Volleyball (11/25)

Post-season Awards

It was another big year for area volleyball teams. In the Three Rivers Conference, two teams made state. Chatfield (10-0, 29-6) won their second straight league title, the Section 1AA title, and finished fourth in St. Paul in their first ever appearance. Fillmore Central (8-2, 18-17) tied for second place in the league but won the Section 1A title and also took fourth at state. Caledonia (7-3, 21-10) was ranked in Class AA most of the year including winning the prestigious Class AA Showcase. Winona-Cotter (8-2, 24-5), Lewiston-Altura (7-3, 17-12), Dover-Eyota (5-5, 14-11), Rushford-Peterson (4-6, 10-14), La Crescent/Hokah (3-7, 6-13), PEM (2-8, 10-19), Wabasha-Kellogg (1-9, 9-17), and St. Charles (0-10, 4-23) rounded out the (unofficial) league standings. In the SEC, Mabel-Canton (14-0, 34-3) was ranked top four all season and grabbed their 27th straight SEC (East Division) title. Spring Grove (12-2, 22-8) also had a good season. Lanesboro (9-5, 17-14), Houston (6-8, 10-16), and Schaeffer Academy (1-13, 2-22) rounded out the East standings. In the West, Grand Meadow (11-3, 16-14) won the division title ahead of Southland (9-5, 11-10), LeRoy-Ostrander (8-6, 12-16), Lyle/Pacelli (4-10, 7-20), Kingsland (3-11, 5-22), and Glenville-Emmons (0-14, 0-19). Five area athletes made All-State and many individual milestones were reached. 

All-Southeast Conference Awards

In the Southeast Conference, Mabel-Canton (14-0, 34-3) was again the top dog. The Cougars kept their 100-plus SEC-match win streak alive in winning the East Division. M-C’s season ended as Section 1A runner-up. They get four All-SEC picks in Sahara Morken (5’4” Sr. setter), Kinley Soiney (5’11” Jr. MH), Saijal Slafter (5’9” Sr. MH), and Lydia Vatland (5’4” Sr. libero). Morken and Soiney head the cast. Morken earned Class A All-State a third year while Soiney repeated. Sahara, the last daughter of Cougar head coach Lonnie Morken, capped a prestigious career. She will go down as one of the Cougars absolute greats. She earned her fourth All-SEC nod and her third SEC Player of the Year award. Morken quarterbacked the Cougars again, racking up 84 kills, 1,099 assists, 319 digs, and 97 aces (on 94.3%) serving. She was the team leader in assists, digs, and aces. Most girls are lucky to get to 1,000 career assists. It was her fourth season of amassing 1,000 assists. By best accounts, with 4,662 career assists, she finishes fourth overall all-time in state history. She goes down as M-C’s all-time assist leader. Morken also finished with 1,357 career digs (seventh all-time in M-C history) and 364 career aces (fourth all-time). This year was also her third year with 300 digs, also a feat (particularly for a setter). She was the setter for Cougar teams that won two Section 1A titles and made two state trips while going to three straight 1A finals. Her six-year record is 182-17. Morken will play volleyball at Gustavus Adolphus next year. Soiney was again the Cougars’ top hitter. The junior ripped to 458 kills on .440 hitting percentage. She also had a team-best 90 total blocks. With 1,735 career kills, Soiney broke the M-C all-time kill record late in the season. It was her fourth straight year of 400-plus kills and she added a team third-best 190 digs and 55 aces. Soiney earned her third All-SEC nod. Slafter was M-C’s third big cog, as she had team second-bests with 282 kills on .392 hitting, 61 aces on 94.3% serving, and 206 digs. For her career, Slafter finished sixth all-time in M-C history with 1,234 kills. She also tallied 610 career digs and 192 career aces. A four-year starter, she earned her fourth All-SEC nod. Vatland earned her second All-SEC nod while notching a team-fourth-best 190 digs plus 39 aces. She finished with 645 career digs. Making All-SEC HM for M-C is Hope Erickson (5’9” So. MH > 134 kills). Said girls have helped M-C go 137-14 the past four years. 

Spring Grove (22-8) achieved a fourth straight season with 20-plus wins on the heels of a 19-win campaign. Kelsey Morken’s girls (12-2) finished as SEC-East runner-up for a fourth consecutive and for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons – the only SEC squad to take a set from Mabel-Canton. Each loss came against either a state-ranked or eventual 20-win team or a 19-win Class AAA squad until upended at section by 18-win Goodhue. The Lions earned their highest-ever No. 2 section seed and won a playoff match for an eighth straight year. All four All-SEC standouts were repeat selections, including three-time honoree Kendal VanMinsel (5’11” Sr. setter), who with 662 set assists this year, achieved a school-record 2,121 career assists. She scored with 94 kills also with the Lions’ second-highest 26% hitting efficiency. She had team-highs with 59 total blocks and seven solo rejections and ranked second with 51 service aces. Joelle Halverson (5’9” Sr. OH), also repeated as Lion MVP and led her team with both 246 kills and 27% hitting efficiency while ranking third while serving 94.1%. Jordis Neeley (5’10” Sr. OH) was the Lions’ leading scorer with team-highs 58 ace serves and 41% kill percentage while ranking second with 232 kills and 57 blocks. Sydney Holland (5’5” Sr. libero) had a SG-high 267 digs (3.2 per set). On offense, she ranked second with 62 set assists and 94.3% serving. Receiving honorable mention was Emerson Ingvalson (5’7” senior OH > 145 kills, 171 digs, 31 aces on 94.8% serving, 24 blocks).

Grand Meadow gets three All-SEC picks in Lauren Queensland (5’10” Sr. OH), Hallie Hendrickson (5’8” Jr. setter), and Gracie Foster (5’7” Jr. OH). Queensland wrapped up an excellent four-year varsity career by earning her third all-league nod. She notched team-second-bests with 174 kills and 285 digs while serving at 98.6% (273 of 277) with 20 aces. She finished her career with 1,030 digs. The offense revolved around Hendrickson at her setter position, where she notched 659 assists. The junior went over 1,000 career helpers. GM’s first server, she also led the team with 58 aces on 92.4% serving while chipping in 158 digs and 50 kills. Foster was the Larks’ splashiest attacker, as she notched a team-best 189 kills while adding a team-third-best 235 digs. Making All-SEC HM for GM is Haylie Paul (5’11” Sr. MH > 156 kills, team-best 36 blocks, 94.5% serving). Said girls helped GM to the SEC-West title and a trip back to Rochester for a quarterfinal playoff game for the first time since 2018. 

Lanesboro had a successful season going 17-14. Frankie Kohn-Nelson’s Burros get three All-SEC picks in Jensyn Storhoff (5’6” Jr. setter), Taylor Hanson (6’0” Sr. MH), and Ellie Howard (5’6” Jr. libero). Storhoff is the Burros only repeat selection. Hanson and Howard are first-timers. Storhoff was all over the place, amassing 129 kills, 428 assists, 99 aces, and 394 digs. She led the team in assists and aces while finishing second in digs. The Burros top player had multiple near or actual triple doubles. Storhoff also surpassed 1,000 career digs. Howard was Lanesboro’s designated passer in accumulating a team-best 421 digs plus 60 assists. Hanson had 142 kills and a team-best 68 blocks plus 82 digs and 27 aces. Ava Rein (5’7” Sr. RH > 66 kills, 209 digs) made All-SEC HM. 

Houston and LeRoy-Ostrander just get a sole All-SEC selection. For Houston, it is senior Emily Botcher (5’10” OH), who repeated making all-league. The Hurricanes top all-around player, Botcher led the squad with 240 kills and 45 aces while finishing second with 229 digs. Ellasyn Carrier (5’5” Sr. libero/DS > team-best 288 digs) made All-SEC HM for the Hurricanes. For L-O, it is senior Benita Nolt (5’11” MH), who earned her third all-league nod. Nolt led the Cardinals with 309 kills and 54 aces while adding a team-second-best 209 digs. She finished with 1,029 career kills, having put together back-to-back 300-kill seasons. L-O’s All-SEC HM pick is Brooke Jasper (5’7” Sr. MH > team-best 264 digs, team second-best 145 kills). Jasper was purely All-SEC last year and All-SEC HM in 2022. Additionally, Kingsland had no pure All-SEC picks but Paisley Robinson (Jr. libero) made All-SEC HM. She was their team leader in digs (no official stats provided). Other pure All-SEC picks from non-Journal-covered teams were Southland’s Abby Sorgatz (Sr. libero) and Maren Wehrenberg (Sr. setter). 

