Volleyball state tournaments: brackets and Strib Varsity predictions
Reporter Marcus Fuller forecasts every round of the competition from Class 4A through Class 1A.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Strib Varsity writer Marcus Fuller offers his predictions on which girls volleyball teams will advance to the semifinals and championship games and which will become champions in Class 4A through Class 1A this week at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Here are the tournament brackets:
The Strib Varsity Volleyball Hub breaks down the schedule by day here.
Class 4A
Marcus says …
In the quarterfinals: The most intriguing player matchup in the first action at the state tournament is Prior Lake’s Sidney Burley vs. Centennial’s Elena Hoecke when Class 4A’s third and sixth seeds meet Wednesday afternoon. The Lakers earned their first state trip since 2017 behind Burley, the top libero in Minnesota. The Cougars are on a seven-match win streak thanks to Gophers commit and middle blocker Hoecke. Burley and Hoecke not only teamed up to lead Minnesota Select to a national club title but they’re both Under Armour All-Americans. Prior Lake wins in a defensive battle.
Top seed and defending champion Lakeville South should be heavily favored against Sartell, which hasn’t been to state since 1977. No. 2 seed East Ridge already lost once this season to No. 7 seed Apple Valley, in the Eagle Invitational on Sept. 19, but East Ridge was without junior standout Lauren Bunge, a Texas Tech commit. Roseville, a fourth-place finisher last year, beat Rogers earlier this season. But the Raiders will be upset Wednesday in the No. 4-5-seed rematch with the Royals, who knocked off last year’s state runner-up Champlin Park in sections.
In the semifinals: Lakeville South and Roseville won’t see each other in the state semifinals like last year, but the Cougars will again defeat the fifth seed. Rogers has a talented group of non-seniors who could be back next year. East Ridge twice beat Prior Lake during the regular season, but the Lakers will figure out the Raptors in the third meeting to get to their first state championship since finishing runner-up in 2015.
The champion: Lakeville South over Prior Lake 3-1. The Cougars lost to only one team last season and eventually got revenge against Champlin Park to win their first state title. They returned the core of that squad, and the teams that beat them this season didn’t even reach state. Easy choice.
Class 3A
Marcus says …
In the quarterfinals: Sauk Rapids-Rice reached the state tournament for only the second time in team history, but the stay might be short. The Storm have faced only two opponents from the metro all season, losing to Wayzata and beating Stillwater; neither of those teams made it to state. Cretin-Derham Hall has state tourney experience from last year and pulls the 4-5-seed upset. Another potential upset is No. 3 seed Stewartville vs. No. 6 Mahtomedi, but Stewartville is a senior-laden group that will find a way to move on. The top two seeds, Marshall and Benilde-St. Margaret’s, sweep their state openers.
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In the semifinals: Marshall has been the best team in the state regardless of class all season, defeating such quality opponents as Lakeville South, East Ridge and Prior Lake, the top three Class 4A seeds. The Tigers take care of Cretin-Derham Hall in straight sets. In a much closer match, Benilde-St. Margaret’s advances to its first state championship since 2022 with a five-set win vs. Stewartville.
The champion: Marshall over Benilde-St. Margaret’s 3-1. Reese Drake did everything she could to lead Marshall to its fourth straight state title last year, but Alexandria was just better. The Tigers, who return stars Drake and Avery Fahl, are better this year than anyone in Class 3A, and it will show with coach Dan Westby’s ninth state crown.
Class 2A
Marcus says …
In the quarterfinals: Southwest Christian was a .500 team in mid-October, but most of its losses were against teams from higher classes and against ranked opponents. The Stars, who finished as state runner-up last year, got it together at the right time in the playoffs. They should be able to fend off New Life Academy, which has been to state four straight years. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted and Arizona State commit Izzy Scheuch won’t make it easy for Albany in the No. 2-7-seed matchup, but this whole round still will go as expected.
In the semifinals: Defending champion Hawley’s veteran group will need four sets to get past the semifinals in the rematch of last year’s Class 2A state championship vs. Southwest Christian. Albany, the hottest team in the class with 17 straight wins, holds off Chatfield for the second time this season.
The champion: Albany over Hawley 3-2. Albany was upset in the semifinals last season as the No. 1 seed, which left the door open for Hawley to win the state title. The Huskies, who finished third last season, become first-time state champions.
Class 1A
Marcus says …
In the quarterfinals: The best story line in the small class matches on Wednesday might be Cleveland, making the program’s first trip to state. Head coach Dave Nixon is in his 24th season. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa’s Kacey Fisher is one of the best all-around players in the tournament, so the matchup of fourth and fifth seeds will go down to the wire. The other matchups probably will not be as close.
In the semifinals: Mayer Lutheran, the defending state champion, will show why it has been to five straight state tournaments by sweeping into the final. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton escapes Fillmore Central’s talented sophomore, Madilyn Zwart.
The champion: Take a bow, Mayer Lutheran. The Crusaders join Lakeville South and Marshall as repeat state champions.
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