Lakeville South Begins 4A Title Defense with Win Over Sartell
The top-seeded Lakeville South Cougars successfully commenced their state title defense in the Class 4A quarterfinals on Wednesday, defeating eighth-seeded Sartell in straight sets. The real challenge for the Cougars, however, was not the match itself, but rather getting back to the arena after a thrilling five-set victory over Lakeville North in the Section 1 final over the weekend.
According to Lakeville South coach Stephen Willingham, the five-set match against Lakeville North was the team’s first of the season, and it served as a valuable learning experience for the Cougars. “To be honest, it was kind of nice to … have that pressure and have to win it,” he said. “We look at it like seasoning for our team.” The Cougars’ ability to perform under pressure was evident in their quarterfinal match, where they played a low-mistake brand of volleyball that is characteristic of successful teams in high-pressure situations.
Team Support and Resilience
Senior outside hitter Romi Chlebecek, who tallied a game-high 18 kills, noted that the team’s ability to shake off mistakes was crucial to their success. “Everyone made at least a mistake early amid what I called a ‘frantic’ start,” she said. “But what impressed me was how well everyone shook any errors off.” Junior outside hitter Elleora Utecht attributed this resilience to the support the team provides to one another. “We look at each other and we’re like, ‘I know you have the next point,'” she said. “I think that was just really big to move on from those mistakes and continue to do what we know how to do.”
The Cougars’ ability to trust and support each other is vital, especially in the postseason, where the pressure to perform is amplified. As Utecht noted, “mistakes are just part of the match… And when we know we can look to each other in the huddle in the middle of the match and just relax and trust that we’ve got the next point, it makes all the difference.” The Cougars will face fourth-seeded Roseville in the semifinals on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Centennial Falls to Prior Lake
In another quarterfinal match, Centennial fell to third-seeded Prior Lake in straight sets. Despite a strong effort, the Cougars were unable to overcome the Lakers, who had three players with double-digit kills, led by 12 from Dylan Raveling. Centennial’s Elena Hoecke, the recipient of the Ms. Baden award as the state’s player of the year, had 10 kills for the Cougars.
The Cougars pushed the Lakers, holding a 20-17 lead in the first set before dropping it 25-23. The second set went extra points before Prior Lake won that 26-24. The loss marked the end of Centennial’s season, but the team can take pride in their accomplishments and look forward to next year.
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