The Class 4A state championship matchup is set. Now, so are the finals in Class 3A, 2A and 1A.

Scroll through the scoreboard on Strib Varsity to find final results. View brackets for the state tournaments here, or catch up on what happened on the opening day of the tournament Wednesday and the second day of the tournament on Thursday.

All games were streamed live on NSPN.

Friday’s schedule

Class 3A semifinals: 9 a.m., Marshall 3, Cretin-Derham Hall 0; 11 a.m., Benilde-St. Margaret’s 3, Stewartville 0

Class 1A semifinals: 1 p.m., Mayer Lutheran 3, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 1; 3 p.m., Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 3, Ada-Borup-West 1

Class 2A semifinals: 5 p.m., Hawley 3, New Life Academy 0; 7 p.m., Chatfield 3, Albany 0

Saturday’s schedule

Class 1A championship: 2:30 p.m. Mayer Lutheran vs. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton

Class 2A championship: 3 p.m. Hawley vs. Chatfield

Class 3A championship: 6:30 p.m., Marshall vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

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

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

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How Chatfield advanced to the 2A final

Chatfield’s first ever trip to the state girls’ volleyball tournament last year ended with losses to Hawley and Albany, so the revenge tour started in the Class 2A semifinals.

On Friday, the third-seeded Gophers avenged their loss in the 2024 third-place to Albany match by taking down the No. 2 seed 25-23, 25-20, 25-17.

Next up for Chatfield (26-7) will be facing defending state champion Hawley in Saturday’s final. All the Gophers can think about is when the Nuggets beat them in last year’s semifinal round.

“We want redemption,” Chatfield coach Kristi Rindels said. “We want to prove that maybe we didn’t do it last year, but maybe this is our year to do it. So as long as we come in with the same confidence we had today and continue to play at our pace, I think it’s going to be a solid matchup.”

In all three sets, Chatfield was able to break away when Albany rallied to tie it, including 21-21 in the first set and with six ties in the third set. Trindy Barkeim had 19 kills and Cora Bicknese had 13 kills and 19 digs. Harper Goldsmith, who reached 3,000 career assists, finished with 32 assists in the match.

Rindels said all her players were swinging, passing and serving with confidence.

That’s what it will take to compete with a champion like Hawley. The Gophers lost to Albany in three sets earlier this season, but the Huskies had no answer this time around.

“The word to come to my mind is drive,” senior Amaya Harmening said. “We just wanted it so bad. We put so much confidence in each other. And we all have great leadership. We can power through anything together.”

- Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Chatfield 25, Albany 17

Chatfield wins the match 3-0

The Gophers let the Huskies get within 20-17 late in the third set, but they finished off the match with a 5-0 run. Trindy Barkeim and Cora Bicknese combined for 32 kills. Harper Goldsmith orchestrated offensive mastery with 32 assists.

- Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Chatfield 14, Albany 12

Chatfield leads the match 2-0

Chatfield’s Cora Bicknese and Trindy Barkeim helped their team take a six-point lead in the third set. The Gophers looked like they were about to pull away, but Albany used a 6-2 run to make it interesting. Brynn Panek leads the Huskies with 13 kills, but they need to get Kelsey Lobitz going to have a shot at extending the match.

- Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Chatfield 25, Albany 20

Chatfield leads the match 2-0

The Huskies and the Gophers were tied for the sixth time in the set at 14-14 before one team took over. Want to take a guess which one? Chatfield imposed its will on Albany again with a 9-4 run to take the two set lead. The Huskies didn’t do themselves any favors hitting .045 in the second set.

- Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Chatfield 17, Albany 14

Chatfield leads the match 1-0

The Gophers found a secret weapon offensively with Amaya Harmening, who got her first two kills of the match during a 6-3 run to pull ahead. Chatfield setter Harper Goldsmith thrived with spreading the ball around to different attackers.

- Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Albany 11, Chatfield 11

Chatfield leads the match 1-0: Albany jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, but Chatfield responded to tie it after three kills from Cora Bicknese. The Huskies couldn’t get ahead by more than a point until Josie Dingmann’s ace, but the Gophers continued to have an answer to tie it for the fourth time.

- Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Chatfield 25, Albany 23

Chatfield leads the match 1-0

The Gophers called a timeout not long after their opponent to make an adjustment at the end of the first set. That led to them going on a 8-4 run to take a 24-22 lead. Chatfield botched one set point when a ball sailed wide from Trindy Barkeim. But Barkeim would take advantage of the second chance to seal it. Cora Bicknese and Barkeim combined for 10 kills in the opening set.

- Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Albany 15, Chatfield 13

Both teams played a pretty evenly matched first set of this second Class 2A semifinal of the day. Cora Bicknese with a couple big kills and an ace put Chatfield on top early, but Kelsey Lobitz and Brynn Panek combined for six kills to put Albany, which was down 6-1 at the start, ahead.

- Marcus Fuller

How Hawley advanced to the 2A final

Hawley players had just finished a tightly-contested Class 2A semifinal win Friday against New Life Academy, but one of the first things that came to mind in the postgame news conference was a Miley Cyrus song.

A memorable bonding moment they shared in the locker room during the state tournament came while listening to a more than decade-old tune, “The Climb.”

“It really united us,” senior Hannat Stotts said. “It got us going.”

The Nuggets played Friday’s match like they were ready to climb to new heights with another title run.

They’ll have a chance to win back-to-back state championships after a 25-18, 25-15, 25-23 win against the fifth-seeded Eagles at Grand Casino Arena.

“A lot of our team are really good friends, so it really allows us to have a strong bond on the court,” junior Audrina Liebenow said. “It allows us to connect and work together as a team. That really is an advantage for us.”

In the third set, the Nuggets trailed 20-16, but they went on a 4-0 run to tie the score with Annaka Johnson’s kill and ace. They got three kills from Katie Vetter to help break a 21-21 tie to advance to play the winner of No. 2 Albany vs. No. 3 Chatfield in the second semifinal. Vetter had 10 kills and digs. Johnson finished with 10 kills and five total blocks.

The Eagles (27-4) battled back from two sets down Thursday to upset fourth-seeded Southwest Christian, which played Hawley in the Class 2A final last season. They were close to putting the pressure on another top seed Friday.

“They’ve not only been in a tight game in volleyball, but they’ve been in it for softball, too,” Hawley coach Kathleen Rustad said. “When you get into a tight game, a tight match or a set or inning, it’s just like ‘All right, onto the next play’. They’ve got a lot of experience.”

3rd Set: Hawley 25, New Life Academy 23

Hawley wins the match 3-0

Hawley didn’t back down under pressure late by scoring four straight points to tie it 20-20, including Annaka Johnson’s kill and ace. Back-to-back kills from Katie Vetter down the stretch led to a 23-21 advantage. New Life eventually survived one match points, but Kendallynn Hill finished the set off with a shot to the back row that dropped. Vetter, Hill and Johnson finished with 10 kills each. The Eagles advanced to the Class 2A title match Saturday.

- Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: New Life Academy 20, Hawley 16

Hawley leads the match 2-0

New Life Academy and Hawley were tied 15-15, but this was do or die time for the Eagles. They got the momentum points they needed behind Rylie Schelhaas and Alexa Lilly to pull ahead, but this wouldn’t be the first time a lead vanished quickly.

- Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: New Life Academy 14, Hawley 13

Hawley leads the match 2-0

Hawley finally called a timeout during the third set, but it probably could’ve used one earlier. The Eagles used a 7-2 run to take the lead again, highlighted by Jada Mitchell getting a save from the floor. Mitchell popped up to finish the point with a kill.

- Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Hawley 9, New Life Academy 6

Hawley leads the match 2-0

New Life Academy needed desperately to find rhythm in the third set. That came early with a 5-3 lead, but that wouldn’t be nearly enough of separation. The Nuggets used a 6-1 run to take control of the set. Annaka Johnson can do it all. She’s got kills. She’s got blocks. She can dig it. She also had an ace, folks.

- Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Hawley 25, New Life Academy 15

Hawley leads the match 2-0

Hawley scored five straight points at the end of the second set to help pull away for the win. The Nuggets relied on Katie Vetter early in the set when she scored six points during a 10-2 run. The Eagles weren’t as sloppy offensively as the opening set, but they still were hitting .029 from the match.

- Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Hawley 18, New Life Academy 11

Hawley leads the match 1-0

The Nuggets didn’t want to give the Eagles any confidence, but it got within 12-10 midway through the set. Hawley answered with 6-1 run, which included getting Annaka Johnson the ball again.

- Marcus Fuller

How Russell-Tyler Ruthon advanced to the 1A final

When Russell-Tyler-Ruthton went into the Class 1A state semifinals on Friday afternoon, the team’s goal was obvious: Make it to the finals on Saturday.

Now that the Knights have achieved that with a 3-1 win against Ada-Borup-West, they have a new goal: Celebrate every point scored.

The team practiced just that when they sealed the win in the fourth set (25-13). Arms wrapped around each other, the squad wearing navy and white jumped up and down on the makeshift court inside Grand Casino Arena.

RTR secured a 2-0 lead and admitted to going into the third set thinking it would be a breeze. ABW hit back with force, taking the third set away from the Knights.

“We were up two and we kind of just thought maybe we could just walk through the third one, but we need to push the whole time,” setter and outside hitter Dru Ellefson said.

RTR secured its spot in the finals with a 8-0 run in the fourth set, but not without a challenge.

“We talked about not letting them go on runs,” ABW head coach Janna Engel said. “This whole season we’ve had a goal of having the other team only score three or less, and we did a much better job at maintaining getting a few better block touches on them.”

The Knights aim to go into the state finals with “confidence, energy and more excitement,” and a reminder to celebrate every little win on court. RTR will take on No. 1 seed Mayer Lutheran on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. after losing to the school in August in the first game of the season.

“It’s now the last game of the season,” head coach Daynica Brown said. “Now it’s our time to get the win.”

— Olivia Hicks

Second Set: Hawley 8, New Life Academy 6

Hawley leads the match 1-0

New Life Academy’s Marisa Michaelis and Hawley’s Katie Vetter took turns trying to give their teams the momentum. Michaelis had consecutive kills to give the Eagles a 5-2 lead early in the second set. Vetter responded with a couple big winners of her own during a 6-1 run to give Hawley the advantage again.

- Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Hawley 25, New Life Academy 18

Hawley leads the match 1-0

New Life Academy tried to get its top hitters Marisa Michaelis and Ryleigh Schelhaas going, but the theme of the first set was inefficiency. The Eagles had nine attack errors, including in critical situations to sustain runs. They also had no answer for Hawley senior Annaka Johnson, who finished off the set with a cross court blast. She had five kills on .625 hitting and three total blocks in the opening set.

– Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Hawley 15, New Life Academy 9

Hawley’s Annaka Johnson, one of the state’s leaders in blocks, landed a kill in the back corner and followed with two rejections at the net. The 6-foot senior and middle hitter put her stamp on the match early to give the Nuggets the edge.

– Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Hawley 8, New Life Academy 2

Defending Class 2A champion Hawley was surely well aware that Friday’s semifinal opponent went to five sets in the previous match, so it didn’t let up to start against No. 5 seed New Life Academy.

The Nuggets jumped out to a 5-0 start, which included Annaka Johnson and Mckenna Walker teaming up with a block to ignite the student section dressed in red, white and blue.

– Marcus Fuller

4th Set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 25, Ada-Borup-West 13

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton wins the match 3-1

The Knights earned a spot in the Class 1A state final on Saturday against first seed and defending state champs Mayer Lutheran.

The navy and white squad completed a 8-0 run to stretch their lead thanks to outside hitter Paisley Thooft’s series of kills.

— Olivia Hicks

4th Set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 10, Ada-Borup-West 7

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton leads match 2-1

The Cougars opened the set looking to own the fourth set and advance to the state finals. But the Knights quickly took back control with a couple of tips that allowed them to briefly gain a lead.

Malayna Syverson completed three kills in a row to keep ABW’s chances alive and the set, yet again, was defined by a chaotic back-and-forth energy with a continuous even score on the board.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd set: Ada-Borup-West 25, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 21

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton leads match 2-1

ABW takes the third set, the point sealed by kill-leader Malayna Syverson. The Knights fell just shy of securing a third set in a row. The team’s last shot came from Dru Ellefson who received the ball from Makenna Hesse.

— Olivia Hicks

How Mayer Lutheran advanced to the 1A final

What motivated Mayer Lutheran’s volleyball squad to complete as many runs as it could in Friday’s Class 1A state semifinal game against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa? Stickers.

Head coach Joelle Grimsley promises any player that secures 10 kills in a row a sticker. Outside hitter and star of the semifinal game Courtney Tuttle was all smiles after the 1 p.m. game. She had won herself not only a shiny sticker, but a shot at repeating the Crusader’s 2024 state title.

“I think personally I stepped up my confidence a lot more and I went out and did what I did,” Tuttle said. The senior’s 12 kills brought the team out on top after a tense back-and-forth game where BBE won the first set due to the Crusaders’ lacking defense.

“Our whole team was like, ‘This definitely is not how we want to start the second game, second set.’ So, we definitely came out there with a bunch more confidence,” Tuttle said.

After the first set, Mayer Lutheran recorded a 14-0 run that fueled the team’s spark and awarded the Crusaders their ticket to the state finals on Saturday.

But the Jaguars, on their first state appearance since 2022, weren’t deterred. BBE’s players kept their heads high and acknowledged Mayer Lutheran’s skill.

“They’re pretty dangerous. … We knew that we had to push a bit harder than yesterday,” head coach Brittany Borgerding said.

But that didn’t mean BBE didn’t have fun.

“[I told them] we are just going to come in and have fun,” Borgerding said. “Just get back to enjoying it. Smiling. I made them pick someone that they were going to look at if they made a mistake, so they could kind of loosen up a little bit and smile.”

The Crusaders will return to the state finals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with their sights set on two things: stickers and a state title.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd set: Ada-Borup-West 14, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 11

The Cougars came back with a vengeance and a 4-0 run as soon as the third set began. RTR attempted to shut down further run attempts with their own collection of kills thanks to the Thooft sisters, Sara and Paisley.

Malayna Syverson and Sara Thooft continue to trade kills with 16 and 15 respectively.

— Olivia Hicks

2nd set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 25, Ada-Borup-West 17

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton leads match 2-0

ABW attempted to put up a fight against its state semifinals foe but the second set went to RTR to make it 2-0. Both teams went back-and-forth with runs of three before a kill by Morgan Engel, lofted by Malayna Syverson, sealed the set for the Knights.

— Olivia Hicks

2nd set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 14, Ada-Borup-West 12

RTR continues to dominate the state semifinal match but has failed to secure solid runs as the Cougars interrupt any chances at a significant lead. Malayna Syverson remains a standout for ABW with five kills in just this set.

— Olivia Hicks

1st set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 25, Ada-Borup-West 12

The RTR Knights take the first set behind Sara Thooft’s hits at the net. Brynn Borresen secured the set-winning point off a pass from Laken Baartman.

The Cougars’ Malayna Syverson is matching Thooft at the net.

— Olivia Hicks

1st set: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 16, Ada-Borup-West 9

The Cougars racked up an early advantage behind senior Malayna Syverson’s three kills, but it was the Knight’s run of seven points, including three kills by Sara Thooft, that brought RTR out on top to lead in the first set.

— Olivia Hicks

1st Set: Ada-Borup-West vs Russell-Tyler-Ruthton

Sixth seed Ada-Borup-West and second seed Russell-Tyler-Ruthton are getting ready here at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul for a chance to make it to the Class 1A finals on Saturday. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton won the Class 1A state title in 2023 and will aim to do the same this year on the second court.

— Olivia Hicks

4th set: Mayer Lutheran 25, BBE 18

Mayer Lutheran wins match 3-1.

4th set: Mayer Lutheran 23, BBE 16

The Crusaders completed a 4-0 run in the fourth set before BBE’s Macey Roering ended her team’s scoring dry spell with a ball fed from Kamie Fischer.

— Olivia Hicks

4th set: Mayer Lutheran 8, BBE 5

BBE entered the fourth set with something to prove. The team recorded two points at the start of the set, via a kill from Macey Roering and an attack error by Hallie Hunter. But the Crusaders bounced back with a swift speed as Ada Hahn scored twice.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd set: Mayer Lutheran 25, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 11

Mayer Lutheran leads match 2-1

BBE’s Kadynce Haider gave the Jaguars a shot, but Mayer Lutheran’s form couldn’t be matched. Mayer Lutheran’s Courtney Tuttle increased her team-high kills total after earning the set-winning point.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd set: Mayer Lutheran 19, BBE 7

BBE is running out of time in this set, as the team’s last allotted timeout ticks down. Senior outside hitter Kacey Fischer leads the team with 12 kills while Mayer Lutheran’s Courtney Tuttle offers the Crusaders a shot at returning to the finals with 10 kills.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd set: Mayer Lutheran 13, BBE 5

BBE’s attempts to gain the upper hand have fallen short early in the third set as the Crusaders recorded kill after kill, including a kill from Hallie Hunter that gave Mayer Lutheran a 6-2 lead.

