A historic championship

Maple Lake's volleyball team became the first volleyball team in the Central Minnesota Conference to win a state championship on Saturday. Seeded No. 2, they defeated No. 4 seeded Concordia Academy in a sweep to finish as Class 2A state champions and 30-3 overall.

The Irish, winners of two out of the last three CMC titles, beat Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 3-0 in the quarterfinals and then Kasson-Mantorville 3-1 in the semis. This was their fifth trip to the state tournament in the past six years. If memory serves me correct, they have advanced into the Final Four just one time in that span, and this was their first appearance in a state title match.

Congratulations to Coach Keibel, his staff and of course his talented team!