Thirty-two high school girls volleyball teams across four classifications in Minnesota began state tournament competition Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

See how the scoring played out on Strib Varsity‘s Minnesota Volleyball Hub. View brackets for the state tournaments here.

Watch replays of Wednesday’s games, which were streamed live on NSPN.

Wednesday’s quarterfinal results

Class 4A: 1 p.m., Lakeville South 3, Sartell 0; Roseville 3, Rogers 0. 3 p.m., Apple Valley 3, East Ridge 2; Prior Lake 3, Centennial 0

Class 3A: 5 p.m., Marshall 3, Big Lake 0; Cretin-Derham Hall 3, Sauk Rapids-Rice 1; 7 p.m., Benilde-St. Margaret’s 3, Grand Rapids 0; Stewartville 3, Mahtomedi 1

Thursday’s schedule

Class 4A semifinals: 9 a.m., Lakeville South vs. Roseville; 11 a.m., Apple Valley vs. Prior Lake

Class 2A quarterfinals: 1 p.m., New London-Spicer v. Hawley; 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.

How Stewartville advanced to the Class 3A semifinals

After losing a closely contested second set, and in the process of giving back the advantage they had gained with a strong first-set victory, the Stewartville volleyball players knew what needed to be done.

Head coach Sammy Pedersen didn’t have to say a thing.

The Tigers reasserted themselves with a dominant third set and carried that energy through the remainder of a 25-20, 24-26, 25-15, 25-22 victory over Mahtomedi in the final Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal match Wednesday at Grand Casino Arena.

“After that second set, they huddled up,” Pederson said. “Us coaches didn’t talk to them at all. After that, they came out a different team.”

With a number of players battling illness, the Tigers weren’t about to do anything fancy. They simply leaned into what they do well: Form a human wall. Stewartville had 33 blocks in the match, keeping Mahtomedi from generating a consistent attack.

Posting such gaudy numbers left Pederson shaking his head.

 ”We had a ton of blocks, like mid-30s total as a team, which is insane,” Pederson said. “For them to work as hard as they did and feel the way that they did, maybe not our best, was huge. We were able to kind of control the game, and in that aspect, it made a huge difference for us in the end.”

The No. 3-seeded Tigers (27-4) will face Benilde-St. Margaret’s, the No. 2 seed, in Friday’s semifinals. Mahtomedi slipped to 21-10.

— Jim Paulsen

4th Set: Stewartville 25, Mahtomedi 21

Stewartville wins match 3-1

The Tigers advance to Friday’s Class 3A semifinals by playing airtight defense and keeping the Mahtomedi attack off balance, never allowing the Zephyrs to establish a consistent attack. Ella Theobald led the Tigers with 14 kills, and Dream Petersohn had 12.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Stewartville 25, Mahtomedi 15

Stewartville leads match 2-1

Stewartville took control right out of the gate by varying its attack and keeping Mahtomedi guessing.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Mahtomedi 26, Stewartville 24

The match is tied 1-1

The Zephyrs allowed Stewartville to rally from a four-point deficit late and actually faced down a set point, winning on back-to-back kills by Katie Hergengrader and Sahar Ramaley, to square the match.

— Jim Paulsen

How Cretin-Derham Hall advanced to the Class 3A semifinals

Cretin-Derham Hall’s 25-19, 29-27, 19-25, 25-18 victory over Sauk Rapids-Rice had its genesis in the Raiders’ first-round loss to Stewartville in 2024, and that experience paid its biggest dividend in Wednesday’s fourth set. Leading 2-0, Cretin-Derham Hall got sloppy in a third-set loss, letting Sauk Rapids-Rice find a little momentum.

“In between the third and the fourth sets, we looked at them and said, ‘That’s not us. That’s not the volleyball that we know how to play. We’re letting their momentum carry this match,’ ” Raiders coach Erin Horn said.

Horn had stressed all season that the Raiders are at their best when they play carefree volleyball. It was time to get back to that style.

“We always talk about controlling what you can control. Playing from freedom, not fear,” Horn said.

Message received. Cretin-Derham Hall regained control of the match in the fourth set to advance to Friday’s Class 3A semifinals.

Senior setter/hitter Caroline Banks led the Raiders with 15 kills. Banks admitted to being thrilled at getting the state tournament opportunity. She sat out last year as a transfer student, taking on the role of team manager.

”Even last year as a manager, I felt like I was a part of the team,” Banks said. “Everyone was really welcoming. I was really excited to play. We just have a really good team chemistry. It was easy to become part of the team.”

Caroline Adetipa added 11 kills for the Raiders, and Megan Buri directed the attack with 24 assists.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Stewartville def. Mahtomedi 25-20

Clara Theobald had six assists for the Tigers, and her sister Ella pounded four first-set kills.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 26, Grand Rapids 24

Benilde-St. Margaret’s wins match 3-0

The Red Knights, seeded second, survive a tight third set and advance to a Friday semifinal against the winner of Stewartville-Mahtomedi, a match underway now.

Sailor Friedly had 15 kills for the Red Knights, whose crisp and clean play from the outset set the tone for the match.

Avery Minor added 13 kills and Brooke Kinkaid 10 for Benilde-St. Margaret’s (27-5).

The Red Knights hit impressively all match, finishing with a stellar .252 hitting percentage. Sailor Friedly’s sister Sydney ran the show for Benilde-St. Margaret’s, finishing with 26 assists and 14 digs.

Grand Rapids, which fell to 22-11, was paced by Paisley Sweeney’s nine kills.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 14, Grand Rapids 14

Benilde-St. Margaret’s leads match 2-0

Grand Rapids is trying to stave off a sweep by the No. 2-seeded Red Knights. Leading 1-0, Benilde-St. Margaret’s won the second set 25-20. Benilde-St. Margaret’s has been hitting at a blistering pace, putting up a .266 hitting percentage.

— Jim Paulsen

4th Set: Cretin-Derham Hall 25, Sauk Rapids-Rice 18

Cretin-Derham Hall wins match 3-1

Caroline Banks put down 15 kills and Caroline Anetipa 11 for the No. 5-seeded Raiders, who improved to 23-4. Sauk Rapids-Rice fell to 25-3.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 25, Grand Rapids 17

Benilde-St. Margaret’s leads match 1-0

The Red Knights were 18-for-31 in attacks in that set, an impressive .516 hitting percentage.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 17, Grand Rapids 12

Over on Court 2, the Red Knights have slowly built a lead thanks to four kills each from Sailor Friedly and Avery Minor.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Sauk Rapids-Rice 25, Cretin-Derham Hall 17

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 2-1

The Storm attacked the Raiders from the get-go in that set, building a lead that ballooned to as many as nine points. Cretin-Derham Hall played the entire set on its heels.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Sauk Rapids-Rice 16, Cretin-Derham Hall 10

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 2-0

This is the biggest lead Sauk Rapids has had all match. Cretin-Derham Hall’s defense has gotten a little leaky, and its passing hasn’t been good.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Cretin-Derham Hall 29, Sauk Rapids-Rice 27

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 2-0

Caroline Banks finished off a back-and-forth second set with a kill and a block. Sauk Rapids has not been in this situation much, if at all. The Storm have not been swept in a full-length match all season.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd Set: Cretin-Derham Hall 21, Sauk Rapids-Rice 20

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 1-0

The Storm won 12 of 16 points to make the second set a battle. Nice response.

— Jim Paulsen

2nd set: Cretin-Derham Hall 12, Sauk Rapids-Rice 4

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 1-0

The Raiders went on a 7-0 run for the second consecutive set to take control. Anna Penz served all seven points.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Cretin-Derham Hall 25, Sauk Rapids-Rice 18

Cretin-Derham Hall leads match 1-0

The Raiders seized control of the first set with a 7-0 run, turning a four-point lead into an 11-point advantage. Caroline Anetipa led Cretin-Derham Hall with nine first-set kills.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Marshall 25, Big Lake 12

Marshall wins match 3-0

Marshall’s quest for an 11th state championship stayed on track with a sweep of Big Lake. Marshall was just too much of everything for the tournament newbies. Senior middle blocker/setter Avery Fahl showed off her varied skill set, registering 11 kills on a .529 hitting percentage. She also had 16 assists and three blocks. Marshall improved to 31-2. Big Lake fell to 13-18.

— Jim Paulsen

3rd Set: Marshall 6, Big Lake 4

Marshall leads match 2-0

The Tigers are poised to sweep first-time entrant Big Lake in this Class 3A quarterfinal. They beat the Hornets 25-13, 25-12 in the first two sets. Reese Drake has 10 kills, Avery Fahl and Nora Holmgren nine apiece.

— Jim Paulsen

How Prior Lake advanced to the Class 4A semifinals

Centennial’s Elena Hoecke celebrated the biggest individual honor of any girls volleyball player the night before her team took the court at the state tournament.

Hoecke was announced as the Ms. Baden Award winner, given to the player of the year.

The 6-3 senior and Gophers recruit had to turn around and deal with another set of emotions playing in the program’s first state tournament appearance since 2022. Hoecke was also facing her club teammate and Kentucky commit Sidney Burley from Prior Lake.

Hoecke and the sixth-seeded Cougars gave the No. 3 seed Lakers a battle but fell 25-23, 26-24, 25-14 in the Class 4A quarterfinals at Grand Casino Arena.

“Props to them that they were pretty scrappy,” said Hoecke, who finished with 10 kills and eight digs. “The awards and everything are great, but in the end I’m here with my team. That’s what I was most excited to do. It was still super fun.”

The Lakers (22-10), who hadn’t been to state since 2017, succumbed to nerves early and fell behind 15-9 in the first set, but they used a 7-1 run to get back into the match early behind Dylan Raveling, who finished with 12 kills.

The Cougars (22-9) also had a 24-23 lead in the second set, but Prior Lake kept its composure.

Burley, like Hoecke an Under Armour All-American and Minnesota Select AAU standout, didn’t dare talk trash to Hoecke, she joked.

“It’s definitely easy to get carried away by her big kills,” Burley said. “But I think our team did a good job of realizing her team getting a big kill was the same amount of points. We really understood to let her have her good plays, but we kept our emotions in check, too.”

Prior Lake coach Mike Dean was proud of his girls for executing the game plan to limit the impact of the state’s top player as much as possible.

“Going into it we obviously knew [Hoecke] was going to get her kills and get her blocks,” Dean said. “What I appreciate about this team the past couple weeks is we’ve really shown our resilience in the way we’re ready for long battles. We’re ready for long points and tight matches.”

— Marcus Fuller

5th Set: Apple Valley 15, East Ridge 11

Apple Valley wins match 3-0

The seventh-seeded Apple Valley Eagles just pulled off the biggest stunner of the day, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to beat No. 2 seed East Ridge. Sophia Cowan had 26 kills for Apple Valley, and Ginny Gores added 17.

The Eagles will face No. 3 seed Prior Lake in the Class 4A semifinals 11 a.m. Thursday. After reaching the state tournament last year for the first time in 20 years, Apple Valley will now be one win away from a state championship appearance.

— Jim Paulsen

1st Set: Marshall 12, Big Lake 5

Talk about your different paths. Marshall, the No. 1 seed in Class 3A, is making its 35th state tournament appearance, Big Lake its first. The top-seeded Tigers attacked from the outset, building a big lead. They’re not interested in giving Big Lake some hope.

— Jim Paulsen

5th Set: Apple Valley 12, East Ridge 8

The match is tied 2-2

Apple Valley has an upset under way here. The seventh seed is mere points from advancing over the No. 2 seed in Class 4A, but East Ridge has scored three points in a row.

4th Set: Apple Valley 25, East Ridge 10

The match is tied 2-2

Apple Valley pushed back successfully in the fourth set against second-seeded East Ridge and sent the match to a fifth set.

