2 days Ago By Forum staff
ST. PAUL — The Hawley volleyball team is a state champion. Hawley rebounded from a second-set loss to take two-straight sets and defeat Southwest Christian in four sets in the Class 2A state championship match on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center.
The Nuggets won 25-22, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22. After winning the first set, Hawley dropped the second and the third set was tight throughout, after the Nuggets went up by four points early. After 6-6 in the third, neither team led by more than two points and the set was tied eight times, the last at 24-24.
But Hawley scored the final two points of the set on a Southwest Christian service error and an ace serve by the Nuggets Emma Sannes. The latter half of the fourth also was closely played after the Nuggets fell behind 7-2. They tied it at 14, 16, 17 and 19.
Hawley never trailed again. Two Katarina Vetter kills and a SWC attack error made it 22-19. SWC twice pulled within one point at 22-21 and 23-22.
Kills from Vetter and Annaka Johnson closed out the set, the match and the championship. Vetter led the Nuggets with 16 kills and Johnson had 11. McKenna Walker had eight kills.
Hawley controlled the net defensively, with Johnson finishing with nine total blocks. Ingrid Rustad had six blocks. The Nuggets had three solo blocks and 14 block assists to the Stars’ two solos and six block assists.
Sella Fleming led the Nuggets with 22 set assists and Rustad had 21 assists and served three aces. Hannah Stotts had 25 digs, Vetter had 20 digs and Rustad had 17 digs. The Stars’ Avery Beckering and Claire Lemkuil both had match-highs with 18 kills apiece.
Libby Weckman had 49 set assists. Neither team hit particularly efficiently, with the Stars committing 28 attack errors in 181 total attacks (.166).
Hawley hit .172, with 22 errors in 169 attacks. The Stars also committed seven service errors to Hawley’s two.
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