ROCHESTER – The match set up just right: No. 2 seed Lakeville North, a team with storied success in high school volleyball, against No. 1 seed Lakeville South, the team ranked first in Class 4A by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association.
Top-ranked Lakeville South overcomes Lakeville North in volleyball section final, advances to state tournament
A tight match went Lakeville South’s way at the end, earning the Cougars a trip to Xcel Energy Center for the first round Wednesday.
November 3, 2024 at 2:05AM
Lakeville South coach Stephen Willingham admitted he was anxious. Lakeville North coach Jackie Richter knew the feeling. “There’s always an excited nervousness about playing Lakeville South,” Richter said.
The crosstown rivals got together an hour from home Saturday at the Mayo Civic Center and played down to the fifth set in the Section 1 championship match, then they drew that out to the 20th point until Lakeville South won 18-25, 25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 20-18.
Lakeville South (29-2) will make its third trip to the state tournament. The Class 4A tournament begins Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center and plays down to a championship match Saturday night. The Class 3A quarterfinals also begin Wednesday, and Classes 2A and 1A begin state tournament play Thursday.
Lakeville South’s first-round opponent at state will be determined Sunday, when the Minnesota State High School League reveals brackets for all four classes.
Lakeville South trailed 13-10 in that last set before making a comeback and securing its first trip to the state tournament since 2018.
“Since 2018 is insane, it was long overdue,” Lakeville South senior libero Josie Tingelhoff said.
The match was scheduled to start at 4 p.m., but a section championship game between Bryon and Stewartville delayed it an hour. Richter said the matchup was worth the wait.
“Having two Lakeville schools in the finals is absolutely a testament to the strength of the sport within Lakeville itself,” Richter said. “The youth program is unbelievably strong for both programs. It was for sure a positive.”
After the game, Willingham surprised junior outside hitter Romi Chlebecek, informing her she’d made the 1,000th kill of her career.
“I’ve been working so hard with my team — I started as an eighth-grader — so hitting this mark was really special to me,” Chlebecek said.
Lakeville South completed a 2024 sweep of Lakeville North (26-4) after beating the Panthers 3-1 earlier in the season.
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Small town has won handfuls of state titles with lots of parent involvement, some versatile coaches.
