Quantcast
skip navigation

Delano volleyball poised for another state tournament run

By Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune, 10/14/14, 8:47PM CDT

Share

Despite being the smallest school in terms of enrollment in Class 3A, Delano made a big impact at the 2013 volleyball state tournament, advancing to the championship match before falling to Eagan.

Despite being the smallest school in terms of enrollment in Class 3A, Delano made a big impact at the 2013 volleyball state tournament, advancing to the championship match before falling to Eagan.

The Tigers appear ready to make another run this year after clinching the Wright County Conference championship last week with a five-set victory over Waconia.

The Tigers (22-4 through Monday) followed their big conference victory with an impressive showing in the Midwest Fall Classic at St. Michael-Albertville over the weekend, where they finishes third, capping a week in which they won six of seven matches.

As they have all season, the Tigers leaned heavily on senior outside hitter/middle hitter Bria Barfknecht. In her past seven matches, Barfknecht had 91 kills, 78 digs, 14 blocks and five ace serves.

The road to another state tournament bid certainly won’t be easy. Delano resides in Section 2, arguably the deepest section in Class 3A. In addition to the No. 8-ranked Tigers, the section includes No. 1 Prior Lake and No. 3 Chaska, as well as dangerous teams such as Waconia, Chanhassen and Shakopee.

Worth noting

• The Class 2A girls’ swimming True Team state meet on Thursday at the University of Minnesota will have a decided west metro flavor. Wayzata, Edina and Maple Grove all won their section meets to advance to the tournament, while Minnetonka and Eden Prairie qualified as wild-card teams. Both Breck and Blake qualified for Wednesday’s Class 1A meet.

• Eden Prairie ranks No. 16 in the most recent USA Today national high school football rankings. It’s the only Minnesota school in the top 50.

• Minnetonka senior Caroline Shelquist, a two-sport standout in volleyball and basketball, has committed to play basketball at Cornell.

• Minneapolis Washburn’s surprising 1-0 loss to St. Paul Como Park on Saturday means the Minneapolis Conference will not have a state tournament qualifier in boys’ soccer for the first time since 2009.

Washburn’s girls’ soccer team, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, played Blake on Tuesday for the Section 3 championship.

• Breck running back Levi Selness had a career-best game Friday in the Mustangs’ 54-6 rout of rival Blake. Selness, a 5-6, 135-pound junior, rushed 23 times for 253 yards and score two touchdowns.

• If the Holy Angels football team wins at St. Anthony on Wednesday, the second-ranked Stars in Class 4A will finish the regular season with an 8-0 record for the first time in its history.

Related Stories