MAYER – It wasn’t the start the Mayer Lutheran volleyball team was looking for, but it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.
With some new players getting their first taste of postseason action, the Crusaders came out of the gates slow. They quickly turned that around as they relied on their veterans to advance with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-13) victory in the Section 2A North quarterfinals Thursday night.
“At first, we were very shaky,” Mayer Lutheran coach Joelle Grimsley said. “We had a lot of errors on our side of the net. It was our first game of being in the postseason. I kind of expected that, but we slipped a little bit in that first set.”
With several players getting their first taste of the postseason, Grimsley began to rely on her veteran leaders down the stretch in set one. Olivia Tjernagel, Claudia Stahlke, and Symone Jopp stepped up their games, making sure the Knights didn’t steal set one and gain some momentum.
“They’re kind of our go-to girls,” Grimsley said. “They have been all year. It’s good to see them up there. Our setters are getting them the ball and they’re taking over.”
With a slow start behind them, it was all Mayer Lutheran in the final two sets. The Crusaders used hot starts in each set to pull away from the upset-minded Knights, to advance to the Section 2A North semifinals. Mayer Lutheran will face Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Tuesday, Oct. 30 at New Ulm High School at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals. GFW knocked off No. 3 MN Valley Lutheran 3-1 Tuesday night as the No. 6 seed.
“Every one,” Grimsley said about the mindset. “That’s all we talk about. It’s one game at a time. One set at a time. Now we will look forward to Tuesday and work in that one.”
Look for the rest of the story, as well as more HJ sports coverage, in the Friday, Nov. 2 edition of the Herald Journal. Click here for subscription information.
PREP VOLLEYBALL SCOREBOARD
SECTION 2A NORTH SCORES
Mayer Lutheran 3, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 0
Cleveland 3, New Ulm Cathedral 1
BOLD 3, Sleepy Eye Public 0
GFW 3, MVL 1
SECTION 2A NORTH SCHEDULE – Tuesday, Oct. 30
(4) Cleveland vs. (1) BOLD, 6 p.m (at New Ulm HS)
(6) GFW vs. (2) Mayer Lutheran, 7:30 p.m. (at New Ulm HS)
SECTION 2A SOUTH SCORES
W-E-M 3, LCWM 0
St. Clair 3, Martin County West 0
Alden-Conger 3, Springfield 0
Mt. Lake/Comfrey 3, NRHEG 1
SECTION 2A SOUTH SCHEDULE – Tuesday, Oct. 30
(4) Mt. Lake/Comfrey vs. (1) W-E-M, 6 p.m. (at St. Peter HS)
(3) St. Clair vs. (2) Alden-Conger, 7:30 p.m. (at St. Peter HS)
SECTION 6AA SCORES
Maple Lake 3, Spectrum 0
HLWW 3, Little Falls 0
St. Cloud Cathedral 3, Holdingford 0
Foley 3, Dassel-Cokato 1
Annandale 3, Pierz 0
Albany 3, Rocori 0
Sauk Centre 3, Zimmerman 0
Melrose 3, Milaca 2
SECTION 6AA SCHEDULE – Tuesday, Oct. 30
(All Games at 7 p.m.)
(9) Melrose at (1) St. Cloud Cathedral
(5) Maple Lake at (4) Foley
(6) HLWW at (3) Annandale
(7) Albany at (2) Sauk Centre
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