As a freshman, Tia Dille-Starks possessed the talent to play on Wayzata’s varsity team but the Trojans had no room for the outside hitter on their roster.
“We kept her on JV her freshman year,” Wayzata coach Scott Jackson said. “We had a very talented team that season, but she certainly could have played on that team.”
Dille-Starks made the varsity team as a sophomore, but not as a bench player. She started for the Trojans, a role Dille-Starks has not relinquished in three years. This season, the senior is a team captain for the Trojans (20-9), who are ranked No. 10 in the final Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A poll of the season.
“She’s a great leader,” Jackson said. “She’s very composed, and we’re fortunate to have her in our (volleyball) family.”
Wayzata’s good fortune proved bad for Benilde-St. Margaret’s as Dille-Starks spiked the ball with gusto and near-perfect placement to finish with 12 kills and help the third-seeded Trojans take down the sixth-seeded Red Knights 25-16, 25-23, 25-19 in the Class 3A, Section 6 quarterfinals on Thursday night at Hopkins High School.
“She pumps us up, and she keeps our energy level high,” outside hitter Kate Berg said.
Berg, a sophomore for the Trojans, finished the match with a team-high 16 kills, while sophomore setter MacKenzie Groechel had 37 assists in the win.
Dille-Starks provided Wayzata with more than an emotion boost this year. She finished the regular season with 168 kills, 198 digs, 24 serves aces, six blocks and 28 block assists.
With the victory, Wayzata advances to the section semifinals and another showdown with a familiar foe in second-seeded Hopkins. The Royals (17-6) won two of the three matches with the Trojans during the regular season.
“The first time we played them, it just wasn't a good game,” Dille-Starks said. “But the second time was really close, and the third time, we got out of our own heads and finally pushed through.”
Wayzata needs another high-energy performance from Dille-Starks to defeat a Hopkins’ team that finished the season ranked No. 4 in the MVCA Class 3A poll, where it also garnered one first-place vote.
Dille-Starks, who will play volleyball at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. next year, said the Trojans can defeat the Royals in their upcoming semifinals match, despite losing to Hopkins twice this season.
“I think we just have to play like we did when we beat them, and it’ll be no problem,” she said.
