1AA/1A SUBSECTION FINALS—-numbers added
It was back on Highway 52 south to Rochester for the epicenter of the volleyball experience on Thursday night. Sections 1AA and 1A completed their sub brackets with title games. The draw tonight was the “State Championship” from the AA final poll between #1 Kasson-Mantorville and #2 Stewartville on the west side of the bracket. Lake City, the 1AA East victor, and the rest of the sections in AA may take offense at the label of that contest with four more games until the real state championship. The first game on the docket (for me) was the 1A East battle, a family affair between father/daughter coaches Lonnie Morken of Mabel-Canton and daughter Kelsey Morken of Spring Grove. Oddly enough both father & daughter graduated from the opposite school making for more threads in the story.
MABEL-CANTON 3, SPRING GROVE 0
(25-21, 25-9, 25-21)
The Cougars moved on to the finals for section 1A with a sweep of Spring Grove. Besides the coaching battle, this game featured two power hitters in the middle. MC junior Sarina Stortz came out on top in the personal battle with SG’s senior Mariah Edgington with 18 kills to 9. Edgington came out with six kills in the first set with big swings, but MC prevented SG from getting into any rhythm and prevented good opportunities for Edgington who was forced to play in a more finesse tippy tap mode. One stat that did leap out was the free ball situation. SG sent 34, MC only 15 on the night showing the Cougars were in a more attack mode and keeping the Lions on their heels.
In the first set MC started strong at 7-1 out of the gate. But when Edgington made it to the front row, and Stortz was cycled out in the back row, the equation changed, and SG pulled ahead 11-10 on the strength of a 10-3 run. MC regained the lead at 12-11 once Stortz returned to the front row pulling out to another lead of 18-13. SG narrowed the gap again when Edgington returned to the front cutting the deficit down to 20-19. MC tried to stop the momentum with a time out at 18 to no avail. Maddy Michels put down a first swing kill to halt the run. Kailee Olerud, who started the set with and ace, capped it with another ace.
Looking at the second set score you may be surprised to learn SG led 5-3 with a couple of blocks giving the Lions a boost. MC was able to score on four of their next five services with runs of 3, 5, a back breaking 8 and 5. Of the final four SG points, two came on missed MC serves.
That momentum carried over into set three with MC racing to an 11-2 lead. Leading the way was Payton Danielson (4 kills) and Michels (3 kills) in that surge. That nine point advantage soon shrunk to two (15-13) thanks to some gift wrapped errors including a deer in the headlight no go. Stortz got a side out kill to regain a three point cushion. Two straight blocks again helped SG to narrow the gap to 20-19. A missed serve spoiled any chance for a tie. Kenidi McCabe dumped which forced SG to burn their last time out.
With the win MC coach Lonnie Morken will have the advantage at the family table during Thanksgiving Day dinner.
KASSON-MANTORVILLE 3, STEWARTVILLE 1
(25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20)
Two heavyweight powers lived up to the billing as the #1 seeded (and state ranked) KoMets bumped off the #2 seeded (and state ranked) Tigers. These two teams met near the end of the year with KM winning in four at home. Tonight the margins were much closer. Leads exchanged hands, rallies were extended, and there were twists and turns. KM closed the first set with a 10-2 kick. Stewartville responded with a 6-2 kick of their own in set two. Set three saw chunks of points go each team as the side out game took a break. The game featured two lucky 13s: KM senior Peyton Suess and Stewie sophomore Erin Lamb. Suess knocked down 30 kills on the night including the final two points for KM.
Both teams were tied at 15 in the first set when #15 for Stewie, Kaitlyn Prondzinski knocked down two straight kills that helped push the Tigers lead to 18-15. Peyton Suess halted the run with a first swing kill and that ignited the KoMets as they scored the next five points. Stewartville was forced to call time down 19-18, the first KM lead since 3-1. KM’s defense only allowed nine Tiger kills in that first set, while KM delivered 13.
KM rode that momentum to start the second set with a 6-3 lead. Suess had five kills in the first six points. She moved to the back line and Stewartville pounced after a missed serve with the next three points to take a 7-6 lead, the first of five lead changes. Stewartville was forced to call time after Emilee Terry ripped off three straight aces to make it 14-10 KM. The Tigers regained the lead and momentum with eight of the next ten points (18-16) which led to a KM time out. The pendulum swung back to KM with five of the next six points (21-19). The final shift came with Prondzinski getting a first swing kill which led to a 6-2 finish. Lamb had a block for point 24, and after a side out, finished off the win with a kill.
In set three with KM up 8-5 the game shifted to a chunk game. Stewartville ran off six straight points. KM responded with their own run of six. Both teams had burned one time out at this stage. Stewie bounced back after the TO with another chunk of four points. A missed serve ground that momentum to a halt, but got KM on their way with eight straight, the biggest chunk of all. Suess had a large part of that run with five kills including one that rolled along the top of the net out of bounds. Stewartville had one last surge in them with four narrowing the margin to 22-19. Suess ended it with a first swing kill which started the final three KoMet points.
