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Bloomington Jefferson tops Chaska to win first Metro West title

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 10/18/16, 6:30AM CDT

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Katie Koch's team-high 25 kills paced the Jaguars, who ended the Hawks' bid for a third straight league crown.

Bloomington Jefferson entered Tuesday’s Metro West Conference matchup at Chaska High School as the favorite to win the league title.

The Jaguars boast a 23-4 overall record and the No. 12 ranking in the Class 3A coaches’ poll.

But that mattered little against the two-time defending conference champion Hawks, who have an established tradition of success and were 19-0 all-time playing in the league formed just three years ago.

Bloomington Jefferson coach Crystal Dohlman said her team has struggled against teams with bigger names and more successful traditions, and she's working to change that. 

“We’ve had this hump to get over,” she added.

The Jaguars seemed to have slid back into that mode on Tuesday after a sluggish start that saw them drop the first two sets.

However, they recovered to sweep the next three en route to an impressive 22-25, 11-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11 road victory and capture the Metro West crown -- the program's first league title in more than 10 years.

“It’s been the Chaska-Jefferson rivalry for conference, and this year we just really wanted it and we had the heart to do it,” senior Katie Koch said following a 25-kill, 24-assist performance.

Koch leads the team in kills (244) and assists (445) and was crucial in the comeback with three kills in the final set, but 6-foot-4 middle hitter Jaidyn Spencer made the night's biggest play for the Jaguars (24-4, 7-0) with a match-winning block.

“Koch told me, ‘Jaidyn, I know you’re getting this last ball, it’s gonna be a block and go straight down.' So the whole time I thought 'I’m getting this block and it’s going to go down,' ” Spencer said.

Koch found it difficult to find the words to describe the feeling of being a conference champion. 

“So much excitement, so much emotion. I can’t explain it,” Koch said, still trembling from the adrenaline remaining her system after the win.

For the first time this season, Bloomington Jefferson entered the third set trailing 2-0 after a series of miscues allowed Chaska (9-13, 6-1) to close the second frame on a 12-1 run.

“We weren’t synced together and weren’t trusting each other," Koch said.

It didn't help that the Jaguars played in front of the rowdy Hawks student section in the second, fourth and final sets.

"This gym is really loud, it was pretty hard to focus,” Koch added.

Bloomington Jefferson trailed 20-17 in the a make-or-break third set but rallied behind Koch, who tallied four straight kills to cap an eight-point run that kept the Jaguars in the match.

“I don’t know what was running through my head, but I just kept staying aggressive," she said. "You don’t want to go out with tips. You want to go out swinging."

Dohlman underscored the sentiment in the third by telling her team that they’ve been busting their tails in the gym since Aug. 15 and deserve to win the match as much as Chaska.

"Start playing and prove it,” Dohlman added.

From there, the Jaguars took full control and zoned out the student section in the final two sets to send the seniors off as conference champions.

This year's seniors were freshmen when Dohlman took over the program in 2013, one year after the Jaguars recorded a single-win season. The group has tested her heart in final sets this year but have emerged victorious all nine times.

“This is the first group of four-year kids and they took everything I’ve wanted them to do and they’ve done it,” Dohlman said. “I’m thrilled with the legacy they’ll leave behind and carry off into the future.”

Dohlman said volleyball is a game of constantly shifting momentum, and she trains her players to deal with the waves and finish when it counts. The Jaguars remained steady while facing adversity Tuesday night, and that has boosted their confidence heading into the postseason.

“We can beat anyone in the state. That’s what our coach tells us, and today we believed it,” Spencer said.

First Report

Katie Koch led Bloomington Jefferson with 25 kills in a 22-25, 11-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11 victory at Chaska on Tuesday to clinch its first Metro West Conference championship.

The Jaguars’ win denied the Hawks a third consecutive league title and saddled Chaska with its first loss in conference play since the Metro West formed three years ago.

Koch had three kills in the final set while sophomore Jaidyn Spencer secured the league crown with a match-winning block.

Bloomington Jefferson (24-4, 7-0), ranked No. 12 in the Class 3A coaches’ poll, trailed 17-20 in the third game before four straight kills from Koch fueled an eight-point run to close out the set.

Makenzie Bachmann totaled 23 kills for Chaska (9-13, 6-1). 

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