‘Third time’s a charm’ as Vikings advance to state
Jenny Kirk jkirk@marshallindependent.comArticle Photos
MARSHALL - The third time was a charm for the Minneota volleyball team.
After being defeated two years straight by Windom Area in the section final, the Vikings got their long-awaited revenge with a sweep in the Section 3A championship at the R/A Facility in Marshall.
With the 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 win, Minneota punched its ticket to the state volleyball tournament Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul at 3 p.m. against Parkers Prairie.
"I'm beyond excited I'm so happy," said Minneota's Ashlynn Muhl. "I think we played well. We got that first game, which was so important. The third time's a charm. I'm proud of every single player on our team."
Minneota has made nine straight section final appearances. Windom made the best of its last two section championships with a state tournament title last season and a runner-up title in 2007. But this time around, the loss to Minneota puts an end to an eight-game winning streak and concludes their season with 24-6 record.
"That was awesome," said Minneota head coach Steph Hennen. "I really believe the girls wanted this and have talked about it since the first day of practice. We hoped we were in a position to be playing in this match and once that became a reality, they just focused and were determined."
The Vikings were state champions in 2006 and runners-up the previous year.
In 2004, Southwest Minnesota Christian got the better of Minneota, but the Vikings made state tournament appearances in the three years prior to that.
While success has been part of Minneota's volleyball program for some time, it never comes without hard work and determination.
"It was so fun," Minneota's Leah Fadness said. "It feels so unbelievable. We played as a team the whole time. We never backed down. We wanted to win so bad and we knew we could beat them."
Against the Eagles, the Vikings had a solid all-around effort. Fadness contributed 17 kills and 19 digs, while Muhl hammered down 14 kills and earned seven ace blocks. Taya Kockelman delivered 41 set assists, while Kelsey Hennen dug up 25 balls.
"We were down every set and battled back every time," Hennen said. "They gave it everything they had. I'm so proud of the kids. They never lost their focus even when we were behind. We knew we had to work together for the good of the team. It's a great day to be a Viking."
An ace block gave Windom a 9-4 advantage in the first set. But Fadness stepped up for Minneota at the net and at the serving line. An ace serve from Fadness brought the Vikings to within one point at 14-13.
The Vikings took their first lead in the match at 15-14 on an Eagle hitting error. The set went back and forth and Windom took a 19-18 lead after a Minneota hitting error.
An Eagle serving error and a Muhl kill gave the Vikings a 20-19 lead, which was not relinquished. Kockelman's tip kept the rally going and two Fadness kills, the second of which came after a long volley, brought up game point.
After Windom's Courtney Ysker pounded one down, Sam Hennen's spike caught the back corner to give Minneota the first set 25-20.
"I thought our senior leadership was tremendous this week," said Steph Hennen. "Leah, Sam, Justene (Davis) and Kaitlin are a good group of kids."
The Eagles grabbed a 5-4 lead in the second set after a controversial backrow attack was called on Kockelman. Windom stretched its lead to 10-6 on back-to-back ace serves from MaKenzie Lovell.
But an impressive dig from Kelsey Hennen and a kill from Fadness knotted things up at 10-all. Muhl's kill gave the Vikings an 11-10 edge.
Windom took back the lead at 13-11, but Fadness stepped up in a big way at the net and helped Minneota snag the lead at 14-13.
The Eagles held the advantage at 18-17, but a kill from Muhl quickly handed the lead back over to the Vikings.
Communication was key for Minneota on the court as they chased down balls and kept them alive, rarely giving Windom an easy play. The Vikings closed out the set on an 8-0 run behind strong serving from Sam Hennen, who finished the match 24-for-24 with three aces.
"We knew if we got that first game we could push ahead and do it all," said Fadness. "We're not stopping. We pushed through everything even when we were down. We had a few mental breakdowns in the middle, but after that we kept going."
Muhl's ace block stretched the Viking lead to 22-18. The set was closed out 25-18 after kills from Jenna Hennen and Muhl and then an Eagle hitting error.
In the third set, Windom held a slight edge until Kockelman's kill allowed Minneota to earn a 6-5 lead. The Eagles battled back and took a 12-8 lead after two straight kill from Ysker.
After a Windom serving error put the score at 13-10, the Vikings rattled off 10 straight points. An ace block from Muhl tied the set at 13-all and a lift call on the Eagles gave Minneota its second lead of the set.
After a timeout, Muhl continued to be unstoppable at the net as she picked up five kills and two blocks in the final volleys as the Vikings were firing on all cylinders.
"I didn't really start off as good as I wanted to, but I wanted to win," Muhl said. "So I started putting it away and the adrenaline kept going. I want to win at state now. That's all I want."
Windom clawed its way back from a 23-16 deficit to force a Minneota timeout at 23-20. But an Eagle serving error and Kockelman tip secured the match victory.
If recent Section 3A history repeats itself, the Vikings (26-5) could end up in the state finals. They have been ranked No. 2 in the state polls all season behind Bethlehem Academy, who finished second at state to Windom last year.
Windom20 18 21
Minneota 25 25 25
MINNEOTA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Serving (good-att-aces): Sam Hennen 24-24-3, Leah Fadness 11-11-2, Jenna Hennen 11-13-0, Taya Kockelman 9-10-0, Kaitlin Bottelberghe 7-8-0, Kelsey Hennen 5-7-0.
Kills: Fadness 17, Ashlynn Muhl 14, Sam Hennen 8, Jenna Hennen 6, Kockelman 3, Katelyn Kack 1.
Digs: Kelsey Hennen 25, Fadness 19, Sam Hennen 13, Kockelman 9, Kack 5, Bottelberghe 5, Muhl 3.
Set Assists: Kockelman 41, Kack 2, Muhl 1, Fadness 1, Kelsey Hennen 1, Sam Hennen 1.
Blocks: Muhl 7, Kockelman 3, Sam Hennen 1.
