For Sauk Centre volleyball coach Jim Klaphake and Lakeview setter Aubreigh Rausch, endurance and grit beget career milestones

Sauk Centre volleyball coach Jim Klaphake has joined elite company.

Klaphake became the 27th coach in state history to reach 500 career wins in the Mainstreeters’ 25-18, 25-7, 25-21 victory over BOLD earlier this season. Stewartville’s John Dzubay, who retired after the 2023 season, is the state’s all-time winningest coach with 1,039 career victories.

Klaphake, in his 21st season at the helm of the Mainstreeters, led the program to its lone state championship in 2021 in Class 2A. The Mainstreeters have gone 81-11 over the past three years.

Klaphake’s dedication to the sport is part of his legend.

The night before his team won a state tournament berth in 2012, Klaphake had an unfortunate run-in with an auger. His right pinky toe was nearly severed when it was caught while he was loading soybeans.

As the the story goes: A trip to the doctor turned into a trip to the hospital and turned into a discussion about what to do with the nearly severed toe.

“To be honest, I told them I was leaving at 1 o’clock whether they cut it off or not,” Klaphake told the St. Cloud Times.

Surgery was performed and Klaphake got to the finals minutes before Sauk Centre defeated Dassel-Cokato to win its trip to state, where he hobbled around and considered himself something of a distraction to his team.

Lakeview’s program has started to turn the corner. A big reason has been the play of Aubreigh Rausch.

The Lakers senior recorded the 1,000th assist of her career in a 25-19, 19-25, 25-16, 25-19 victory over Murray County Central. Rausch had 28 set assists and 11 digs in the victory.

“I wanted to get this because it’s just such a milestone,” Rausch told the Marshall Independent. “I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to get it. I didn’t realize it was that close.”

The Lakers (2-2) have won only 20 matches over the past four years but are coming off an 11-15 season.

“What that means to her is the world, having gone through so many seasons,” first-year Lakeview coach Alexis Lienemann said. “I feel very honored just to be a part of her journey on that. It was just amazing and great to have it on a win.”