MINNETONKA — All things considered, the season couldn’t have ended any better for the Willmar volleyball team.

The Cardinals beat seventh-ranked Minnetonka 3-0 in the season-finale Friday night.

Willmar won 25-23, 25-13, 25-22.

The victory was especially nice for the Cardinals, who suffered their first loss of the season Thursday at Minneota, the No. 1-ranked team in Class A.

“Everything that we could do right, we did right,” Willmar head coach Traci Grussing said of the win over Minnetonka (11-3), ranked seventh in Class AAA. “Our blocking was so much better than last night.

“Our serving was so much better than last night. …. We had some really, really great plays on defense, a lot of great hustle plays.”

Senior right hitter Sophie Kobienia led Willmar with 13 kills. Senior outside hitter Bailey Olson added 11 kills. Lydia Larson had 37 set assists and Sydney Schnichels contributed six blocks. Abby Stark had 24 digs.

Grussing said in watching video of Minnetonka that the Skippers had two excellent middle hitters. Willmar’s strategy, then, was to neutralize those two.

“Our serving took their middles out of the offense,” Grussing said. “We intentionally served really short.”

It added up to a nice win over a state-ranked Twin Cities power.

“This is the way to end,” Grussing said. “We talked as a team about the way to end this year.. And we said that the last one was really the one to remember. It was a perfect way to end, not as a good as a state tournament would have been. But next to that, it was a perfect way to end.”

Non-conference
Willmar 3,
Minnetonka 0

Willmar (12-1) 25 25 25

Minnetonka (11-3) 23 13 22

Willmar

Serving (aces): Bailey Olson 3, Callie Slagter 1, Lydia Larson 1 … Set assists: Abby Stark 2, Mackenzie Knofcyznski 1, Larson 37 … Hitting (kills): Olson 11, Sydney Schnichels 8, Sophie Kobienia 13, Madelyn Gregory 5, Knofcyznski 3, Larson 1 … Blocking (aces): Schnichels 6, Kobienia 4, Gregory 5, Knofcyznski 3, Larson 1 … Digs (5 or more): Larson 7, Olson 18, Stark 24

Minnetonka

Stats not available

BOLD 3,
Wabasso 1

Leslie Snow hammered home 12 kills and 10 had 10 digs and Ella Mages contributed 26 assists to help lead the BOLD Warriors to the victory over the Rabbits of host Wabasso.

BOLD (5-5) 25 23 25 25

Wabasso (2-11) 12 25 17 23

BOLD

Serving (aces): Caylee Weber 5, Ella Mages 3, Mari Ryberg 2, Delaney Tersteeg 2… Set assists: Mages 26, Tersteeg 8 … Hitting (kills): Leslie Snow 12, Kenzie Visser 8, Weber 7, Ryberg 7 … Blocking (aces): Visser 4, Abby Meyers 2 … Digs (5 or more): Snow 10, Weber 9, Ryberg 9

Wabasso

Stats not available

Benson 3,
WCA 0

Benson wrapped up its season with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-16 home victory over West Central Area.

Rachel Berens led the Braves’ attack with nine kills. Ellie Moesenthin added 15 set assists and 12 digs. Kimberly Pagel had five service aces.

WCA (5-8) 16 20 16

Benson (4-8) 25 25 25

West Central Area

Stats not available

Benson

Serving (aces): Rachel Berens 4, Beth Cain 1, Kimberly Pagel 5, Adysen Himley 1, Lilly Slaughter 1, Zoe Doscher 4, Greta Szczur 3 … Set assists: Ellie Moesenthin 15, Himley 7, Marissa Connelly 1, Doscher 2 … Hitting (kills): Sarah Brandt 1, Berens 9, Cain 6, Pagel 6, Slaughter 2, Szczur 2 … Blocking (aces): