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

Follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. You can view brackets for the state tournaments here.

All games will be streamed live on NSPN.

Wednesday’s quarterfinal schedule

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

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

Thursday’s schedule

9 a.m.: Class 4A semifinal

11 a.m.: Class 4A semifinal

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 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.”

— Marcus Fuller

Fifth set: Apple Valley 15, East Ridge 11

Apple Valley wins the 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.

— 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

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 took a 2-1 lead in the match.

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 two seed.

2nd Set: Centennial 18, Prior Lake 17

Prior Lake leads the 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 the 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 for 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’s comeback 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 up 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

With them 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 after 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 quarterfinals win against No. 8 seed Sartell at the state tournament.

Senior Romi Chelebeck 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 changed “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.

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 was tested briefly in the third set, but it was enough to only delay 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 ensued 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 a 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 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 their 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 Sartel Sabers heard the chants from their crowd and put together a 3-2 run to pull within 9-3, but that would only ignite Lakeville South on another rally. The Cougars started off leaning on Chlebecek, but that allowed junior Elle Utecht to get herself warmed up. Utech 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