Standout Chatfield, FC, and Caledonia Players Head All-TRC Volleyball List
The top four teams in the Three Rivers Conference in volleyball were Caledonia (10-0, 26-6), Fillmore Central (9-1, 27-7), Chatfield (8-2, 27-8), and Rushford-Peterson (7-3, 18-6) while Winona-Cotter (6-4, 25-8), Lewiston-Altura (5-5, 15-13), Dover-Eyota (4-6, 19-11), Wabasha-Kellogg (3-7, 9-16), St. Charles (1-9, 9-17), P-E-M (1-9, 8-19), and La Crescent/Hokah (1-9, 5-17) rounded out the standings. Warriors, Falcons, and Gophers naturally head the All-TRC list. Caledonia gets a league-high five all-league selections; Aubrie Klug (6’0” Sr. libero), Avery Augedahl (5’6” Jr. setter), Kensey King (6’1” Sr. MH), and Elsa Blum (5’8” Jr. OH), and Ashlyn Reinhart (5’6” Fr. OH). Klug and Augedahl each repeat. The senior Klug was the Warriors defensive ace, and maybe the TRC’s top libero, tallying a team-best 537 digs while doing much of the serve receive. She added 60 assists and 39 aces on 97% serving. For her four-year career, Klug finished with 1,541 digs, a span that included the 2023 state season. Klug earned 1st Team Class AA All-State. Augedahl again spearheaded the Warrior offense, as she notched 796 assists plus 192 digs and 43 kills. The junior easily surpassed 1,000 assists this season after putting up 855 assists last year. She will shoot for 2,000 next year. Blum led the team with 256 kills while adding 217 digs and 39 aces. Reinhart was just behind with 248 kills and a team second-best 233 digs. The freshman also tallied a team-high 78 aces with her wicked jump-serve. King, a disruptive defensive force at the net, added 195 kills (on .224 hitting) with a team-best 64 ace blocks. Said girls led the Warriors to an undefeated TRC title (including topping state teams Chatfield and Fillmore Central) and a Section 1AA runner-up finish. Coach Dan Reinhart was named Section 1AA Coach of the Year. State Class AA runner-up Chatfield gets four All-TRC picks, Harper Goldsmith (5’7” Sr. setter), Trindy Barkeim (5’9” Sr. OH), Cora Bicknese (5’7” Jr. OH/RS), and Hannah Tweten (5’5” Sr. libero). All four are in a 1,000-something-club. Goldsmith, a five-year contributor, ended a fabulous career. Her season was spectacular for a setter; 937 assists, 295 digs, 121 kills, 58 aces, and 34 total blocks, naturally leading the team in assists and aces, while finishing third in digs. She had 30-plus assists 14 times (including every play-off match). For her fabulous career, Goldsmith finishes with 3,072 assists, 933 digs, 494 kills, and 288 aces. The assists and aces are most likely Chatfield records. She had four years of 58-plus aces, four years of at least 498 assists. Bicknese led the team with 434 kills while finishing second with 471 digs and 40 aces. She thus made the extremely rare 400-400 club, almost doubling her kill-total (221) from last year. Bicknese has over 360 digs in each of the past four seasons. Already with over 1,700 career digs, Bicknese likely will attain 2,000 as a senior and may go over 1,000 career kills as well. Goldsmith and Bicknese earned Class AA All-State, Harper repeating. The hard-hitting Barkeim was second on the team with 418 kills, hitting .245, while adding 273 digs and 37 aces on a team-best 96% serving. She finished her four-year career with 1,141 kills. She joins former teammate Jaelyn LaPlante in reaching said milestone. They are the only two Gophers in the Journal-Sports era (since 2011) to do so. Tweten led the team with a massive 548 digs while adding 38 aces and 65 libero-assists. The senior three-year player finished with 1,138 digs. Goldsmith is bound for Augustana to play college volleyball. Tweten and Barkeim are headed to play beach volleyball at Florida Southern College and Wingate University (in North Carolina) respectively. Said group has been instrumental as Gopher volleyball has gone 127-29 the past five years, with two state trips. It is Chatfield’s most successful period ever. It is a tremendous foursome. For Fillmore Central, Kyla Hellickson (5’9” Sr. OH), Aubrey