Photos by Samantha Davis: The No. 3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team smiles walking to the bench after winning the second set in a Red Rock Conference matchup against Heron Lake-Okabena-Fulda Monday night. The Knights swept the Coyotes in their regular-season finale. Below: RTR senior setter Brezlyn Buchert sets up the offense in the second set. Below: RTR senior middle blocker Ava Karbo goes up for a block in the first set.

TYLER — The No. 3 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team ended its regular season in dominant fashion extending to a 14-game winning streak after sweeping Heron Lake-Okabena-Fulda Monday night, and secured an undefeated Red Rock Conference record. The Knights controlled all aspects of the game, and defeated the Coyotes in sets of 25-10, 25-19 and 25-13.

“We are very excited about where we’re at going into the postseason, because you’re just setting yourself up with all these wins, being able to have a conference [championship], and then [building] with that confidence,” RTR head coach Daynica Brown said. “Also, it was senior night and they [Ava Karbo and Brezlyn Buchert] definitely stepped up and represented well. Just from their leadership of working hard to also having that balance of having fun. You got Ava in there hitting big and Brez running that offense. They did a great job.”

RTR honored Karbo and Buchert prior to the game, the team’s two seniors this year.

“It was very wholesome, and it brought back a lot of memories,” Buchert said of senior night. “I love playing here, and I’m excited. I hope we can play another game here for the playoffs.”

“My whole mindset was just to have fun in this game,” Karbo added. “Go out there and play, it doesn’t matter if I do good or bad, but just [to play] with the whole team.”

Paisley Thooft led with 15 kills, while Sara Thooft followed with 10 kills and a team-high 11 digs. Karbo finished with seven kills. Buchert had a team-best 21 set assists and Dru Ellefson had 14 assists. Laken Baartman had 10 digs, and Makenna Hesse tallied another eight.

The Knights jumped to a 4-1 lead to start the night behind a pair of kills from Karbo, a service ace from Hesse and a kill from Sara Thooft, which RTR extended to an 8-1 edge.

There were several contributors on the offensive end, with kills from Ellefson and Paisley Thooft while the Knights also played with an aggressive blocking effort through the night’s entirety, to build a 17-4 lead.

Holding a 22-10 advantage, RTR took the first set behind a pair of HLOF errors and a kill from Sara Thooft.

“[Our team effort] was great. I am really proud of our team,” Buchert said. “We all came together, and it was really great to see that.”

RTR was also consistent from the service line, and aces from Sara Thooft and Ellefson along with more kills from Karbo and Paisley Thooft to earn an 11-4 start to the second set.

Karbo had a pair of aces on the night, while Buchert, Ellefson and Sara Thooft all had one as well.

HLOF went on a run midway through the set to cut its deficit to 17-14 behind a string of hits while the Knights briefly struggled with errors, but a kill from Paisley Thooft stopped the Coyotes’ run to keep RTR ahead.

A hard kill down the middle from Sara Thooft gave RTR a 21-16 lead, along with a hit from Buchert, and a block and Paisley Thooft kill gave the Knights the set and a 2-0 lead on the match.

The third and final set of the night was again all in RTR’s control, and a string of aces while continuing its cohesive attacking and blocking effort gave the team a quick 12-3 edge.

Brynn Borresen had two blocks, while Ellefson and Sara and Paisley Thooft each had one.

An HLOF hitting error and kills from Borresen and Kyah Christianson gave RTR its final three points of the night, electrifying the home crowd.

“We were firing on all cylinders. We also added in some back-row attacks, front row blocks … The defense, they were crossing and they were covering their hitters, which was great,” Brown said. “Our setters communicated very well with each other … And then with our hitters, I just felt like they ran some great options on the front row, and then also on the other side seeing what was open.”

RTR’s last loss came by No. 8 Kenyon-Wanamingo on Sept. 19 in two sets at a weekend tournament in Burnsville, as the Knights wrap up the regular season undefeated in conference play along with its 14-game winning streak.

The Knights have also been ranked all season, and were most recently tabbed third in the Class A coaches poll released Monday, only sitting behind No. 1 Mayer Lutheran and No. 2 Minneota, both of who played in last year’s Class A championship in the state tournament.

“[We] will definitely bring more energy and communication, and just to have a lot more fun,” Buchert said about how her and Karbo will plan to lead the group in the postseason. “When we have fun, we play a lot better.”

“I think we can make it far,” Karbo said. “[We just need to] continue playing our game and having fun. We know we can do it.”

RTR (24-5, 9-0) will now await seeding for the Section 3A Tournament, to be released this week, as it embarks on a quest to repeat its 2023 state tournament run. The Knights earned the first seed last year in the south division, and fell short to No. 2 Westbrook-Walnut Grove in the subsection championship in four sets.

“I think you always feel that loss, no matter what. You don’t ever want to lose, because we are all athletes and athletes are feisty, but it adds an extra emotion and drive,” Brown said about approaching this year’s playoffs. “I think that will help in that sense. It’s like, ‘No, we want to be further, we want to be here and we want this.’ I think in that sense, it will be an extra motivational drive for us.”

The section tournament will begin on Monday with the play-in rounds, with the first round to begin on Friday.