Photos by Samantha Davis: The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team celebrates after winning a point in the first set during the Class A state quarterfinals against Nevis Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. The Knights defeated the Tigers in three sets, and advance to the semifinals. Below: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton's Sara Thooft goes up for a hit in the state quarterfinals. Below: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton's Paisley Thooft goes up for a hit in the state quarterfinals.

ST. PAUL — Sara and Paisley Thooft’s 26 combined kills helped the No. 2 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team return back to the Class A state semifinals, just two years removed from their last appearance, after sweeping No. 7 Nevis Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul in the quarterfinals. The Knights defeated the Tigers in sets of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-21.

“It was great. Get the jitters out, first game, got a win, now we got two more wins,” RTR head coach Daynica Brown said. “That [first game] gets them comfortable, because obviously it’s just going to get tougher as it goes. We’re in the top four in the state [now]. That’s huge right there. Ultimately, we want to bring home the title, so they’re focused. They’re on the mission.”

Nevis battle-tested RTR throughout the night, taking leads throughout the first and second sets before the Knights embarked on rallies to comeback. RTR made it a point to stay in front over the course of the final set.

“I think we learned we just had to come out strong right away. I feel like we came out slow, and we just need to bring the energy right away and trust each other,” junior libero Laken Baartman said. “Like we said in the huddle, we need to have confidence in one another and just go out there, and like coach said, just play our game.”

Overall, the Knights finished with a .136 hitting percentage while holding the Tigers to a .038 mark. Sara Thooft led RTR with 14 kills to her seven digs, while Paisley Thooft followed with another 12 kills.

Senior setter Brezlyn Buchert paced the offense with a team-high 20 assists, while Baartman protected the back row with 21 digs. Senior Ava Karbo finished the night with five blocks, three of which were solo.

“We can’t take anything for granted. We just have to go into every game with a clean mindset,” Sara Thooft said.

This is RTR’s second state appearance in the last three years, with its current starters from the previous run bringing in state experience, who took the crown as Class A champions in 2023 in the Knights’ first-ever state appearance and on a mission to reclaim the title.

Nevis returned to the state tournament this year for the fourth time in program history, and first since 2013, with a 23-7 overall record out of Section 5A.

“These girls have been fighters all season, every single game … We knew we couldn’t just come in and be like, ‘We’re here to play with them [RTR],'” Nevis head coach Karly Cobb said.

“If you wanted to play against a great team like RTR, they had to go after them, and I do think [we] did. I think they [Nevis] had big moments, and I think we served hard. I think we had big hitting moments, and we tried to dig the best we could.”

Although struggling to find its rhythm early on, with both teams going point-for-point up to an 8-8 tie, the Knights took the lead following a Nevis hitting error and continued to pull away from there.

The Tigers stayed within reach, but Sara Thooft was RTR’s answer in the opening set with six kills.

“It starts with the pass, and then the set,” Sara Thooft said. “It’s our whole team working together.”

Sara Thooft gave the Knights a 15-12 edge following a kill to force a Nevis timeout, as her and Karbo combined for a block to extend to a 19-14 lead.

The Knights continued to run, finding comfortability on the state stage, and bolstered a 23-15 lead following a Sara Thooft service ace and kill.

A pair of kills from Dru Ellefson along with a block from Paisley Thooft and Karbo secured the first-set win for RTR. The Knights collectively had 14 kills to Nevis’ seven following the first.

“I just felt like we were very hesitant at the beginning, and I feel like that’s just first-game nerves,” Paisley Thooft said. “You’re in a new building, but towards the end, I felt like our bonds were getting a lot closer, and we were communicating a lot better with each other.”

Nevis again challenged the Knights throughout the second set, starting with an 8-3 lead after a string of Knights’ attacking errors.

RTR had 10 attacking errors to Nevis’ eight in the second set.

But, the Tigers returned a few errors in return to allow RTR to cut into an 11-10 deficit.

Karbo, as the tallest player for RTR at 5-foot-10, showed up big at the front of the net to continue her season-long success with her blocking effort.

Back-to-back Karbo blocks, followed with a Ellefson kill, tied the set up 16-16 before the Knights took their first lead after a Buchert service ace, up 17-16.

“We say just go after every ball. Lay out, dive for it, just get a touch on it,” Baartman added about the Knights’ defense. “We have great hitters, obviously, and we know that they’ll put it away. So, just get touch on the ball, and our setters and hitters will put it away.”

Sara Thooft came up with another kill, as did Paisley Thooft with another two to pull away, 23-18.

Although Nevis took the next three straight points, RTR took a 2-0 lead on the night following a Tigers’ serving error and a kill down the middle from Brynn Borresen.

“I just feel like we had to adjust to the way we played on the court, how it was different. It’s huge, it’s open. You can see the crowds, you can see everyone on the other side, and then when you get on another side, you just see a black curtain,” Sara Thooft said of the team’s adjustment. “You definitely have to change how you’re playing, but you have to trust your teammates as well.”

RTR found consistent momentum in the third and final set to secure the sweep, with the offensive duo of Paisley and Sara Thooft each hitting a pair of kills to help build a 9-6 lead to open.

“I just feel like a lot of it came from a good pass and good set, so we were able to get those kills. I feel like we were doing it for our community, but also our team, because we want this just as much as everybody else,” Paisley Thooft said. “We have to definitely fight for it, and we had to show them who we are. I feel like even though we came out slow, there were definitely parts in the game that we were showing how we can actually play.”

A hard kill from Paisley Thooft off the left side of the net gave RTR a 15-10 edge, who kept its 5-point lead following a Jaida Fricke ace, 18-13.

Nevis went on a late run in an attempt to force a fourth, but RTR was able to finish the night off with the help of a Baartman service ace, a Tigers’ attacking error and a final Sara Thooft kill for match point.

RTR (29-5) will next play in today’s semifinals at 3 p.m., again on Court 2 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, one win away from reaching the championship match. The Knights will take on No. 6 Ada-Borup-West, who upset No. 3 Fillmore Central 3-1 Thursday night in the quarterfinals.

“We have to come out strong right away,” Baartman said. “Go out there and play our game, not worry about who’s on the other side. Just play our game and we’ll be fine.”

RTR and ABW played each other once over the regular season on Sept. 20 at a weekend tournament in Burnsville, where the Knights won in two sets, 25-17 and 25-15.

“We have to continue to play our game and push through as many points as we can to go on those runs,” Paisley Thooft said. “They could come out way different than they were the last time we played them, because they have very good hitters and very good passers, just like we do. We definitely will have a fight for this next game.”