Daniels (5’5” Sr. setter), Josie Corson (5’4” Jr. libero), and Madi Zwart (6’0” So. MH) are honored. Hellickson made All-TRC a fourth time, Daniels a third time. Hellickson finished a five-year career by expanding her role greatly. After playing all-around late last year, she again did so this year, compiling 501 digs, 285 kills, and 65 aces. She was second on the team in all three categories. The senior had almost 200 more kills this year than last (95). Hellickson finishes her career with 2,323 digs and 284 aces, each an FC record. Compiling stats from a couple different sites (Breakdown Sports Book and MSHSL.org), only three other girls in state history have been documented with more career digs, Roseville’s Haley Kauth (2,869), Lake of the Woods’ Alcia Draper (2,623), and Osakis’ Greta Faber (2,325). Zwart led the team with 414 kills hitting .329 while also leading the team with 88 total blocks. She broke out massively after totaling 88 kills playing varsity just late last year. Hellickson and Zwart each earned Class A All-State. Daniels compiled a team-best 533 assists plus 162 digs and 45 aces (on 96%) serving. She finished her four-year career with 2,117 assists, which is second in FC history behind Morgan Malley (3,146). Her 800 career digs are fourth in Falcon history. Corson led FC with a whopping 582 digs while also notching 51 assists and 35 aces. She is the younger sister of one of the girls ahead of Daniels on the Falcon all-time dig sheet, K.J. Corson (1,399). Making All-TRC HM for the Falcons is Lauren Dahly (5’8” Jr. MH > 183 kills, 34 aces, 44 total blocks). Said girls were all instrumental in the Falcons going to state back-to-back years, grabbing the fifth-place trophy this year, and posting the second-best season in Falcon history (27-7). Travis Malley was named the Section 1A Coach of the Year. For Rushford-Peterson, only Torryn Schneider (5’6” Sr. OH) made All-TRC. She repeated in earning said honor. The senior was also twice All-TRC HM in 2022 and 2023. A four-year contributor, Schneider had 187 kills, 337 digs, and 43 aces while serving at 97%. She was second on the team in kills and digs while leading it in aces. Schneider finished her career with over 1,300 career digs. Making All-TRC HM for the Trojans are Addison Drinkall (5’5” Fr. libero > team-high 359 digs, 34 aces on 96% serving) and Ava Helgemoe (5’9” Sr. OH > team-high 194 kills and 38 aces blocks). Rounding out the All-TRC picks are Camrie Macal (Sr. OH), Savy Repinski (Sr. setter), and Sydney Repinski (So. Libero) from Winona-Cotter, Levin LeJeune (Sr. setter) and Teagan Hartman (So. OH) from Lewiston-Altura, Lauren Peck (Jr. setter) from Dover-Eyota, Lydia Kimball (Jr. OH) from La Crescent/Hokah, and Ellie Sandwick (Sr. libero) from Wabasha-Kellogg.
Player of the Year Soiney Highlights All-SEC Volleyball Team
Mabel-Canton (14-0, 29-4) once again controlled the action in the Southeast Conference for volleyball with Spring Grove (9-5, 16-13), Lanesboro (8-6, 15-15), Houston (5-9, 10-16), and Schaeffer Academy (1-13, 5-21) following in the East division standings. In the SEC-West, Grand Meadow (13-1, 22-7) grabbed the title again ahead of Southland (9-5, 15-12), Lyle/Pacelli (9-5, 15-11), LeRoy-Ostrander (7-7, 10-16), Kingsland (2-12, 4-19), and Glenville-Emmons (0-14, 1-17). Division winners M-C and GM naturally have the most All-SEC picks, four each. It was a change of the guard in the conference, as only four girls repeated while 14 girls were 1st time All-SEC picks. SEC Player of the Year Kinley Soiney (5’11” Sr. MH) heads the cast. Soiney earned her fourth All-SEC nod and she made All-State a third straight year. For a fourth straight year, Soiney put down over 400 kills, a remarkable accomplishment. She led the Cougars with 470 spikes on .409 hitting while also leading the team in aces with 53 and blocks with 84 total (including 57 aces blocks). Her 255 digs were second best on the team. For her career, she finishes with 2,205 kills, which is the M-C record, plus 450 total blocks and 765 