Volleyball playoffs

In the Section 6AA championship, Rocori has a 2-0 lead in games over Melrose Area in action played at St. Ben's University. In game three, the Dutchmen had multiple leads but are down 22-20 in a do-or-die situation.

Earlier in game three, Melrose trailed 2-4 before pulling ahead 8-5. After an 8-8 tie, Melrose again went up by three at 12-9. After ties at 12-12, 14-14 and 16-16, Melrose earned their last lead of game three at 17-16. The Spartans went on a run of five straight points to take control. Down 17-21, the Dutchmen got a kill from Mattie Meyer. Down 17-22, the Dutchmen got help from Rocori after the Spartans hit out of bounds and then hit into the net.

Down 20-22, Emily Goerdt had a kill, but the Spartans got two straight points to bring game and match point. Down 21-24, Justine Revermann had a kill, and the Spartans had an error on the next serve to make it a 24-23 score.

Out of a Rocori timeout, the Spartans ended the match when 6'2" middle hitter Emily Waletzko knocked down a kill to make the game three score 25-23.

Rocori won the first two games 25-15, 25-17. They take a 25-5 record into the state tournament. Melrose Area finishes one of their best seasons ever in volleyball with a 27-6 final record and a regular season co-championship in the West Central North Conference. The Dutchmen ended Sauk Centre's season in the sub-section championship in a crazy 3-2 match.

Delano, no longer alive in the playoffs, was the defending Section 6AA champions. Sauk Centre had won the three previous section titles from 2010 to 2012. Before that was New London-Spicer going to state from this section in 2009, and St. Cloud Cathedral won this section's titles in 2007 and 2008. Montevideo won Section 6AA in 2006, and our beloved B-B-E Jaguars were Section 6AA champions and first-time state entrants in 2005. My, how time flies...I still vividly remember beating Benson in the Section 6AA championship match in front of over 1,400 B-B-E fans at Melrose high school on Nov. 5, 2005.

Back to present-day...Maple Lake faces Park Center tonight at 7 p.m. at St. Michael-Albertville high school in the Section 5AA championship.

Here's a terrific, pick-me-up story about a Tracy-Milroy-Balaton girl rebounding from a terrible summer accident:
http://www.marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/561229/

**Updates: Tracy-Milroy-Balaton is headed to the Class 1A state tournament for the first time since 1997 after beating a powerhouse Central MN Christian team 3-1 in the Section 3A championship in Marshall.

At Pierz, Browerville has a 2-1 lead in games over Sebeka.

Maple Lake swept Park Center to punch their ticket to state for the fourth year in a row.