BROOKINGS – The Class AA State Volleyball Tournament is this week at the Swiftel Center.
Action gets underway with the quarterfinals on Thursday, with the semifinals and consolation semifinals Friday and the place matches Saturday. The final begins at 7 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday
No. 1 O’Gorman (23-0) vs. No. 8 Harrisburg (14-11), noon
Lady Knights
Notes: Dropped seven sets this season. Went five sets with Sioux Falls Washington (Oct. 27) and Watertown (Nov. 3). … Bergen Reilly averages 15.61 kills per match, while Raegen Reilly guides the offense with 30.1 set assists per outing. Brynn Askew notches 13.3 digs, with Raegen Reilly adding 10 and Bergen Reilly 9.65.
Regular season: Won 25-22, 25-14, 16-25, 25-20 at Harrisburg in the regular-season finale Nov. 7.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 16 Spearfish 25-13, 25-10, 25-9.
Tourney history: 25th appearance. Six titles, three runner-up finishes. Placed fourth in last appearance in 2018.
Tigers
Notes: Have won 10 of past 12 matches. … Abby Meister leads a balanced attack with 8.08 kills per match. She also averages 3.12 service aces.
Regular season: Fell 25-22, 25-14, 16-25, 25-20 in OG on Nov. 7 to conclude regular season.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 9 Rapid City Stevens via forfeit.
Tourney history: Ninth appearance. Three titles, one second-place showing.
No. 4 Sioux Falls Washington (15-5) vs. No. 5 Aberdeen Central (17-8), 2 p.m.
Warriors
Notes: Victorious in eight of past 10 matches. … Sydni Schetnan logs 11.2 kills per outing, with Katy Richardson dishing out 30.45 set assists.
Regular season: Lost 25-27, 26-24, 25-21, 25-19 at AC on Nov. 3.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 13 Sioux Falls Lincoln 25-14, 25-23, 25-19.
Tourney history: 29th appearance. Eight firsts, five seconds.
Golden Eagles
Notes: Have won six of seven. … Brooklyn Kusler puts down 14.68 kills per match. Grace Myhre tallies 31.16 assists.
Regular season: Dropped SFW 25-27, 26-24, 25-21, 25-19 at home Nov. 3.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 12 Mitchell 25-14, 21-25, 25-5, 25-12.
Tourney history: 29th appearance. Three titles, one runner-up finish.
No. 3 Huron (16-4) vs. No. 6 Brandon Valley (18-7), 5 p.m.
Tigers
Notes: Won eight of last nine. … Five players are putting up more than 6 1/2 kills per match. Team averages 11 1/2 ace serves per outing. Tanley Buddenhagen guides the offense with 32.25 set assists and paces the defense with 12.15 digs per match.
Regular season: Pulled out a 21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 24-26, 15-13 victory Nov. 3 in Brandon.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 14 Sturgis 25-8, 25-12, 25-21.
Tourney history: 26th appearance. Two wins and a second. … Placed third in 2019.
Lynx
Notes: Won three in a row following a three-match skid – which saw them lose to Watertown twice and Huron once. … Four players are averaging more than 5 1/2 kills per contest.
Regular season: Fell 21-25, 25-18, 25-15, 24-26, 15-13 to Tigers on Nov. 3 at home.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 11 Pierre 25-17, 16-25, 25-22, 25-15.
Tourney history: Seventh appearance. Once runner-up.
No. 2 Watertown (21-4) vs. No. 7 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (10-10), 7 p.m.
Arrows
Notes: Won 10 of 11, with lone loss coming to No. 1 OG. … Maggie Heesch averages 10.88 kills, Emerson Smith 9.48 and Carlie Reppe 8.88. Heesch adds 2.6 blocks. … Defending champions.
Regular season: Won 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 on Oct. 8 in Sioux Falls and 25-15, 15-25, 25-17, 25-20 on Oct. 15 at home.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 15 Yankton 25-11, 25-20, 25-5.
Tourney history: 13th appearance, including four consecutively. Two titles and a runner-up finish. … Beat O’Gorman 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 in the final a year ago.
Rough Riders
Notes: Won four of their past five matches. … Average 7.95 aces.
Regular season: Lost 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23 on Oct. 8 in Sioux Falls and 25-15, 15-25, 25-17, 25-20 on Oct. 15 on the road.
SoDak 16: Def. No. 10 Brookings 26-24, 25-18, 25-15.
Tourney history: 23rd appearance, including 17th in the past 18 years. Four titles and six seconds.
Potential semifinal
Watertown and Huron split in the regular season, with the home team prevailing both times – the Arrows 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 on Sept. 3 and the Tigers 25-21, 25-23, 25-20 on Oct. 20. … Watertown beat Huron 3-2 in the quarters in 2018, winning the fifth set 19-17.
