A block party propelled third-seeded Stewartville over sixth-seeded Mahtomedi Wednesday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, punching their ticket to the Class 3A semifinals.
A dominant defensive display by the Tigers held the Zephyrs to a .011 hitting percentage, and Stewartville head coach Sam Pederson said even battling sickness his team’s effort at the net was “insane.”
“For them to work as hard as they did and feel the way that they did, not our best, huge that we were able to control the game in that aspect,” Pederson said.
Stewartville, a storied Minnesota volleyball program with five state championships, made a statement at the net in its state tournament opener. The Tigers thwarted the Zephyrs’ hopes of an upset in Mahtomedi’s fourth consecutive state tournament appearance.
Stewartville overpowered the Zephyrs at the net down the stretch in the first set to take the opening set with a 25-20 victory. This theme continued throughout the match, as the Tigers put up 20 total team blocks to the Zephyrs’ five.
Mahtomedi senior outside hitter Louisa Tarnowski took over in Set 2, posting nine kills in the frame, as the Zephyrs built a 16-11 lead part way through the second set. Tarnowski finished the match with a monster stat line of 21 kills and 21 digs.
Zephyrs senior libero Claire Crothers said the confidence Tarnowski exudes is infectious and integral against a block like Stewartville’s.
“She was feeling good, which made all of us feel good too,” Crothers said. “So, I think that it kind of just spread to the rest of the team and that really helps.”
A late charge from the Tigers forced the set into extras, but Zephyrs senior outside hitter Sahar Ramaley found the donut in Stewartville’s defense to secure the second set, 26-24.
Riding the momentum built at the tail end of Set 2, Stewartville jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The Tigers got big swings from a pair of seniors in middle hitter Matilda Dube and opposite Ella Theobald in the opening stages of the third set.
Stewartville slammed the door shut in the third set, 25-15, as Tigers senior middle hitter Dream Petersohn smashed a swing off Mahtomedi’s block to reclaim its lead in the match.
In the fourth set, Stewartville dominated the net, constructing a 16-8 advantage in search of the blow that would knock out the Zephyrs.
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Mahtomedi mirrored its first set determination and clawed back into set 4, pulling with two on Stewartville’s first match point. But Theobald tooled the Zephyrs’ block, pushing the Tigers over the line with a 25-22 set 4 win.
Coach Pederson said he is a newer member of the Stewartville volleyball family, but his team understands the tradition and standard that comes with being a Tiger.
“To see them know what that is, but then not just want it to be history, but they want to be a part of it in the way that they can push themselves,” Pederson said. “… It just makes it a lot of fun for us coaches. We get to work on a lot of things that are at a pretty high level and make a difference for us because they’re willing to learn.”
The next challenge for the Tigers is a matchup with Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the Class 3A semifinal Friday morning at 11 a.m. on the same Grand Casino Arena court.
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