Willmar swept by Chaska

CHASKA -- No. 2-seed Chaska knocked Willmar from the playoff picture on Friday 25-12, 25-16, 25-14.

The Hawks (20-3) advance to the Section 2AAA semifinal round.

Chaska had the advantage in size with five six-footers. The Hawks also were strong and fast, according to Willmar head coach Mary Hanson.

"We battled hard but they just froze our blockers," said Hanson. "If we didn't get a piece of the ball, we had no chance."

Willmar (16-13) finished without an ace block.

The visitors did make it competitive for a time in game three, but at 10-10 the Hawks downshifted and pulled away.

Emily Nelsen got nine kills to lead the Cardinals. Kelsey Evans added seven kills and Taya Nelson and Jena Thompson five apiece. Hannah Smith made 12 assists and Jennie Mattison had 10.

Smith made some outstanding defensive plays while getting 12 digs.

The seventh-seeded Cardinals attempted to slow Chaska's crisp offense with aggressive spot serving but the tactic "didn't go well," Hanson said.

Willmar's final 16-13 record included a five-set win over Mankato West in the section's first round.

Chaska 3, Willmar 0

Willmar 12 16 14

Chaska 25 25 25

(Key: good-attempts-aces)

Willmar

Serving: Brittney Hastad 8-8-1, Annalise Bratt 11-11-0, Kelsey Evans 2-5-0, Hannah Smith 7-7-0, Emily Nelsen 5-7-0, Jennie Mattison 4-5-0 ... Setting: Smith 41-43-12, Mattison 35-37-10, Alex Lippert 6-6-3 ... Hitting: Taya Nelsen 11-12-5, Evans 18-20-7, Smith 8-11-3, Nelsen 26-32-9, Mattison 4-5-0, Lippert 3-3-0, Jenna Thompson 9-11-5 ... Blocking (aces): none ... Digs: Hastad 6, Bratt 3, Smith 12, Nelsen 4, Mattison 3

Chaska

No statistics available