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Robbinsdale Armstrong vanquishes Maple Grove in straight sets

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 10/13/16, 1:00PM CDT

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Kelsi Rippberger set the pace on both offense and defense for the Falcons in their win over the Crimson.




Robbinsdale Armstrong's Olivia Heckt (16) and Lauren Clark (12) go up for the block as Maple Grove's Alexie Pyrd follows through on a kill attempt. The Falcons swept the Crimson Thursday night at Robbinsdale Armstrong. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine



Athletes typically try to hold an intimidating demeanor when taking poster photos for the upcoming season.

Senior Kelsi Rippberger struggled during Robbinsdale Armstrong’s preseason photo shoot, flashing a grinno matter how hard she tried to resist.

“You won’t catch that kid without a smile on her face,” Falcons coach Ayesha Khan said. “She’s a really happy and positive person and the program is going to miss her.”

Rippberger gave Robbinsdale Armstrong plenty smile about after tallying 21 assists Thursday night in the Falcons’ 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 straight set home win against Maple Grove (8-9, 4-5).

Rippberger’s performance wasn’t the only uplifting piece of Armstrong’s week, with Sophomore Lauren Clark’s commitment to Penn State on Tuesday and a win on senior night serving as perfect examples of the Falcons’ turnaround season.

“We push each other to be our best and it’s been a great season, especially with Lauren [Clark]. She’s an amazing player and it’s awesome having teammates who are great leaders and athletes too,” Rippberger said.

Robbinsdale Armstrong (18-5, 5-4) has improved upon an 8-14 overall record last season, a result of the team’s budding maturity playing in the Northwest Suburban Conference after starting three freshmen and a seventh-grader a season ago.

“This year we have a really cohesive team,” Khan said. “We’re still young, but so much more mature and their skill level shows on the court.”

Last year was Clark’s first season on varsity when she began to develop a rapport with Rippberger. A year later the duo are top ten performers in their respective stat categories; Clark is ninth in the state with 324 kills and Rippberger is ninth in assists (617).

“[Rippberger is] really fast and can get to the ball,” Clark said. “I really got close to her last year and I’m going to be sad when she leaves.”

Eighth-grader Ryley Frye is a potential candidate to become the Falcons’ future setter in the coming years, but is currently making her mark as a hitter, following Clark with 122 kills.

Rippberger made her varsity debut as an eighth-grader, so she can empathize with Frye who’s been playing varsity volleyball since she was 12 years old.

“I know what it was like for her being one of the youngest but we don’t look at her as an eighth-grader,” Rippberger said. “She’s part of the team.”

Khan feels that introducing players to the varsity court while they’re young can be a helpful or harmful depending on the environment, but this year’s team has seen the benefits with a viable group of role models.

“It’s really easy to pick up the habits of the leaders on the team and so I think part of our success this year is we have leaders who make sure everyone is involved,” Khan said. “The objective as a team is the same as the individual.”

By winning all four of their games against Class 3A, Section 6 competition, Khan said Robbinsdale Armstrong could clinch the No. 4 seed in sections and claim homecourt advantage in the quarterfinals.

Rippberger has received interest from several colleges in the Midwest and on the east coast, but has opted to wait until the end of the season to make any consideration.

“I want to focus on high school because this is a really special team and I want to make it a special season,” Rippberger said.

First Report

Kelsi Rippberger tallied 21 assists and 17 digs to push Robbinsdale Armstrong to a 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 victory over Maple Grove Thursday night at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School.

Tied 19-19 in the second set, the Falcons (18-5, 5-4) pulled away with a five-point run and got their final point on a serving error by the Crimson.

Maple Grove (8-9, 4-5) outside hitter Paige Hinze fueled a quick start for the Crimson in the third set, but Armstrong eighth-grader Ryley Frye posted back-to-back kills to fuel a seven-point run to put the Falcons back on top.

Penn State commit Lauren Clark posted three blocks and an ace in the first set to bolster Robbinsdale Armstrong’s early lead.
 


Senior setter Kelsi Rippberger (7) finished with 21 assists and 17 digs for the Falcons. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine


Maple Grove senior captain Paige Hinze prepares to serve in the third set against Robbinsdale Armstrong. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

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