Marshall falls to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in Class 3A state championship
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ST. PAUL -- Marshall had its chances to bring home another Class 3A state championship Saturday, but Benilde-St. Margaret's made the plays when it mattered most.
The Tigers fell to the Red Knights 3-0 in the state championship match at Grand Casino Arena, dropping the first two sets 26-24 before falling 25-21 in the third.
"In all three sets, we had opportunities to win. And they made plays at the end of all those sets and we didn't, and that was really the difference in the match," Marshall head coach Dan Westby said. "They made some great plays at the end of those sets. And again, that was the difference in the match."
Marshall held a lead in the opening set but couldn’t close it out. The Tigers also appeared to have control of the third set before Benilde-St. Margaret's rallied to take the match.
"Even we had a nice lead in set one, and we weren't able to finish it," Westby said. "And again, came out in set three, and really felt like we were in control, and then all of a sudden they came roaring back, and pretty soon we were behind at the end of that set."
Despite falling behind two sets to none, Westby said he didn’t feel his team was pressing or rattled.
"I thought our kids were comfortable out there, even being down 2-0," Westby said. "But unfortunately, we built that early lead in set three and surrendered it a little bit."
Westby gave credit to Benilde-St. Margaret's for earning the victory, saying the Red Knights made more plays when the match was on the line.
The loss came in a rematch of last year’s Class 3A championship, with Marshall looking to capture its fifth state title in six seasons.
Benilde-St. Margaret's head coach Michael Becker said Marshall has established itself as the standard in Minnesota volleyball, pointing to the Tigers' history of success and repeated appearances at the state tournament.
"They're the standard in the state for how many times they've been here and how many times they've been able to get it done," Becker said.
Becker also credited Marshall's front-row presence, particularly its middle hitters, for creating challenges for the Red Knights.
"Marshall's middles are phenomenal," Becker said. "Their hang time is something that we haven't seen this year."
He specifically mentioned Nora Holmgren's impact at the net, saying the Red Knights had to be prepared for her attack when she rotated into the front row.
"She's just ripping those balls," Becker said.
Becker said the familiarity between the programs helped shape Benilde-St. Margaret's preparation, but he also emphasized the challenge of facing a team coached by Westby.
"You never know what you're going to get when you face a team like Marshall," Becker said. "With such a good coach like Dan, they can always change it up or figure it out and kind of start to figure out ways that they can work around our game plan."
Marshall finished with 41 kills on 129 attempts, hitting .171 as a team. Holmgren led the Tigers with 13 kills and a .370 hitting percentage, while Bentley Krull added eight kills and Laurel Ryks had seven.
Julia Fahl finished with nine kills, while Chika Nwakama contributed four. Leah Stelter recorded 29 assists to lead the Tigers' offense.
Marshall's defense totaled 65 digs, led by Kezlyn Pinckney with 17. Fahl added 16 digs and Jennifer Lee had 15. The Tigers also finished with six team blocks.
Although the Tigers came up short of their championship goal, Westby said the team’s commitment throughout the year made it a rewarding group to coach.
"I'm really proud of what our kids did really day one when we started last summer, June 1st," Westby said. "Those kids were in the gym and there was a hop in their step and boy, they were, from day one, they were ready to come back and do this again."
Junior outside hitter Fahl said returning to the championship match was a goal the team had been working toward.
"Yeah, I know everyone's really motivated to get back here, and it's our goal to be back in the same situation we are in today," Fahl said.
Senior outside hitter Laurel Ryks also praised the younger players who helped make the season possible.
"I'm just going to remember all the younger girls who are willing to step up and really work hard this year," Ryks said.
Westby said the team’s work ethic and enthusiasm made the season special for the coaching staff.
"I never once came in not wanting to go to practice. It was never an issue. I really look forward to practice every day," Westby said.