Photo by Sam Thiel Marshall’s Sofie Bock follows through on a swing during their Class AA championship match against North Branch on Saturday.

ST. PAUL – Last year, the Marshall volleyball team saw its chances at a state championship match appearance cut short when the Tigers fell to North Branch in the Class AA semifinals. When the two teams met once again Saturday in the title match, Marshall looked to avenge the early exit to North Branch while the Vikings had plans of getting back on top after coming in second in 2017.

The Tigers and Vikings battled back and forth all afternoon, with grit, heart and hustle being showcased in nearly every single play. Unfortunately for Marshall, the Vikings made a few more plays in the end as North Branch edged the Tigers 3-2 (25-22, 17-25, 25-18, 17-25, 17-19) and took the title for its first in school history.

Marshall coach Dan Westby credited North Branch on a hard-fought match and is extremely proud of the way his players battled to the very end.

“First of all, congratulations to North Branch on a hard-fought state championship; they just battled hard and I thought our kids battled hard, it was just a tremendous match. But again, I think you have to give credit to North Branch, they just made a few more plays at the end,” Westby said. “They’re a great team, but I couldn’t be more proud of our kids. We had a great season again and I just thought overall we did a lot of great things and played with a lot of energy. It’s difficult to lose, especially when you’re losing by two, 19-17, in the fifth and that’s tough to take but that’s volleyball.”

After both teams traded set victories twice, the championship would ultimately come down to a fifth and final set. North Branch, carrying its momentum from a 25-17 fourth set win, scored the first three points before Marshall countered with four straight to take a 4-3 lead.

Back and forth the two teams went, with neither side gaining an advantage greater than two points. Each time the Vikings were on the verge of winning, the Tigers found a way to answer right back and tie things up. Marshall then worked itself back in front at 16-15 thanks to a Logan Sherman kill, but North Branch took the next two points to retake the lead at 17-16.

The Tigers tied it again at 17 all on a kill from Jordyn Hilgemann, but the Vikings got the final two points and clinched the championship with a 19-17 win.

“We felt pretty good in that fifth set; we had set point and we were hoping for them to make a play and we just didn’t make a play and gave them the ball back,” Westby said. “At that point, they had maybe tightened up a little bit and we were hoping to force them to make a play and we just weren’t able to get it done on our side of the net.”

Senior outside hitter Erica Jones said both teams showed a lot of character in that fifth set and they knew they had to stay tough mentally to keep it close.

“With it being so back and forth, it was just up and down and we had to be just mentally strong and had to be resilient,” Jones said. “If we didn’t get a point, we had to come back and get the next one. I think it shows a lot of character on both teams that they were able to push through.”

The thrilling battle was seen right from the start in the opening set, as the game was deadlocked at 4-4 before a 7-0 run by Marshall gave the Tigers an 11-4 lead. Maintaining at least a four-point advantage the Tigers held on to their lead before North Branch battled back and took a one-point lead at 21-20. But the Tigers responded with a 5-2 run to close the set and took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-22 win.

Marshall got out to a strong start in Set 2, taking the first six points of the frame, but the Vikings rallied and tied it at 10-10 before taking the lead at 13-11. North Branch was in control from there on, outscoring Marshall 12-6 for a 25-17 second-set win and tied the match 1-1.

Set 3 was highlighted by numerous key runs by each side. North Branch took a quick 9-4 lead in Set 3, but the Tigers answered with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to one.

The Vikings then went on a 6-2 spurt to take a 15-10 lead but Marshall retaliated with an 8-0 answer and retook the lead at 18-15. The Tigers then closed the frame with a 7-3 run and made it 2-1 in the match with a 25-18 victory.

With their backs against the wall, North Branch was in need of another answer and found it in Set 4. Marshall took an early lead at 5-4 but the Vikings matched the Tigers point-for-point until a 5-0 run by North Branch made it 16-9. The Vikings continued to create separation, gaining a double-digit lead before winning the fourth frame and setting the stage for the thrilling fifth set.

Paige Andries led the way for the Tigers with 13 kills while Jones added 11, Bria Morris had 10 and Hilgemann chipped in nine. Mia Schnaible led in digs with 22 while Jones and Kaia Sueker each added 10. Sherman led in set assists with 24 while Rachel Schwarz had 21.

Marshall ends its season with a 29-6 record. The match was also the final one for six Tiger seniors – Sueker, Jones, Madison Wegner, Sofie Bock, Shelby Versaevel and Courtney Toulouse.

Marshall also had a trio of players named to the All-Tournament Team, with Schnaible, Morris and Andries making the team.

Westby said they’re a great group of leaders for their program both on and off the court and they’ll be missed next season.

“They’re great kids and I know that sounds like a cliché, but they really are. This year, I just recall our assistant coach Alex Boddy saying the first day of practice, she said, ‘There’s not one kid in here that’s ever going to bother me on any given day. These are great kids,'” Westby said. “And she’s right; they’re leaders in our school and in our community and they’re great kids. We just wanted them to win and just wanted them to experience winning, they did the right things all season long not only in volleyball but in school and so on, so we just wanted them to win and feel that.”