Garbe aided the top-seeded Raiders as they secured their fourth consecutive trip to the Class 3A state tournament with a 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-14 win over No. 2 seed Totino-Grace in the Section 4 finals at St. Paul Washington High School on Thursday night.

“She raises the level of play in the big matches, and she doesn’t back down,” Roseville coach Greg Ueland said. “She came through with a lot of huge kills for us.”

Ueland said Garbe is one of the most powerful hitters he’s ever coached, a point she proved several times Thursday night with kills that sent booming echoes throughout the gymnasium.

Those reverberations blended with shrieks from the Raiders' super fans to make the neutral site feel as though Roseville had a home-court advantage. 

The Raiders’ experience in the section finals may have also contributed to their performance.

“Great traditions, with kids that have a lot of poise and play prepared with poise, do very well,” Eagles coach Kayla Cole said. “That’s why they’re a top program in our state for volleyball.”

Roseville (22-5) won the first two sets but couldn’t piece together a sweep, falling in an error-riddled third. The Raiders responded with a solid start to the fourth, speeding a 14-4 lead and cruising to the win.

“Our coach always says, "Pressure is a privilege,'” Garbe said. “As much as we love playing in those fifth sets, it was nice to get it done in four.”

 

Garbe recorded eight kills in the fourth set, including the final two points, to finish the match with a career-high 33.