 3 > 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 (H: Emily Botcher 14 kills, 14 digs, 4 aces; Olivia Yohe 16 assists, 11 digs; Ellasyn Carrier 13 digs; Mary Srock 7 digs; Jaden Woodard 4 kills, 5 digs. K: Vaira Merkel 7 kills; Chantle Reiland 6 kills, 5 digs; P. Robinson 34 digs; Kayln Stier 5 kills, 13 digs; Macie Rasmussen 8 assists, 5 digs; Caisa Kolling 2 kills, 3 aces, 3 total blocks; Jill Moore 6 digs)
LeRoy-Ostrander 3, Schaeffer Academy 0 > 25-17, 25-13, 25-18 (L-O: B. Nolt 17 kills, 12 digs; Meah Stevens 27 assists, 6 digs; Maria Almaraz-Nolt 6 kills, 4 digs, 4 aces; Miranda Nagel 6 kills, 18-20 serving, 6 aces; Brooke Jasper 5 digs, 17-17 serving, 3 aces)
Non-Conference Volleyball (10/19)
Chaska Tourney (Fillmore Central went 1-4, beating Faribault B.A. 2-0 (25-21, 25-22), losing to #10 in AAAA Chaska 0-2 (13-25, 19-25), AAA Stewartville 0-2 (15-25, 18-25), #9 in AA Concordia Academy 0-2 (19-25, 19-25), and to AAAA Bemidji 1-2 (25-20, 20-25, 12-15). Falcon tourney leaders: K. Hellickson (14 kills, 60 digs, 6 aces), K. Scheevel (24 kills, 9 total blocks), E. Dahly (23 kills, 51 digs), A. Daniels (48 assists, 26 digs), H. Vaalemoen (40 assists, 21 digs), J. Corson (27 digs), L. Miller (25 digs) Eleven of the Falcons 15 losses have come versus teams up in class)
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