3rd Set: East Ridge 27, Apple Valley 25

East Ridge leads match 2-1

Apple Valley, the seventh seed, won the first set over East Ridge 25-21, and East Ridge, the second seed, won the second set 25-17.

3rd Set: Prior Lake 25, Centennial 14

Prior Lake wins the match 3-0

The Lakers’ four-match win streak at the end of the season included beating former No. 1 Class 4A Chanhassen, so their dominance was no surprise in the quarterfinal match at state.

The Lakers had to wait four match points before they finally took care of the Cougars with a kill from who else but Dylan Raveling, who ended the first two sets with points. Senior All-American Elena Hoecke and Centennial move into the consolation bracket.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Prior Lake 10, Centennial 2

Prior Lake leads the match 2-0

The best player in the match is clearly Centennial’s Elena Hoecke, who has tried to do it all for her squad. But Prior Lake has just too many offensive weapons. The Lakers put a stamp on the third set early with big points from Addison Barbo and Olivia Arlt.

– Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Prior Lake 26, Centennial 24

Prior Lake leads the match 2-0

Prior Lake took a two-set lead in the match, but not without suspense late in the second set. Centennial rallied with three straight points to lead 24-23, including an ace from Aubrie Wirkala. The Lakers, who were helped defensively by All-American Sidney Burley, used a 3-0 run to close out the set. Izzy Hawkins was clutch again with two of the last three points.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: East Ridge 25, Apple Valley 17

Match is tied 1-1

Apple Valley won the first set over East Ridge 25-21. That’s a seventh seed over a two seed.

2nd Set: Centennial 18, Prior Lake 17

Prior Lake leads match 1-0

The Cougars used a 9-4 run to tie the match midway through the second set, which was boosted by two aces from Addison Kemper. Kemper and Elena Hoecke brought some heat at the net with points to take the lead a few times, but Prior Lake wouldn’t fall behind by much.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Prior Lake 9, Centennial 6

Prior Lake leads match 1-0

Prior Lake’s confidence soared after coming from behind to win the first set. The Lancers jumped out with a 6-1 early advantage with Dylan Raveling picking up where she left off. Elena Hoecke’s one of the best defenders in the country, but the Cougars struggled to put together a consistent enough block. They have generated enough offense to keep it close.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Prior Lake 25, Centennial 23

Centennial’s Elena Hoecke, who won the Ms. Baden Award that goes to the girls volleyball player of the year, came up with a big swing down the stretch to tie it 23-23. That was one of several ties at the end of the first set. But Prior Lake would not be denied. The Lancers saw freshman Oliva Arlt and senior Dylan Raveling answer with big points to take the early match lead on the Cougars.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Centennial 16, Prior Lake 16

Prior Lake trailed by as many as six points but rallied with a 7-1 run to tie it after a kill from Izzy Hawkins in the first set. Prior Lake is making its first state tournament appearance since 2017.

— Marcus Fuller

1st set: Centennial 12, Prior Lake 8

Sixth seed Centennial entered Wednesday’s match with eight straight victories and it showed. The Cougars set the tone early with balanced offense behind Gophers recruit Elena Hoecke. Prior Lake, the No. 3 seed, struggled with the serve-receive game early and fell behind.

— Marcus Fuller

How Lakeville South advanced to the 4A semifinals

Being the defending Class 4A champions, Lakeville South volleyball players knew there would be a target on their backs this season.

They didn’t know exactly what that felt like until adversity hit with two straight losses in early September and a closer-than-expected section final against rival Lakeville North.

But the top-seeded Cougars are right where they expected to be after Wednesday’s 25-12, 25-19, 25-12 quarterfinal win against No. 8 seed Sartell at the state tournament.

Senior Romi Chlebecek finished with 18 kills while Elle Utecht added 12 kills and 10 digs for Lakeville South.

The Cougars (29-3), who advance to play Roseville in Thursday’s semifinals, trailed 15-13 in the second set Wednesday when Sartell fans chanted “overrated.” That only provided motivation for the Cougars, who already had an advantage with their experience from playing in last year’s state tourney.

“We know we do have that target on our back,” Chlebecek said. “We know we need to play our best every round of this tournament. Just because we’ve been here before doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed to make it to the championship again.”

Kaelyn Bjorklund, who finished with 41 assists, helped the Cougars tie the second set, fueling an 8-2 run. The Sabers, who were playing in their first state tournament since 1977, were led by Olivia Terhune’s nine kills.

Lakeville South needed a fifth set to defeat Lakeville North last week in the section championship, avenging an earlier loss to the Panthers. After losing to Class 3A’s No. 1-ranked Marshall in the Southwest Minnesota Challenge on Sept. 6, Lakeville South won 23 of its next 24 matches, including a stretch of 18 straight victories during the regular season. The only loss was to Eagan.

That stretch of success helped the Cougars play at their best when the playoffs arrived.

“We accepted the challenge right away and got after it,” Utecht said. “One thing we’ve really grown in this year is trusting ourselves and trusting each other with the ball. Bringing that into every single game. We’re really comfortable right now.”

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Lakeville South 25, Sartell 12

Lakeville South wins match 3-0

Lakeville South was tested briefly in the third set, but it only delayed the inevitable. The Cougars marched on, with Addyson Quandt and Romi Chlebecek combining to score the final four points to seal the match 3-0.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Roseville 25, Rogers 20

Roseville, the No. 4 seed, won the match 3-0 to advance to Thursday’s semifinals against top-seeded Lakeville South.

3rd Set: Lakeville South 15, Sartell 9

Sartell’s back-to-back points, including a ball that dropped deep by Gabrielle Schulte, gave fans some life. But the Cougars wouldn’t be deterred as Elle Utecht continued the damage she began offensively late in the previous set.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Lakeville South 10, Sartell 5

Lakeville South leads match 2-0

Lakeville South coach Steve Willingham let his team play through several deficits in the second set. The same happened to open the third set trailing 3-0. The Cougars won six straight points to set the tone.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Lakeville South 25, Sartell 19

Lakeville South leads match 2-0

The Sabers woke up the defending champions. Lakeville South went on an 8-2 run to take the tightly contested second set. Kaelyn Bjorklund, a Clemson recruit, set up Addyson Quandt and Elle Utecht on the final two points to seal the game.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Roseville 25, Rogers 15

Roseville has a 2-0 lead in the other 4A semifinal match.

Roseville won the first set 25-17.

2nd Set: Lakeville South 19, Sartell 17

Lakeville South leads match 1-0

Sartell’s student section started to chant “overrated” after Lakeville South trailed 15-13 in the second set. The Sabers spread their offense around with Olivia Terhune and her teammates. The Cougars finally got a spark from setter Kaelyn Bjorklund to get back into the game.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Sartell 9, Lakeville South 7

Lakeville South leads match 1-0

Sartell’s Olivia Terhune, who had more than 330 kills this season, helped her team take a 5-4 lead in the second set. The Sabers weren’t intimidated after Lakeville South scored the next few points and managed to get its biggest lead of the match.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Lakeville South 25, Sartell 12

Lakeville South took advantage of Sartell’s error on the final point to cruise through the first set. The Cougars are coming off a five-set win against rival Lakeville North in the section championship, but they’ve swept four of their last five matches.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Lakeville South 18, Sartell 7

The Sartell Sabers heard the chants from their crowd and put together a 3-2 run to pull within 9-3, but that only ignited another Lakeville South rally. The Cougars started off leaning on Romi Chlebecek, but that allowed junior Elle Utecht to get herself warmed up. Utecht was a huge factor in last year’s title run.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Lakeville South 8, Sartell 1

Sartell scored the first point of the match on a block, but Lakeville South responded with eight straight points, including two kills from senior Romi Chlebecek, who was named All-State this season.

This is Sartell’s first state appearance since 1977. The Cougars are defending state champions.

— Marcus Fuller

Class 4A quarterfinal predictions

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.

— Marcus Fuller