Four teams in Class 4A played Thursday morning for a trip to Saturday’s state championship. Two were victorious — Lakeville South and Prior Lake.

Others in 4A continue their seasons in the consolation bracket.

Also Thursday, the quarterfinals begin for the smaller schools. See the schedule below.

Follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. You can view brackets for the state tournaments here. You can also catch up on what happened on the opening day of the tournament Wednesday.

All games will be streamed live on NSPN.

Thursday’s schedule

Class 4A semifinals: 9:00 a.m. Lakeville South 3, Roseville 0; 11 a.m.: Prior Lake 3, Apple Valley 1.

Class 2A quarterfinals: 1 p.m. Hawley 3, New London-Spicer 0; New Life Academy vs. Southwest Christian; 3 p.m. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted vs. Albany; Esko vs. Chatfield

Class 1A quarterfinals: 5 p.m. North Woods vs. Mayer Lutheran; Cleveland vs. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa; 7 p.m. Nevis vs. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton; Ada-Borup-West vs. Fillmore Central

Extra reading: All-Minnesota girls volleyball team; Predicting the state tournament winners.

Friday’s schedule

Class 3A semifinals: 9 a.m. Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Marshall; 11:00 a.m. Stewartville vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

Class 1A semifinals: 1 p.m.; 3 p.m.

Class 2A semifinals: 5 p.m.; 7 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule

Class 1A championship: 2:30 p.m.

Class 2A championship: 3 p.m.

Class 3A championship: 6:30 p.m.

Class 4A championship: 7:00 p.m. Prior Lake vs. Lakeville South

3rd Set: Southwest Christian 11, New Life Academy 11

SW Christian leads match 2-0.

The Eagles trailed 4-1 to start the third set, but Marissa Michaelis got her offense going to spark her teammates. They were 8-for-16 to open the set to get the New Life Academy section energized.

– Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Southwest Christian 25, New Life Academy 16

SW Christian leads match 2-0

Southwest Christian never let New Life Academy get closer than a few points in the second set. The Stars have been formidable at the net behind Breanna and Avery Beckering, who enter the third set with a combined 20 kills. The Stars shot an impressive .440% in the second set.

– Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Southwest Christian 16, New Life Academy 9

SW Christian leads match 1-0

During the opening of the second set, the Stars made sure the Eagles didn’t gather any momentum, considering how close it was in the first set. New Life Academy hasn’t been able to get Marisa Michaelis going — she had 300 kills entering the state tournament.

– Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 15

Hawley wins match 3-0.

The Nuggets started their quest for a second straight state title with a sweep in Thursday’s opening match against New London-Spicer at Grand Casino Arena. They have now won four straight matches since the regular season-ending loss against Minnewaska. Katie Vetter had 13 kills and 14 digs. Stella Flemming finished with 29 assists.

– Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Southwest Christian 25, New Life Academy 22

Southwest Christian and New Life Academy were in a back-and-forth first set in the other Class 2A quarterfinal Thursday afternoon. The Stars, who finished state runner-up last year, led 6-2 early, but found themselves behind 19-17 late before going on a 6-1 run led by Breanna Beckering, who had seven kills in the set.

The Eagles got within 23-22, but they couldn’t stop Beckering in the end.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Hawley 17, New London-Spicer 9

Hawley leads match 2-0.

The Nuggets started off the third set hitting an impressive .375% while Katie Vetter took control offensively, getting into double figures in kills.

– Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 18

Hawley leads match 2-0.

The Nuggets had six errors and saw their hitting percentage fall to .207 in the match after a sloppy end to the second set, but they finished strong to take a 2-0 lead. Hawley setter Stella Flemming, who had nearly 800 assists entering the state tournament, spread the ball around offensively to find the hot hand late.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Hawley 22, New London-Spicer 18

Both teams entered Wednesday’s quarterfinals on a winning streak, but New London-Spicer really turned its season around with seven consecutive wins after a five-match losing streak. Hawley tried not to let its upset-minded opponent get confident, but the Wildcats scored five straight points just when the second set seemed out of reach.

– Marcus Fuller

How Prior Lake advanced to the 4A final

Prior Lake popped Apple Valley’s dream bubble in the Class 4A volleyball semifinals Thursday, rallying from a first-set loss to win three sets in a row and advance to Saturday’s Class 4A championship match with a 14-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-14 victory.

Apple Valley was making its first state tournament appearance in nearly a quarter century. The Eagles played what could have been called the highlight match Wednesday’s quarterfinals, upsetting No. 2 seed East Ridge by rallying in the fourth and fifth set.

The good mojo that propelled them forward the quarterfinals lingered early in the semifinals. The Eagles bolted to a 7-0 lead, forcing Prior Lake coach Mike Dean to call a time out to help his team regroup.

Prior Lake had defeated Apple Valley in three sets in October. The Lakers players needed to settle in and play the way they did in that previous match.

“That first set, we came out and gave them a little something to feel good about,” Prior Lake coach Mike Dean said.

His well-timed pause appeared to break the spell. Apple Valley went on to win the first set 25-14, but Prior Lake found its usual self in the second set and took control of the match thereafter.

“That really spoke to the maturity and the resilience that this team has,” Dean said.

Prior Lake’s block at the net proved to be a wall Apple Valley couldn’t scale.

“They got a few core touches on the block, so that forced us to modify our offense a little more,” Apple Valley coach Hannah Specktor said.

The loss didn’t diminish what the Apple Valley players accomplished.

“We’re making history at Apple Valley. It’s been 24 years since we’ve been in the state semifinals.” senior hitter Sophie Monson said. “Its big knowing we were part of the team that brought the state tournament back to our school.”

2nd Set: Hawley 13, New London-Spicer 2

All-state junior outside hitter Katie Vetter started off strong in the second set with three kills in the first six points for Hawley. The Wildcats were struggling to find consistency on offense hitting .065 for the match. The Nuggets also dominated with five aces.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 18

Hawley leads match 1-0.

Hawley led by eight points late in the opening set before it was outscored 4-0 — a little too close for comfort — against New London-Spicer. The Wildcats got within 22-18, but the Nuggets finished with three straight points for the 1-0 lead. Katie Vetter, Annaka Johnson and McKenna Walker were tied with three kills each in a balanced attack.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Hawley 14, New London-Spicer 11

The defending Class 2A champion and top-seeded Nuggets found themselves in a battle from the start against No. 8 seed New London-Spicer, which made the state tournament last season. Hawley rattled off three straight points to get some separation after it was tied 10-10 midway through the first set.

— Marcus Fuller

4th Set: Prior Lake, 25, Apple Valley 15

Prior Lake wins match 3-1.

After a slow start, Prior Lake rallied to win the final three sets and advance to Saturday’s Class 4A championship match against Lakeville South. The Lakers used a two-headed attack to pull away from Apple Valley, getting 17 kills from Addison Barbow and 16 from Dylan Raveling.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Prior Lake 26, Apple Valley 24

Prior Lake leads match 2-1.

A kill by Prior Lake’s Dylan Raveling ended a terrific, back-and-forth third set. Teammates Raveling and Addison Barbow have 11 kills each for Prior Lake. Apple Valley’s Sophia Cowan is the kills leader for the entire match with 21.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Prior Lake 25, Apple Valley 22

Match is tied 1-1.

The Lakers came back with energy in the second set, matching what Apple Valley was bringing. Prior Lake built a 23-16 lead, then held on through a late Apple Valley rally.

— Jim Paulsen

How Lakeville South advanced to the 4A final

As the defending state champs in Class 4A, and loaded with an enviable cache of volleyball talent, Lakeville South coach Stephen Willingham’s plan for repeating included an important lesson: the Cougars were going to be the focus of every team they played this season. Dealing with the extra attention is part of being a champion.

“Our coaches always tell us, ‘You have a target on your backs. Everybody is gonna play their best against you because they want to take that championship’, ” junior middle blocker Graced Hertaus said.

The Cougars took the best Roseville had to offer and still came away with a three-set 25-13, 25-19, 25-22 victory.

Roseville played fearlessly, even taking a late 21-17 lead in the third set, but bigger Lakeville South wore them down.

“We’re prepped for that,” Herthaus said. “We’re ready for them to show us their best, but then, we have to give our best game, too.”

Lakeville South’s best proved just too much for Roseville, no matter how determined the Raiders were.

“We are so tough and gritty. I think we were so well prepared and we had the right mindset, but we lost a little bit of the special sauce that makes us who we are,” Roseville coach Greg Ueland said.

Romi Chlebecek and Elleora Utecht each had 12 kills for Lakeville South, which dominated at the net with 18 blocks, forcing Roseville to work for every point it got. The Raiders had a -.044 hitting percentage.

“It can be daunting, because you work your butts off and it doesn’t quite work,” Ueland admitted. “Lakeville South is a great team. But it can drain you, right?”

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Apple Valley 25, Prior Lake 14

Apple Valley leads match 1-0.

The Eagles continued their strong state tournament play with a convincing 25-14 victory over Prior Lake. The effervescent and always smiling Sophia Cowan was wonderful in the first set, going a perfect 10-for-10 on attacks.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Apple Valley 8, Prior Lake 6

Apple Valley picked up right where it left off Wednesday, bolting out to 7-0 lead. The Eagles rallied to win their quarterfinal match over East Ridge was a near-perfect performance in the fourth and fifth set. Prior Lake took a timeout and came back with five straight points.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 22

Lakeville South wins match 3-0.

Roseville managed to build a four-point lead, 21-17, but Lakeville South responded with terrific defense and solid hitting to pull out the final set. Romi Chlebecek and Elleora Utecht each had 12 kills for Lakeville South while Kaelyn Bjorkland had 26 set assists.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Lakeville South 16, Roseville 14

As has been the case all match, Roseville starts out determined to match Lakeville South point-for-point, but that’s a tall order for an entire set. A slump or a bad matchup on a rotation and suddenly the Lakeville South lead starts to grow.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 19

Lakeville South leads match 2-0.

Gotta say this for Roseville. The Raiders are scrappy. They don’t back down. No team owned a lead of more than two points until the end of the set. Roseville actually led 17-16 before a 4-0 run by the Cougars drained the Raiders momentum. Romi Chlebecek leads Lakeville South with eight kills.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Lakeville South 9, Roseville 8

Roseville is changing up its attack, trying to counter Lakeville South’s imposing block by moving them side-to-side. But the Cougars have seen this tactic all year and they know how to deal with it. How big is Lakeville South? The Cougars on the floor go 5-11, 5-11, 5-10, 6-1 and 6-2. The only small player is Libero Amanda Cullen, who is 5-2.

— Jim Paulsen

1st set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 13

Lakeville South leads match 1-0.

It was a dominant first set for Lakeville South. Romi Chlebecek and Elleora Utecht paced the Cougars attack with four kills each.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Lakeville South 16, Roseville 9

The defending Class 4A champion Cougars’ strong game at the net, putting up a block that is giving Roseville difficulty, has resulted in an early Lakeville South lead. Roseville needs to find different routes to hit around the block.

— Jim Paulsen