Class A State Volleyball Tournament – Thursday, November 20 in Rapid City
No. 1 Dakota Valley 3, No. 8 Wagner 0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-18)
Dakota Valley opened the Class A State Volleyball Tournament with a clean and controlled sweep of Wagner on Thursday at The Monument, winning 25-8, 25-11, 25-18
Dakota Valley finished with 35 kills and 13 aces. Their offense was paced by Claire Munch, who delivered 14 kills and added five aces and a share of two blocks for 20.5 points. Samantha Kimbell added nine kills and six aces for 15 points.
Setter Madie Munch controlled the match from start to finish, distributing 29 assists while anchoring an offense that posted kill totals of eight in the first set, 11 in the second, and 18 in the third. Dakota Valley also dug 50 balls, led by Coryn Kimbell with 15.
Wagner, which entered at 24–8, struggled to match Dakota Valley’s tempo or defensive coverage. Hannah Holzbauer led the Red Raiders with six kills, while Ravyn Medricky added four. Braxton Nedved recorded all 15 of Wagner’s assists and added five digs. Wagner totaled three blocks, including two combined efforts involving Brylie Link and Medricky, but could not disrupt the Panthers’ rhythm for extended stretches.
Dakota Valley set the tone early with a dominant opening set and continued to control the match in the second. Wagner found better footing in the third set, scoring 18 points and trading sideouts more consistently, but the Panthers’ 18 kills in the frame closed the door.
No. 5 Hamlin 3, No. 4 Clark/Willow Lake 1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-21)
Hamlin advanced to the Class A state semifinals with a 23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-21 win over Clark/Willow Lake on Thursday at The Monument in Rapid City. After dropping a close first set, the Chargers took control, finishing with 48 kills.
Three Hamlin hitters reached double figures. Addelyn Jensen led with 15 kills and three blocks, Addison Neuendorf added 12 kills and 16 digs, and Jade Thue had 11 kills. Setter Issie Steffensen directed the offense with 40 assists and added two aces. Hamlin served 11 aces total and collected 82 digs, led by Jayci Trowbridge with 18.
Clark/Willow Lake opened strong behind 14 kills from Shelby Begeman, 11 from Ella Sass, and nine from Kelsey Hofer, but couldn’t maintain momentum after the first set. The Cyclones totaled 46 kills without an error and finished with nine blocks, including four each from Begeman, Calla Larson, and Sass.
Hamlin used a late run to pull away in the second set, dominated the third, and closed out the fourth with timely kills from Jensen and Thue. The Chargers move on at 22-4, while Clark/Willow Lake (25-2) drops to consolation play.
No. 2 Dell Rapids 3, No. 7 Rapid City Christian 0 (25-20, 25-19, 26-24)
Madelynn Henry powered the Quarriers (28-6) with 21 kills and 10 digs, adding three aces and a block assist for a match-high 24.5 points. Setter Tenley Anderson steered the offense with 32 assists, four kills and two aces. Dell Rapids finished with 43 kills, nine aces, and six total blocks, including two block assists from Elin Schoenhard and two from Peyton Hohn.
Rapid City Christian (29-11) matched Dell Rapids point-for-point in the third set and stayed in contention behind nine kills from Chloe Weber and six from Maddie Altstiel. Weber also contributed a block and four digs. Setter Faith King totaled 14 assists, while Paisley Griffith sparked the Comets at the service line with four aces.
Defensively, Dell Rapids posted 44 digs, led by Henry’s 10 and nine from Sylea Sykes. Rapid City Christian collected 27 digs, including 10 from May Callaghan.
No. 3 Sioux Falls Christian 3, No. 6 St. Thomas More 0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-18)
The Chargers (26-10) were led by 20 kills from Tavyn Sichmeller, who added seven block assists and 10 digs for 25.5 points. Camdyn Mulder added 11 kills, and Jayla Overman finished with six kills and three aces. Setter Meredith Nelson directed the attack with 39 assists, as Sioux Falls Christian totaled 43 kills, eight aces and a massive 13.5 team blocks. Defensively, the Chargers collected 49 digs, led by 14 from Jasmine Vander Haar and 10 each from Overman and Ella Fluth.
St. Thomas More (29-10) was paced by eight kills from Leighton Scherr and four each from Violet Grimshaw and Kesley Benda. Setter Enna Henry tallied 20 assists, while libero Kaitlin Strain recorded 11 digs. The Cavaliers posted 47 digs and six blocks, but struggled to keep pace with SFC’s firepower.