digs. Combining a couple sites (Breakdown Sports Volleyball Book and MSHSL.org), only nine other girls have topped 2,200 kills in state history (and two played in the side-out era). Soiney thus (unofficially) ranks 10th all-time in state history in kills. Soiney was a focal point during maybe M-C’s top volleyball run ever, a span that included three straight 1A title game (2022, 2023, 2024) and two state trips (2022, 2023). She is headed to the University of Jamestown (in North Dakota). Also making All-SEC for the Cougars are Gwen Rein (5’5” 8th setter), Braylee Stortz (5’7” 8th OH), and Ella Halverson (5’8” Jr. MH). Each earned their first All-SEC nod. Rein stepped into some big shoes (Sahara Morken) and piled up 904 assists plus 216 digs and 41 aces. Stortz had team second-bests with 226 kills (on .341 hitting) and 45 aces (tie) while also recording 239 digs. Halverson had a team third-best 191 kills plus 41 total blocks. Making All-SEC for M-C is Lauren Burke (5’5” So. libero > team-high 315 digs). West champion and the league’s second-best team, Grand Meadow, also gets four All-SEC picks. All four are seniors: Hallie Hendrickson (5’8” setter), Kendall Jack (5’7” OH/MH), Gracie Foster (5’7” OH), and Regan Schaalma (5’7” DS). Hendrickson and Foster each repeated as All-SEC. Hendrickson finished a strong three-year career. She led the Lark offense, compiling 700 assists plus a team-high 48 aces on 94% serving. Hendrickson added 62 kills and 177 digs. She finished her career with 1,779 career assists. Foster led the team with 232 kills while adding 148 digs and 36 aces. Jack had team second-bests with 216 kills, 43 aces, and 217 digs. Schaalma contributed 147 digs and 29 aces. Making All-SEC HM for Grand Meadow is Holly Weiss (5’8” Jr. RH > 99 kills), who got hurt late in the season. Not earning an honor was libero Cheyenne Bakken (5’4” Sr. > team-high 364 digs), who finished with 1,012 career digs. Spring Grove had two All-SEC selections, two of the three juniors so honored. Izabel Kaufmann (5’4” Jr. libero) and Brinley Middendorf (5’10” Jr. MB). Kaufmann was one of three First Team defensive specialists. She led the Lions with 422 digs and had the second-most assists with 29 and the third-most service aces with 35. Middendorf led the serving rotation with 92% accuracy with the second-most ace percentage of 14%. At the net, she led the team with 16 solo blocks, had the Lions’ second-most 47 total blocks and the second-most 208 kills. Receiving All-SEC HM was Claire Sherburne (5’5” 8th grade setter > team-best 699 assists, team-most 56 ace serves, 213 digs, 60 kills, 18 blocks). For Lanesboro, Emma Ruen (5’8” So. setter) and Jensyn Storhoff (5’7” Sr. OH/setter) are honored. Storhoff earned her third All-SEC nod. Battling an injury, she still compiled 108 kills, 99 assists, 156 digs, and 31 aces. Storhoff finished her five-year career with 583 kills, 736 assists, 1,253 digs, and 223 aces. Ruen amassed 569 assists, a team second-best 254 digs and 34 aces plus 55 kills. Making All-SEC HM for the Burros is Sari Rein (5’10” Sr. MB > team-best 178 kills, 65 blocks, and 35 aces). Not earning an award is libero Ellie Howard (5’6” Sr. > team-best 392 digs). She finished with 1,260 career digs. Getting just one All-SEC pick is Leroy-Ostrander. Setter Meah Stevens (5’5” Sr.) is honored. Stevens notched 523 assists and 184 digs plus 27 aces on 94% serving. Having amassed 523 assists last year too, she finished with 1,046 career helpers. Making All-SEC HM for the Cardinals is Keira Lewison (5’5” Jr. OH > 120 kills, 158 digs). Neither Houston nor Kingsland got a pure All-SEC selection. The Hurricanes All-SEC HM pick is Jorja Meyer (5’10” Sr. MH > team-bests with 128 kills, 63 aces, and 26 total blocks). The Knights All-SEC MH pick is Emma Howard (5’6” Sr. setter > 220 assists, 116 digs, 22 aces). Also making All-SEC 1st Team are Southland seniors Shannon Keifer (OH), Breeley Galle (MH), and Ava Payne (libero), Lyle/Pacelli’s Jacey Bednar (Fr. OH) and Autumn Drennan (So. Setter).
Leave a Reply