Travis Kriens, KORN News Radio Sports Director
MITCHELL, S.D. — Mitchell Kernels volleyball will look to keep its late-season momentum going and end a long drought against rival Huron when the two ESD Conference foes meet on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Mitchell.
Mitchell enters the matchup at 14-5 overall and ranked seventh in Class AA seed points with just four regular-season matches remaining. The Kernels have won eight of their last nine matches with their lone setback coming last week in a 3-0 loss at Aberdeen Central, which ended a seven-match winning streak. Mitchell responded in strong fashion Friday night with a 3-0 victory at Tea Area. Mitchell also hopes to stay undefeated at home where they are 7-0 on the season.
Tuesday’s contest presents another opportunity for the Kernels to make a statement before postseason play begins and to break a frustrating trend against Huron. The Tigers have won six straight meetings between the teams and 10 of the last 11 overall.
Huron (9-10) enters the match in 12th place in the Class AA standings and is riding a four-match winning streak. The Tigers have defeated Rapid City Central, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sioux Falls Jefferson, and Pierre in recent action. However, Huron has struggled against teams with winning records this season, going just 1-9 against opponents above .500.
The Tigers are led offensively by junior outside hitter Aly Davis, who has a team-high 200 kills and 178 digs this season. Setter Jencie Goergen powers the offense with 373 assists while serving at a strong 97 percent clip, and libero Hylton Heinz anchors the defense with a team-leading 364 digs.
For Mitchell, senior setter Addison Siemsen has been the engine of the attack, racking up 463 assists (7.1 per set) while hitting nearly 41 percent on her own swings. Senior outside hitter Audrey Miller leads the Kernels with 169 kills, followed by eighth grader Nia Talley with 127 and senior Kambyl Wede with 100. Wede and junior middle blocker Kenzie Hetland have combined for 110 total blocks, with Hetland averaging one per set.
Defensively, senior libero Kenna Soulek leads the team with 258 digs, while Talley and Siemsen each add nearly three digs per set.
With postseason seeding tightening and rivalry bragging rights on the line, Tuesday’s matchup carries extra importance for both programs. A win for Mitchell would not only solidify its top-eight standing, and a potential home SoDak 16 match, but also snap a six-match losing streak to its biggest rival.
With two weeks left in the regular season, No. 7 Mitchell would match up against No. 10 Sioux Falls Washington in a potential SoDAK 16 game, while No. 12 Huron would be on the road at No. 5 Sioux Falls Lincoln.
First serve between Mitchell and Huron is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The match will be broadcast live on KORN News Radio FM 101.3/AM 1490 and KORNRadio.com.