Burnsville's season has had its share of frustrating moments, but Tuesday night wasn't one of them as the eighth-seeded Blaze battled back to defeat ninth-seeded Edina 25-21, 26-28, 25-21, 25-19, 15-11 in the first round of the Class 3A, Section 6 section tournament at Burnsville High School.

The victory was the Blaze's first at home since defeating Bloomington Kennedy on Oct. 8, 2013, and ended their 10-game losing streak. The last time Burnsville tasted a win was Sept. 28 when it recorded a 3-1 victory over Bloomington Kennedy.

Blaze coach Joanna Weber said mental toughness has been a big challenge for her team.

“Some of these girls put a lot of pressure on themselves," she said. "And not just on the court, but off the court, and that’s where we get sometimes in a little trouble with that mental toughness."   

Burnsville wasn’t so sharp early in the match, handing the Hornets the first set and allowing them to battle back from a six-point deficit to steal the third.

The Blaze fired back in the second set and finally clipped Edina in the fourth and fifth sets.

Weber said her team was mentally strong throughout the match, even when the Hornets made their runs.  

“They knew what their mission was, they know what road they were putting themselves on, and they just went out there and executed,” Weber said. 

Edina coach Sue Webber said her team couldn't match Burnsville's overall mentality.

“I think their energy level was higher than ours and their aggression level was high at the end, so maybe home-court advantage had something to help with that,” Webber said.   

Even though the Hornets (5-20) had a better regular-season record, the Blaze (3-20) were awarded hosting privileges because of a coin toss.

Burnsville's home court hasn't provided much advantage against some of the elite programs in the state this season. The Blaze have lost to Eagan, ranked No. 2 in the season's final Class 3A coaches' poll, and No. 3-3A Lakeville South, as well as other contenders such as Lakeville North and Cretin-Derham Hall.

Senior right hitter Kayla Beckel wanted her last home game to be a victory, but was denied when the Blaze lost 3-0 to Farmington in the regular-season finale. However, Tuesday night offered a shot at redemption.   

“Getting that second chance to come out here and be at home and have that comfortable setting was a big deal for us," Beckel said. "It really helped push us towards the end."

Burnsville's season hasn't been filled with many positives - the Blaze didn't win a set in 15 of their 22 regular-season matches, but senior middle hitter Emilia Widen said friendship has helped the team get through the tough times. 

“I’m friends with all of the girls, so we’re all positive with each other," she said "We’re all friends off the court, so then we just bring our friendship to the team.”    

Burnsville is facing a tough task Thursday when it battles No.1-seed Minneapolis Washburn (27-0) in the section quarterfinals. The No.11-3A Millers shut out opponents 21 times this season, including a 3-0 dismantling of Edina on Sept. 1. They also only gone the full five sets once.

“If we go out there and honor the fact that we have another opportunity to get on the court and play volleyball and win or lose, (we can) go out there and play a good game,” Weber said.  

Junior outside hitter Hailyn Kittleson’s 13 kills and 13 digs helped lift No. 8-seeded Burnsville past No. 9-seeded Edina 21-25, 28-26, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11 in the first round of the Class 3A, Section 6 tournament Tuesday night at Burnsville High School.

Junior setter Megan Holz chalked up 30 assists, eight digs and seven kills for the Blaze.

Burnsville senior right side hitter Kayla Beckel recorded nine kills while senior outside hitter Angela Kermes and senior middle hitter Emilia Widen had seven kills apiece. Widen also tallied five aces and five blocks.   

Eighth-grade libero Grace Hamerski recorded 19 digs and four aces for the Hornets. Edina senior middle hitter Kathryn Graf finished with nine kills and two aces while her sister Christine, a freshman outside hitter, tallied seven kills. Sophomore defensive specialist Masha Feldman had 10 digs.

The Blaze (3-20) battle No.1 seed Minneapolis Washburn (27-0) in the section quarterfinals Thursday, while the Hornets (5-20) end their season on a six-game losing streak.

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