Hunter, Izzy Keaveny and Courtney Tuttle created a gulf in the points as the team led 11-3. BBE’s best chance came in the form of an attack error by Tuttle and a launch by Kacey Fischer.

— Olivia Hicks

2nd set: Mayer Lutheran 25, BBE 14

Match is tied 1-1

Despite falling behind on the scoreboard in the second set, the Crusaders came out on top. Jaguars’ outside hitter Kacey Fischer leads all players with 10 kills total while Mayer Lutheran junior Ada Hahn enters the third set with seven, followed closely by Courtney Tuttle’s six kills.

As both teams clinch a set so far in this semifinal game, the student sections on opposite ends of Grand Casino Arena’s second court stand in anticipation.

— Olivia Hicks

2nd set: Mayer Lutheran 23, BBE 11

After BBE took its last allotted timeout of the set in an attempt to regroup, Mayler Lutheran started the clock with a service ace from junior outside hitter Courtney Tuttle. The Crusaders continued to stretch their lead with a kill by All-Minnesota senior Izzy Keaveny. Macey Roering, with a kill fed from Makenna Roelike, brought Mayer Lutheran up to 20 points in the set.

— Olivia Hicks

How Benilde-St. Margaret’s advanced to 3A final

Benilde-St. Margaret’s seniors were ninth graders watching from the bench when their volleyball program last made the Class 3A championship in 2022.

The second-seeded Knights didn’t think about a state title as the goal to begin the season, but now they’re one win away after Friday’s 27-25, 25-16, 28-26 win against No. 3 seed Stewartville at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

“We had our goals at the beginning of the season to beat Delano [in the section final] and next get to state,” said junior setter Sydney Friedly, who finished with 37 assists and 15 digs. “We never really had a goal of winning a state championship. To get there is so cool.”

Sophomore Avery Minor had a team-high 19 kills, to go with 12 digs. Friedly’s twin sister, Sailor, added 16 kills and 12 digs for the Knights (28-5), who advance to play No. 1 seed Marshall in Saturday’s final.

Adjustments after a poorly-hit first set on both sides allowed Minor to make her presence felt at the net offensively.

“We always like to make the ends a little bit interesting,” BSM coach Michael Becker said. “On this stage, we felt like we had an awesome turnout from our student section and our fans. Maybe just a little bit of an adrenaline bump at the beginning of the match, but they were able to work through it well.”

The Tigers (27-5) got swept by BSM earlier this season, but they were a much-improved team since then. They led early in all three sets Friday, including 22-21 in the first set and 25-24 after an 8-1 run late in the third set.

Stewartville’s five seniors helped the program reach back-to-back state tournaments for the first time in a decade.

“For us to be able to come back being down in set three and finish the way we did was exciting,” Stewartville coach Sammy Pederson said. “We played them once. If anything, I think we were better prepared this time. They’re just good.”

- Marcus Fuller

2nd set: Mayer Lutheran 15, BBE 9

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa leads match 1-0

Mayer Lutheran junior Ada Hahn has revived the Crusaders’ chances. Preslie Hunter followed up with two kills, both assisted by Ellie Shipler, to give them an advantage.

— Olivia Hicks

2nd set: BBE 9, Mayer Lutheran 8

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa leads match 1-0

Mayer Lutheran led in the second set, but a kill by Teagan Dingmann fed from Kamie Fischer brought BBE up to even the scales.

The Fischer sisters continue to smack the ball over the net and lead Mayer Lutheran’s chance at a state finals appearance on Saturday with eight kills between them.

The blue and silver-clad crowd chants “You can’t do that,” to the Crusader squad after an attack error by Mayer Lutheran junior Ada Hahn. Jaguar offensive hitter Macey Roering turned the chant into a cheer by responding immediately with a kill.

— Olivia Hicks

1st Set: BBE 25, Mayer Lutheran 17

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa leads match 1-0

Senior BBE hitter Kacey Fischer tops the charts with five kills as the first set comes to an end. Her sister, junior setter Kamie Fischer, stands second with four kills. Mayer Lutheran’s Ada Hahn and Courtney Tuttle lead the Crusaders with four kills each.

