Northfield vs. Mankato West

7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9

 

Northfield is running through the Big 9 Conference again and faces Mankato West — one of the league's second-place teams — which has dispatched all but one of its Big 9 opponents thus far.

Coming off a 2017 regular-season title, the Raiders (17-4, 8-0) have yet to lose a conference match this season and are led by an offensive powerhouse pursuing another conference crown.

Five Raiders have at least 100 kills, led by Emma Roethler’s 128. Libero Emma Torstenson has 245 digs and 33 service aces. Nora Lehmkuhl leads the team with 371 assists.

Mankato West, meanwhile, has lost some tough nonconference games — Marshall (3-0 on Aug. 25), Mayer Lutheran (2-0 on Sept. 8) and Belle Plaine (3-1 on Oct. 1) among them. After falling 3-2 to Rochester John Marshall on Oct. 4, the Scarlets (13-7, 5-0) look to rebound by handing the No. 9-3A Raiders their first Big 9 set loss since 2016.

Mankato West will likely lean on libero Yanamarie Carrera and middle hitter Kennedy Geller to get past the Raiders. Carrera and Geller both earned all-conference honors last year.