There haven't been any big spoilers in the Hiawatha Valley League this year: The conference's third-best teams are clearly the third-best teams, while the top two — Kasson-Mantorville and Stewartville also happen to be two of the hottest teams in Minnesota — are left to duke it out for the league title on Tuesday.
Oh, and because they are the top two teams in the Class 2A state coaches' poll, the added significance of their matchup makes it our Top Game of the Week.
The stage is set for an ongoing rivalry — both are in the same division of Class 2A, Section 1, meaning one of the state's top teams will be eliminated before the section final. Kasson-Mantorville won the last two section titles, and Stewartville claimed the two prior.
While both teams enter the week riding solid regular-season tournament performances, the No. 2-2A KoMets (25-2, 9-0), who won the Apple Valley Classic Oct. 12-13 with four sweeps, also boast a 19-match winning streak dating back to Sept. 8.
Peyton Seuss continues to be a big all-around threat for the KoMets and has more than 300 kills this season. She’s been fed by Maddie Converse, who’s stepped up as a freshman.
While Stewartville (21-1, 9-0) recorded its first loss of the season on Oct. 13, falling 2-1 to Lakeville North in the Panthers' home tournament, it rebounded to defeat East Ridge 2-1 later that day. The No. 1-2A Tigers have dropped just eight sets all season.
Erin Lamb is building off a great freshman year, when she was named all-state, as the sophomore is regularly tallying double-digit kills in matches. Kaitlyn Prondzinski, who had 10 kills and 22 total attempts, is a go-to option on the attack, as well.