Photo by Samantha Davis: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton's Paisley Thooft (center) jumps while Brezlyn Buchert (5) and Sara Thooft (left) start to huddle together after the Knights won the final point in a sweep over Westbrook-Walnut Grove Thursday night in the Section 3A South subsection finals, earning a spot in the section championship. The Knights defeated the Chargers in three sets, who end their season 21-11 overall.

MARSHALL — Turning the tables around from a year prior, the top-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team clinched a spot in the Section 3A championship after defeating No. 2 Westbrook-Walnut Grove in the South subsection final Thursday night in sets of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-21 at Southwest Minnesota State University. The Chargers, returning to the division’s championship two years in a row, finish their season 21-11.

“It [the win] feels so good. We all came in like, ‘We need to get this match,’ because we lost last year,” RTR junior middle blocker Brynn Borreson said. “We needed to get our revenge.”

All three sets remained close for a majority of the night, both teams often trading points with numerous ties in the second. Yet, the Knights found the answers with a balanced offensive effort to prevail through WWG’s consistent pressure.

The Chargers and Knights also met in the division championship in last year’s tournament, again as the first and second seed, with WWG coming away with an upset win in four sets for its first-ever section title match appearance.

“It was tough at the beginning of the season when we lost to them. We lost them three sets at home [on Sept. 15], it was not a good game, we didn’t play well that night. We just looked super nervous,” WWG head coach Meghann Westover said. “I’m really proud that the girls didn’t come out nervous. The nice thing about having been here before, is we’ve done it, and we’ve just done it last year. I don’t feel like there was as many nerves this year, but just the nerves of knowing it could be your last game I think is what sets into some of the girls. I’m still proud of the way they came out, they fought and they made it a game no matter what.”

For RTR, Paisley and Sara Thooft shared a team-high 13 kills, while Ava Karbo followed with 11 to her three blocks. Borresen finished with nine. Makenna Hesse led with nine digs, while Brezlyn Buchert and Laken Baartman had six each. Dru Ellefson and Buchert paced the offense with 25 and 17 assists, respectively.

The Chargers were led by Ross with 19 kills, along with Hadley Jenniges’ 26 assists. Three Chargers had double-digit digs, led by Sydney Foster’s 18 followed with 13 from Carlie Ross and 10 more from Jenniges. Carter had a pair of blocks on the night.

“Last year was bittersweet. To come out on top this year, it was really nice to be back in that situation,” RTR head coach Daynica Brown said. “Also to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs one game away from state, is very exciting, very humbling. I know the girls are excited.”

RTR took the first 3 points of the night after a trio of WWG errors, followed with a kill from Karbo to bolster an early 7-2 lead.

But, the Chargers took the next 3 points in response to cut into a 7-5 lead, as Hadley Jenniges, Carlie Ross and Sydney Foster began to heat up on the offensive end.

A kill from WWG’s Ross brought the Chargers within a point, 9-8, before RTR took off on a 6-2 run to force a Chargers timeout with a 15-10 lead.

WWG made an attempt to rally back with kills from Leah Carter and a service ace from Foster, but ultimately fell short in the opening set as RTR’s Karbo and Paisley Thooft continued to fire away at the front of the net.

With 2 points to match, RTR put away the first set behind a Jaida Fricke ace and kill from Borreson.

Borreson led the Knights with four first-set kills, as did WWG’s Ross with five kills.

“I think it was just [about] starting out strong, keep our energy up and push it in spots that they’re [WWG] not at,” Borreson said about jumping to a hot start. “They [WWG] are really scrappy.”

The Knights and Chargers fed off one another nearly the entire second set, with WWG holding a slight 1 to 2-point edge until RTR tied it up 14-14 after a Karbo block.

Karbo was RTR’s answer in the second between her blocking and hitting effort, continuing to keep the Knights either ahead or tied through the second half of the set.

“I felt all of our hitters really stepped up at some point. It was really nice to see, like Ava in the second set as a senior leader, where you’re giving that energy and just bringing it, because ultimately that spreads through the team,” Brown said. “Our team, as I have said a bunch, really lives that team motto [of being] together [with] everybody … The girls have done a fabulous job of working together and pushing each other.”

WWG’s Ross continued to find the hits, as did Carter helping with the block.

Yet, a Baartman ace, a pair of kills from Sara Thooft and a match-point kill from Karbo put RTR up 2-0.

“I feel like we just needed to calm down,” Borreson said. “We looked at each other like, ‘We got it.'”

Sara and Paisley Thooft came up big in the third set, helping to keep RTR in front the entire set, prevailing through another tough Chargers’ fight.

RTR built up a 17-11 lead before Ross ended the run with a kill, which sparked a Chargers’ 6-3 run to cut into a 20-17 deficit, forcing the Knights to call a timeout.

“We’ve been down in a lot of games and have won. It’s not a position we’re not used to being in, it’s just harder when it’s a higher level team like this, to try and come back from a deficit,” Westover said. “I mean, we did it. We did it beautifully. They [RTR] had a ton of grit. It just wasn’t quite enough.”

Sara Thooft responded out of the reset with a kill, and hit another to put RTR 1 point away from the section championship, 24-21.

Going up from the right side of the net, Paisley Thooft spiked down the game-winning kill to give RTR the revenge victory.

“I think we did really good, front row and back row,” Borreson said. “Front row, I think we were just really swinging as hard as we could. Back row, we were diving for balls. I think we just looked really good all around.”

WWG reached the division championship after defeating No. 7 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in four sets and sweeping No. 3 Adrian/Ellsworth. RTR has swept its way through the tournament so far, over No. 9 Red Rock Central and No. 5 Murray County Central.

WWG graduates a strong group of seniors in Ross, Sage Bents, Carter and Ambrosa Yang. After the match, the Chargers huddled near midcourt with Westover sharing a message to the team.

“[There were] some tears. They become your own … I watched them grow up, and become who they are. They’re such great kids,” Westover said. “It’s really hard to let them go every year, but I’m so proud of who they are. I’m just proud of the fight they had, and that’s pretty much what I said … I’m just very proud of them. They have a lot of bright futures.”

The Knights are now looking to win the section and return to the state tournament for the second time in program history, after becoming Class A champions in 2023 on their first state trip. That year, RTR defeated top-seeded Minneota in five sets in the section title match to punch its ticket.

RTR (27-5) and Minneota (27-6) will now once again meet for the section title and a spot to state in the championship match on Saturday back at the SMSU R/A Facility. The two have met twice over the regular season, each winning a match.

The Vikings swept the Knights on Aug. 26 at the start of the year, while RTR defeated the Vikings at a weekend tournament on Sept. 6 in two sets, winning both by 2 points.

“I think it’s more [about] remaining confident, because sometimes when a good player gets a nike kill or a nice block on you, you got to remember it, they’re going to get it and we’re going to get it,” Brown said. “Just keeping that confidence and going after it, just go back to the basics and fundamentals. You’re a solid player, you’re a great athlete, and we’re a great team. Go after it, be confident, don’t dwell on our mistakes, and it will come.”

The Vikings took down No. 3 MACCRAY 3-1 in the North subsection championship on Thursday prior to RTR’s match.

First serve on Saturday is slated for 7:30 p.m.