All Three Rivers Conference Awards 

In the Three Rivers Conference, Chatfield was the top dog. Kristi Rindels’ group gets a league-high five All-TRC selections in terrific five-some of Jaelyn LaPlante (5’8” Sr. OH), Harper Goldsmith (5’8” Jr. setter), Trindy Barkeim (5’8” Jr. OH), Cora Bicknese (5’7” So. OH), and Hannah Tweten (5’4” Jr. libero). LaPlante hammered down a team-best 445 kills at a .311 clip. It was her third straight year of over 300 kills, a rare feat. For her career, she finished with 1,337 career kills, which is probably Chatfield’s record. She is surely the only Gopher since 2010 to amass 1,000 kills. The jumpy senior added 220 digs while serving at 92.7%. She finished with 755 career digs. LaPlante earned her fourth All-TRC nod. Goldsmith again quarterbacked the Chatfield offense, racking up 921 assists, 226 digs, and a team-best 69 aces on 91.3% serving. She topped 2,000 assists for her career and earned her third All-TRC nod. LaPlante and Goldsmith each repeated in earning Class AA All-State. Barkeim, Bicknese, and Tweten each saw their games evolve in 2024. Barkeim produced a team second-best 344 kills, upping her ante considerably from 2023’s 166. She joined with LaPlante to form the TRC’s top hitting combo (789 combined kills). The junior also chipped in 189 digs and 55 aces. Bicknese moved from libero to all-the-way-around and notched a team third-best 221 kills, a team second-best 367 digs, while adding 50 aces. She notched her third straight 350-plus dig campaign including going over 1,000 for her career. Bicknese repeated in earning All-TRC. Tweten moved from part-time setter to pure libero and racked up the digs and serve receives. The junior led Chatfield with 448 digs while adding a team second-best 64 aces. Both Barkeim and Tweten moved up from All-TRC HM to earn their first All-TRC honors. LaPlante and Tweten made the All-Tourney team at state. Said girls were huge in the Gophers’ repeat TRC champion, program-best 29-6 state season. 

Fillmore Central tied for second place in the TRC. Travis Malley’s Falcons get three pure All-TRC picks in Kyla Hellickson (5’8” Jr. OH/libero), Aubrey Daniels (5’6” Jr. setter), and Ella Dahly (5’7” Sr. OH). Hellickson earned her third All-TRC nod, making the switch from libero to playing all the way around. She led the team with 538 digs and 71 aces. It was her fourth straight year of over 380 career digs and she is easily on a pace to top 2,000 as a senior. The junior also compiled 93 kills hitting for the last part of the year. Adding to her accolades, she was also the only Falcon to make the All-Tourney team at state. Daniels finished her third year of varsity action also by notching 46 kills, a team-best 380 assists, and 182 digs while serving at 96.9% (283 of 292). She repeated in making All-TRC. Dahly joined Hellickson in playing all the way around. She compiled team-second-bests with 188 kills, 315 digs, and 42 aces. She was FC’s (and one of the TRC’s) most improved players, as she had 53 kills, 52 digs, and 4 aces in 2023. Making All-TRC HM for the Falcons are Katelyn Scheevel (6’0” Fr. MH > team-bests with 219 kills, 53 total blocks) and Annika Mensink (5’8” Sr. MH > 177 kills, 40 total blocks). Said group helped FC to an 8-2 TRC campaign, but a Section 1A title and the school’s second ever state appearance (fourth place). 

Caledonia took fourth place in the TRC but won the Class AA Showcase, were ranked a good portion of the year, surpassed 20 wins, and made the Section 1AA semifinals. Four Warriors made All-TRC, Liv Myhre (6’2” Sr. MH), Avery Augedahl (5’6” So. Setter), Sienna Augedahl (6’0” Sr. MH), and Aubrie Klug (5’9” Jr. OH). Myhre repeats making All-TRC while Klug and S-Augedahl moved up after being All-TRC HM last year. The super-long Myhre was a major force at the net, where she led the Warriors with 456 kills and was second with 43 ace blocks. Myhre thus tallied 736 kills the past two years combined, over 850 for her career. She hit .300 this season. A-Augedahl stepped in in her first year at setter and compiled 855 assists while adding 172 digs and 30 aces. S-Augedahl racked up 224 kills, almost doubling her tally of 123 from last year. She also led the Warriors with 44 blocks and 41 aces on 91.9% serving. Klug was the Warriors best all-around player, tallying 155 kills and a team-high 360 digs. It was the junior’s second straight year of 360-plus digs, as she had 365 last season. It was her second year (2022) of leading the team in said category. She went over 1000 career digs. 

Rushford-Peterson had just one All-TRC player in Torryn Schneider (5’6” Jr. OH). Schneider was All-TRC HM last season. She was maybe R-P’s best all-around player, notching a team-second-best 170 kills and a team-second-best 325 digs. She eclipsed 1,000 career digs. Schneider led the team with 38 aces on 94.2% serving. Making All-TRC HM for the Trojans were Lindsey Hoiness (5’6” Sr. OH > team-best 204 kills, team third-best 245 digs, team-second-best 34 aces on 93.7% serving) and Addison Drinkall (5’4” 8th grader Libero > team-best 355 digs). Other All-TRC selections include Cotter’s Camrie Macal (Sr. MH), Clarissa Sauer (Sr. OH), and Savy Repinski (Jr. setter), D-E’s Jolie Draper (Sr. setter/OPP) and Madi Mullikin (Sr. MH), La Crescent/Hokah’s Abbi Ernster (Sr. OH), L-A’s Lavin LeJeune (Jr. setter) and Rylee Kennedy (Sr. OH/DS), and PEM’s Ally Schuchard (Sr. MH).