KM had the momentum at the start of the fourth set and used it to build a 12-4 lead. It was the only set KM never trailed. The closest the Tigers got was two down, the last coming at 21-19. Suess stopped the threat with another first swing kill and capped the night with two more kills on 24 and 25.
I do not understand why the volleyball teams in both section 1AA and 1A have not moved to seeding all 16 teams like they have in basketball. If that were the case this game potentially would have been held on Saturday.
Stats on both games will go up tomorrow.
MABEL-CANTON
| SRV | # | Name | Pos | Year | A | B | K | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Lexi Thorson | OH | 2019 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | 13 | Hannah Snell | L | 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sarina Stortz | MH | 2020 | 0 | 0.5 | 18 | 18.5 | |
| 3 | 28 | Kenidi McCabe | S | 2021 | 0 | 0.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 4 | 15 | Payton Danielson | OH | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 5 | 17 | Maddy Michels | MH | 2019 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| 20 | Molly Lee | OH | 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | 1 | Lauren Wyffels | S | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Jordyn Newgard | RH | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 22 | Kaylor Soiney | DS | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| totals | 4 | 1 | 44 | 49 |
SPRING GROVE
| SRV | # | Name | Pos | Year | A | B | K | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Sydnie Kampschroer | MH | 2019 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 5.5 |
| 2 | 13 | Amelia Solum | OH | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Kyleigh Doering | RH | 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 14 | Mariah Edgington | MH | 2019 | 0 | 1.5 | 9 | 10.5 |
| 5 | 12 | Alyssa Johnson | OH | 2019 | 0 | 1.5 | 3 | 4.5 |
| 19 | Maggie Lile | L | 2023 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | 5 | Kailee Olerud | S | 2019 | 0 | 0.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| totals | 3 | 5 | 20 | 28 |
TRENCH PLAYER
Sarina Stortz
| EARNED | |||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Mabel-Canton | 16 | 15 | 18 |
| Spring Grove | 12 | 6 | 10 |
| ALLOWED | |||
| Mabel-Canton | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| Spring Grove | 9 | 10 | 7 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Item | Mabel-Canton | Spring Grove |
| First Swing SO | 6 | 9 |
| Runs 3+ | 10 | 6 |
| Longest String | 8 | 4 |
| Missed Serves | 7 | 6 |
| Time outs | ½-.500 | 2/6-.333 |
| Set points | 3/3-1.000 | none |
RACE TO …
| Set | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| 1 | MC | MC | MC | MC | MC |
| 2 | SG | MC | MC | MC | MC |
| 3 | MC | MC | MC | MC | MC |
BIGGEST LEAD
| Set | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Mabel-Canton | 6 | 16 | 9 |
| Spring Grove | 1 | 2 | 0 |
KASSON-MANTORVILLE
| SRV | # | Name | Pos | Year | A | B | K | Points |
| 1 | 11 | Emilee Terry | OH | 2020 | 5 | 1.5 | 14 | 20.5 |
| 2 | 10 | Bailey Berge | L | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Mya Suess | MH | 2021 | 0 | 1.5 | 3 | 4.5 | |
| 3 | 8 | Maddie Converse | S | 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Madison Cummings | RH | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 4 | 13 | Peyton Suess | OH | 2019 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 32 |
| 5 | 2 | Cate Wanous | DS | 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | McKenzie Evans | MH | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 6 | 1 | Caroline Braun | RH | 2019 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Anna Braun | S | 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| totals | 9 | 5 | 55 | 69 |
STEWARTVILLE
| SRV | # | Name | Pos | Year | A | B | K | Points |
| 1 | 6 | Jaidyn Brower | S | 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 12 | Lily Welch | OH | 2020 | 1 | 0.5 | 5 | 6.5 |
| 3 | Allie Elliott | L | 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 13 | Erin Lamb | OH | 2021 | 0 | 3.5 | 13 | 16.5 |
| 4 | 8 | Ayla Stecher | OH | 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 2 | Jolie Stecher | OH | 2021 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | 15 | Kaitlyn Prondzinski | OH | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | Allie Elliott | L | 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| totals | 4 | 5 | 45 | 54 |
TRENCH PLAYER
Peyton Suess
| EARNED | ||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Kasson-Mantorville | 17 | 20 | 16 | 17 |
| Stewartville | 11 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| ALLOWED | ||||
| Kasson-Mantorville | 9 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| Stewartville | 8 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Item | Kasson-Mantorville | Stewartville |
| First Swing SO | 18 | 17 |
| Runs 3+ | 12 | 11 |
| Longest String | 8 | 6 |
| Missed Serves | 4 | 6 |
| Time outs | 2/3-.667 | 3/7-.429 |
| Set points | 3/3-1.000 | ½-.500 |
RACE TO …
| Set | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| 1 | S | S | S | KM | KM |
| 2 | KM | KM | KM | KM | S |
| 3 | KM | S | S | KM | KM |
| 4 | KM | KM | KM | KM | KM |
BIGGEST LEAD
| Set | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Kasson-Mantorville | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Stewartville | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 |