GAME DAY again - in Ramsey County - Jaguars playing for GOLD!

Twenty-one years after the first trip to the big show, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is making more history as they have blazed their way into the state championship match. The Jaguars, led by first-year head coach Holly Breitbach, are preparing to face top-seeded and heavily favored Minneota with first place on the line. The Jaguars and Vikings face one another at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

This is B-B-E volleyball's ninth trip to the state tournament after punching through for the first time in 2005. Coach Breitbach, daughter of Les and Brenda Thompson, was a 2006 graduate of B-B-E and the senior setter on that 2005 squad. The Jaguars went 28-4 that year and won the Section 6AA title with a 3-0 sweep of Benson to go to state. I'll never, EVER forget that night at Melrose High School: November 5, 2005. It was exhilarating, especially after the Jaguars lost one match short of state in 2002 and 2004 (nights I also remember).

RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Jason Brandt at Lakeland Media of Willmar will have the Coop's Corner pre-match show starting 15 minutes before our match today. His coverage will be carried at 106.5 FM The Train of Norway Lake-Sunburg. They stream online: https://www.willmarradio.com/the_train.

Dave McClurg, affectionately known as "D-Mac" around here, sports broadcaster with Wild Country 107.1 FM of Glenwood also has the call today in St. Paul. Their website is: https://www.voiceofalexandria.com/kxgk. I hope to visit with Dave before the match and learn about how they stream online.

FIRST SERVE is at approximately 1 p.m. today! This is incredible! B-B-E has landed boys' basketball and girls' basketball teams in state championship games, and now Jaguar Country can add volleyball to that elite list. We could NOT BE PROUDER of our Jaguars!!!

***THE MATCH STARTS AT 1:25 P.M.!!!!

**UPDATE AT GRAND CASINO ARENA: the Dover-Eyota vs. Rush City match will take longer than planned. THIS MEANS that our Class 1A state title match will have a delayed start. Stay tuned for updates. As of 12:40 p.m., the Dover-Eyota vs. Rush City match was in the fourth set, and Rush City led 2-1 in sets plus a 19-10 lead in game four. It appears that match is nearing it conclusion.

To read post-match comments from the state semifinal press conference, click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: BBEJaguarsStateSemis2026.

Let's go back to Saturday night...when the Jaguars earned back-to-back state tournament trips.

Here's a video featuring the end of the medals ceremony at Kennedy High School in Fergus Falls:


And then return to 2 nights ago in St. Paul after the 3-0 sweep over Mayer Lutheran...

Here's the team returning to their beloved fans after they defeated Mayer Lutheran:


A little on Minneota...
In Friday's semifinal, the Vikings held Sacred Heart (30-4) to just 4.1 percent hitting, while the Vikings had 25.5 percent hitting and a balanced attack (five Minneota players had 5 or more kills). At the service line, Minneota had 7 ace serves with 4 missed serves on 73 attempts. Sacred Heart was able to serve the ball just 45 times, and they had just one ace serve. Minneota's roster features 4 seniors and 7 juniors, so their makeup by class is similar in that respect to the junior-heavy Jaguars.

Minneota's Jaylyn Coequyt, Leah Coequyt and Eden Meagher are three of their top hitters. That trio ran 78 of Minneota's 110 attacks against Sacred Heart.

MATCH UPDATES TO FOLLOW HERE!
The match started at 1:27 p.m. 

Early in game one, the Vikings are ahead 6-2.

The Jaguars trailed 12-4, but they cut it down to 5 points to trail 12-7 and 13-8. 

The Vikings then pulled ahead 17-9.

Game one: Minneota 25. B-B-E 14. The first set lasted 19 minutes. The Jaguars struggled to get touches on the Minneota attack. 

**Game two: the Vikings are ahead 15-7. The Jaguars started out in a 12-4 hole just like in the first set.

Game two: Minneota 25, B-B-E 11.

In game three, the Vikings are ahead 13-7.

Game 3 final score: Minneota 25, B-B-E 13. The match ended at 2:30 p.m. Season over, but an incredible addition to the schools' trophy cases!!!

***Update: the welcome home ceremony will be after 6 p.m.!! More details to follow!!! It will be at the high school.

CONFIRMED!  6:15 P.M. welcome home at the high school in Belgrade. Please spread the word.


THANK YOU to Bonanza Valley State Bank of Brooten for sponsoring this exciting Jaguar Sports state tournament blog post: