Minneota sweeps Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa to capture Class A state championship
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ST. PAUL -- Minneota saved one of its best performances of the season for its biggest match, sweeping Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 25-14, 25-11, 25-13 Saturday at Grand Casino Arena to capture the Class A state volleyball championship.
The Vikings controlled the championship match from the start, using a strong offensive performance and steady defense to complete the three-set victory and claim the program's latest state title.
The victory also extended Minneota's winning streak to 11 matches to end the season, with each of those victories coming in straight sets. The Vikings completed their state tournament run with sweeps of Pine River-Backus in the quarterfinals, Sacred Heart School in the semifinals and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the championship.
"It's kind of surreal. It's like you kind of said, it just kind of felt like another game, and had to finish it. It's weird. It's a weird feeling. It's exciting," junior libero Autum Anderson said.
Head coach Kaley Buysse said the championship match was one of the Vikings' most complete performances of the season.
"I'd say we played pretty dang well this game. I would definitely put this in one of the top categories when it came to our ability and what we did just across the board defensively, offensively, the communication, the excitement, the energy," Buysse said. "It was every single point out there. We did not let down hardly at all, and you could tell the game kind of spoke for itself. It was a good ending to a good season."
Minneota finished with 41 kills on 95 attempts for a .326 hitting percentage. The Vikings also recorded 41 assists, five service aces, 49 digs and nine total team blocks.
Jaylyn Coequyt led the Vikings with 14 kills on 31 attempts, hitting .323, while Eden Meagher added 11 kills on 20 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. Leah Coequyt finished with 10 kills on 14 attempts, hitting .714. Brek Fier had three kills, Sophie Gillund added two and Ava Rost recorded one.
Gillund and Libby Sussner helped lead the offense from the setter position, finishing with 18 and 16 assists, respectively. Gillund also reached a career milestone during the championship match, recording her 1,000th career kill. She added 11 digs, while Sussner had eight.
Buysse praised Gillund’s growth and the work she has done alongside Sussner to help run the Vikings’ offense.
"She's done great things. She's a great setter, a great asset to our team, and has really kind of stepped up this year," Buysse said. "Now that she's had an extra year of experience under her belt, she's doing a lot of good things helping run our offense between her and Libby."
Buysse also emphasized that the setters’ success depends on the work of the players passing the ball and keeping the team in system.
"Our setters can't keep our offense in system if we don't have the defense there to do it," Buysse said. "The setters do a great job of reading across the net and being smart about where we're placing the ball and who to put the ball in the hands of."
Autum Anderson led Minneota with 10 digs, followed by Gillund with 11, Meagher with nine, Sussner with eight, Jaylyn Coequyt with four, Ava Rost with three, Brynn Rost with two and Fier with two.
At the net, the Vikings totaled nine team blocks. Leah Coequyt led the way with five block assists, while Gillund and Fier each had four. Jaylyn Coequyt and Meagher each added one block assist, and Ava Rost recorded one solo block and two block assists.
Buysse said the team’s offensive success started with the work its players put in during practice and the consistency of its defense.
"A lot, a lot, a lot of work. Obviously, none of that is possible without the defense passing the balls right and keeping us in system, which we've done a really good job of all season and especially in the state tournament here," Buysse said. "The amount of reps we do in the gym with our setters, out of serve receive, all the free balls, down balls, just in every possible situation you can think of is mind-blowing. They put in the time, they're used to every possible situation they're maybe going to see in a game, and they execute on that. That shows."
Meagher praised the setters for their contributions to the team’s success.
"It's awesome. They're amazing. We have really great coaches. They're just great. I love my setters," Meagher said.
Anderson said the Vikings’ blocking also gave her confidence defensively.
"Our block was great. They were up there, they were strong, they were pushing hard. It was not easy by any means, but I was having a good time back there knowing that they got me and they got it," Anderson said.
Despite building leads in each set, Minneota remained focused on not allowing Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa to build momentum. Anderson said the team emphasized staying present and taking the match one point at a time.
"I just think we had to focus on, like you said, point by point. Be in the moment, but know we had to work to get it done yet. I always say, control what we can control. It's just point by point, and little points add up to big points," Anderson said.
Buysse said the Vikings discussed before the match the importance of not underestimating their opponent, regardless of seeding or expectations.
"That was something we talked about this morning. We can't underestimate any team. Coming in, we're no longer the number one seed. That doesn't matter anymore," Buysse said. "Obviously, they're a team that can play from behind. We just have to know that. In the third set, we kind of thought that, too. They're a team that comes back. We just have to control what we can control and finish."
The championship was the culmination of a season-long goal for the Vikings, who carried the disappointment of last year’s section-final loss with them throughout the year.
"I think we kind of talked about this before, just after the loss last year in the section finals, that's been sitting heavily on all of our minds and hearts since that loss," Buysse said. "You could tell and feel that every single day this season, starting at the beginning of the summer until today. The want, the fire and the drive that every single one of these girls has had to get to this and finish is just surreal."
For Sussner, the championship was especially meaningful because of the teammates she shared it with.
"This feels great, especially sitting here with some of my best friends. It's just amazing. I don't know. It feels good," Sussner said.
Anderson said the reality of winning a state championship had not fully sunk in immediately after the match.
"Honestly, it feels like we have practice tomorrow, if I have to be honest. It just feels like another day, but it definitely feels great. It'll set in later," Anderson said.
Buysse said the championship was a fitting reward for the work put in by everyone involved with the program.
"It's definitely a good finish. Anytime we can go into a game, doing all the prep and the behind-the-scenes work that goes on when it comes to assistant coaches, the players, the girls, the managers, and we can go in and take it in three and get a sweep, it feels good," Buysse said. "I think that just goes back to everybody putting in the work and just knowing their role and contributing to it."