ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Moorhead’s high school volleyball team is heading to the state tournament for the fifth straight year.
The Spuds claimed a 27-25, 25-27, 25-19 and 25-20 win over Sartell-St. Stephen Saturday night to claim their fifth straight Class 3A, Section 8 championship and a berth to next week’s state tournament in St. Paul.
“It feels pretty surreal,” said Char Lien, Moorhead’s head coach for the last 21 years. “Each year is a new battle. This team, even though we had our bumps and lumps throughout the year, really figured how to play their best ball at the right time.”
In the first set, the Spuds overcame a 23-17 deficit to win 27-25.
“They came out with guns a blaring,” Lien said of Sartell-St. Stephen. “I was just hoping for a momentum shift. I didn’t think we were going to win that set. That really set the tone for the rest of the match.”
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The Spuds were led by senior Claire Howell who had 18 kills, 22 assists and six blocks. Junior Sam Zimmerman had 14 kills and senior Jalen Ennen had 14 kills and 33 digs.
Sophomore Alexa Gronwold has 18 digs and 17 assists while junior Willow Carrier had 20 digs.
The Spuds will take a 19-11 record to the state tournament that will be held at the St. Paul XCel Energy Center Nov. 7-9. The Spuds have won 9 of their last 10 matches, sweeping Detroit Lakes and Brainerd in the section quarterfinals and semifinals.
This marks the 24th state-tournament appearance for a Moorhead volleyball team. The 1974 team was the first Moorhead team to reach state. The 1981, 1985, 1985 and 1996 teams placed second at the state tournament while the 1988 team claimed the school’s only state volleyball championship.
