Farmington vs. Shakopee

7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25

 

Farmington looks to stay on pace in the South Suburban Conference race against a battle-tested Shakopee (10-6, 1-2) team that’s already faced four ranked teams.

While the South Suburban is being headlined by Eagan, No. 3-3A Lakeville South, No. 4-3A Lakeville North and Eastview, it’s early enough in the season that either Farmington or Shakopee could find itself in the conference race with a big win on Tuesday.

Coming off a Sept. 20 conference sweep at the hands of Prior Lake, the Tigers (10-6, 1-2) have some work to do. They'll look to libero Brenna Hesse, a Wisconsin-Green Bay commit, to anchor the Tigers defense and keep them within striking distance in the title chase.

Shakopee sits just a notch above Farmington in the league standings, after losing two matches to Eagan — 3-1 on Sept. 13 and 2-0 on Sept. 21 — and one to Lakeville North (3-1 on Sept. 20). A 2-1 loss to Marshall on Saturday means the Sabers will be looking to bounce back — and a strong showing against the Tigers would be a good starting point.

Shakopee’s Rachel Kilkelly is the key to the Sabers' attack. The 5-foot-9 senior, set to play for the Gophers next year, put up 15 kills in the loss to Lakeville North.