— Olivia Hicks

1st Set: BBE 22, Mayer Lutheran 15

Mayer Lutheran took one of its two timeouts when BBE led 18-13, then took another at 22-15. Sophomore Macey Roering made it 11-8 in favor of BBE early on. The Crusaders ripped a scream from the crowd when Izzy Keaveny, an All-Minnesota selection, responded in an attempt to even the score. BBE’s Kadynce Haider provided her team’s 20th point with a kill from Kamie Fischer.

— Olivia Hicks

1st Set: BBE 10, Mayer Lutheran 7

Top seed Mayer Lutheran rolled into Friday’s semifinal match against fourth seed Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa with an aim to secure a berth in Saturday’s finals. A clean hit to center court began that process, but the Jaguars came back quickly and lead in the first set.

— Olivia Hicks

Pregame: Mayer Lutheran vs. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Class 1A

Skies are gray outside, but it’s bright here under the lights at Grand Casino Arena as the Class 1A semifinals begin. Mayer Lutheran, led by star senior setter Izzy Keaveny, is attempting to repeat last year’s state title run. The Crusaders take on Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in a 1 p.m. game for one of the spots in Saturday’s finals. The Jaguars last made state in 2022; this is Mayer Lutheran’s fifth consecutive appearance.

It’s sister duo against sister duo, with the Keaveny sisters, Izzy and Clara, representing Mayer Lutheran and the Fischer sisters, Kacey and Kamie, repping BBE.

— Olivia Hicks

3rd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 27, Stewartville 25

BSM wins match 3-0

The Knights’ student section started to thank the seniors before the match ended. They could sense the inevitable. Stewartville trailed 23-17 and extended the match with an 8-1 run. The Tigers even faced three match points but still wouldn’t go away. Matilda Dube’s assisted block gave Stewartville a 25-24 lead, but BSM responded behind Avery Minor. The Knights advance to their first championship match since 2022.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 19, Stewartville 13

BSM leads match 2-0

The Tigers tried to hang around in the third set with Dream Petersohn getting her swing going. Petersohn and Ella Theobald have been the main offensive weapons for Stewartville on Friday, but it has been tough to match the opposition’s hitting prowess.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 25, Stewartville 16

BSM leads match 2-0

So much for the Knights not being efficient early in this Class 3A semifinal match. They played one of their best sets in the tournament so far, hitting .438 with only two attack errors, to take a two-set lead. Avery Minor, who led sophomores in the state with 365 kills entering the tourney, finished off the second with her 10th kill. Sailor Freidly also has nine kills for BSM.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 18, Stewartville 12

BSM leads match 1-0

Stewartville has one of the best middles in the state in senior Matilda Dube, but she needed help limiting BSM’s tandem of Avery Minor and Sailor Freidly, who both had more than 300 kills during the season.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 13, Stewartville 6

BSM leads match 1-0

The Knights started slow for the second straight set, but that didn’t keep them from taking control. Stewartville had to take a timeout after being outscored 9-1 following an early lead. BSM kept up the pace behind .417 hitting at that point with two aces.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 27, Stewartville 25

BSM leads match 1-0

The Tigers went on a 5-1 run to get to their first match point up 24-22, but that wouldn’t be enough to put down Stewartville. The Knights also trailed 25-24 late in the set but rallied with three straight points to take the early match lead. Sailor Friedly leads BSM with six kills, including two clutch swings with her team trailing.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 12, Stewartville 9

In the second Class 3A semifinal Friday, Stewartville’s early 5-1 lead vanished when Benilde-St. Margaret’s used an 11-3 run to surge ahead. Sailor Friedly and Avery Minor opened the match with seven combined kills. These two teams played earlier in the season with the Tigers coming out on top, but this is a bigger stage.

— Marcus Fuller

How Marshall advanced to the 3A final

Marshall volleyball coach Dan Westby doesn’t expect perfection from his team, but this season has been close to that.

Marshall’s only losses were to Lakeville South and Eagan in two of the biggest volleyball tournaments of the regular season.

Westby knew those losses could prepare his players for later in the season when a state championship was on the line.

The top-seeded Tigers (31-2) advanced to their fourth straight Class 3A state final with Friday’s 25-15, 25-16, 25-14 against No. 5 seed Cretin-Derham Hall at Grand Casino Arena.

Last year’s state runner-up finish kept Westby from achieving a four-peat after Class 3A titles from 2021-23, but the Tigers are back as the favorites.

“There have certainly been times when we haven’t been at peak performance. But overall, this team has really been good,” Westby said. “Outside of one set versus Lakeville South at the Apple Valley tournament when we played poorly and one set versus Eagan at the Lakeville [North] tournament when we played poorly. Other than that, it’s been steady all the way through.”

In the third set, Cretin-Derham Hall tied the score 10-10, but Marshall closed the game with a 15-4 run. During one stretch, Caroline Anetipa’s rocket shot was met by a defender who immediately placed the ball beautifully for Reese Drake to hammer it off the block. Two plays later, Avery Fahl dropped a winner at the back corner, out of reach. CDH players could only clap at the precision. Fahl had 10 kills, 12 assists and 14 digs.

“None of those plays are able to be made without all of our teammates,” said Drake, who finished with 16 kills and 15 digs. “We lift each other up and try to provide as much energy as we can.”

The Raiders (22-5), competing in their first Class 3A semifinal after breaking a 13-year state tournament drought last year, had no choice but to be proud of how far the program has come.

“We played like we had nothing to lose,” Cretin-Derham Hall coach Erin Horn said. “We came out. We battled. We were scrappy. We fought for every point. We weren’t just going to lay over and die even when we were down. … It’s been incredible to see the shift and see them grow as players. They have set the standard for the younger kids coming up.”

3rd Set: Marshall 19, Cretin-Derham Hall 10

Marshall leads match 2-0

The Raiders got within 11-10 in the third set, but they just weren’t able to generate enough scoring to put together a big comeback. Marshall answered with an 8-0 run and took advantage of CDH’s seven attack errors in the set and 21 total for the match.

— Marcus Fuller

3rd Set: Marshall 7, Cretin-Derham Hall 5

Marshall leads match 2-0

The Raiders tried to get momentum going in the third set with a 4-1 early advantage. Not surprisingly, the Tigers responded with a 6-1 run to take back the lead. This team is on a mission to make it to the state final.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Marshall 25, Cretin-Derham Hall 16

Marshall leads match 2-0

The Raiders finally put up a wall on Marshall hitting machine Reese Drake with a block from Caroline Anetipa and Leila Colvin late in the second set. What did the Tigers do? They went to another go-to senior in Avery Fahl, who ended the period with an ace. Fahl’s all-around effort, with six kills, eight assists and 11 digs, has been a factor. Drake doesn’t just make an impact offensively. She already has a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Marshall 16, Cretin-Derham Hall 7

Marshall leads match 1-0

Marshall’s student section chanted “that was easy” after Reese Drake hammered a kill down the line. She followed that with a ball that dropped in the back corner. That wasn’t so easy, but she made it look that way. The Raiders need to find a way to slow down one of the state’s most feared hitters.

— Marcus Fuller

2nd Set: Marshall 9, Cretin-Derham Hall 3

Marshall leads match 1-0

Marshall’s defense has arguably been the story of the match so far. The Tigers were tied 3-3 with Cretin-Derham Hall before a 6-0 run was highlighted by a stuff by sisters Avery and Julia Fahl. Raiders top hitter Caroline Banks had been limited to one kill at that point.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Marshall 25, Cretin-Derham Hall 15

Marshall leads match 1-0

Marshall’s Reese Drake set the tempo of the first set from start to finish. The 5-8 senior and Southwest Minnesota State commit opened swinging big and ended with another powerful shot landing in front of the back row. Drake made six kills in the opening set. The Tigers forced CDH to hit .136.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Marshall 19, Cretin-Derham Hall 12

The Tigers pulled away again with three straight points in the middle of the first set, but the Raiders answered to keep from falling behind by double digits. Caroline Anetipa extended a long rally with two diving digs, but Marshall finished the point off with Reese Drake’s blast in front of the back row.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Marshall 13, Cretin-Derham Hall 9

Cretin-Derham Hall trailed by seven points before using a combination of timely hitting and defense to get back into the set. The Raiders got a big block from Leila Colvin and a kill down the line from Charlotte Garman to ignite cheers from their student section.

— Marcus Fuller

1st Set: Marshall 7, Cretin-Derham Hall 2

The Tigers, seeded No. 1 in Class 3A, made a fast start behind all-state seniors Reese Drake and Avery Fahl, who combined for four of the team’s first seven points. The Raiders needed a timeout early to figure out their offensive flow.

— Marcus Fuller