Photo by Jake McNeill Elivia Faris jumps up to try to finish a point in the second set of Minneota’s 3-0 sweep of Wabasso at Southwest Minnesota State University in the Section 3A volleyball quarterfinals Tuesday night.

MARSHALL — The Minneota volleyball team played up to their expectations as the top seed on Tuesday afternoon when they swept No. 4 Wabasso in the Section 3A quarterfinals at Southwest Minnesota State University.

The difference in the match for the Vikings was their ability to block the ball at the net. Particularly in the first set, the Rabbits could not seem to get anything by the Minneota front line. As a result, the Vikings won handily 25-9, their widest margin of victory on the night.

“We’re not probably the biggest team, but if we can get just good, solid touches up there, our back row’s going to be able to get the ball. We just got to make sure we’re not floating to get there and we’re just disciplined on it,” Minneota head coach Hayley Fruin said of her team’s success at the net.

Leading the block party for the Vikings were Ireland Stassen and Ella Johnson, who finished with three blocks apiece. Megan Krog also added another two.

Johnson and Stassen were also atop the team’s kill list. Johnson had a team-high 10 kills, while Stassen tied with Elivia Faris for second on the team with seven. Stassen also had a game-high 24 set assists.

Despite Minneota’s first-set dominance, the Rabbits didn’t back down. They rallied hard in set two and trailed 11-9 early.

Once Wabasso came within two, Fruin called a timeout, after which the Vikings pulled away with a 7-1 run. To the Rabbits’ credit, they still didn’t give up and responded with a 4-0 run of their own. Yet, it was too little, too late, and they dropped the set 25-19.

“We were just flat-footed, I think Wabasso just outworked us that second set,” Fruin said. “They were able to go off of hands. We weren’t disciplined at the net. They were able to hit off of our hands in the front row and score off it.”

Wabasso head coach Barbara Johnson attributed her team’s increased success in the second set to adjustments made by underclassmen.

“Our middles especially are both freshmen and very inexperienced. When they’re playing around girls that are bigger or more experienced than them, it takes them a little to understand what’s going on,” Johnson said. “First game was a little rough, but after that, they were able to get touches and blocks and did very well.”

The Wabasso offense was led by Alivia Olson and Avery Carlson, who finished the match with 11 and seven kills respectively. Carlson also finished the match tied with Audrey Johnson and Kelsey Frank for a team-high 19 digs. Frank would also lead the Rabbits with 20 set assists.

After a hard-fought second set, the Rabbits looked exhausted in the third set. Minneota capitalized with a 25-11 win to wrap up the sweep.

Lyzah Sussner had a game-high 21 digs for the Vikings, while Grace Hennen contributed another 11.

The Vikings will move on to play MACCRAY at SMSU Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the 3A Sectional semifinals. The Vikings will be the higher seed, but the Wolverines sit just behind them at No. 2 in the region.

“We know at this point that seeds mean nothing. We know that [MACCRAY] is a very talented team,” Fruin said. “We’ve got to pass well, we’ve got to serve aggressive, and we’ve got to play at our best in order to compete with those teams.”

Wabasso will wrap up their season at 18-8. While it may not have ended the way the Rabbits wanted, there were still some positives from the match.

“[Minneota has] a lot more experience, lot of firepower, and I think it kind of ultimately overwhelmed our girls. But I think this was a good learning experience for us,” Johnson said. “We only have one senior [Kelsey Frank], so I hope this really helps all the underclassmen.”

“The girls on the team are all really good people, and that always makes it easier as a coach. It was a great year. I think all the girls on the team had a good time, I certainly did, and it was a great year.”

Minneota 3, Wabasso 0

MIN 25 25 25

WB 9 19 11

Kills: Minneota (Johnson 10; Stassen 7; Faris 7); Wabasso (Olson 11; Varlson 7; Natasha Doubler 4)

Digs: Minneota (Sussner 21; D. Hennen 11; Stassen 9); Wabasso (Carlson 19; Johnson 19; Frank 19)

Set assists: Minneota (Stassen 24; Nevaeh Hennen 10); Wabasso (Frank 20)

Serving (aces): Minneota (D. Hennen 2; Sussner 1; Abby Rolbiecki 1)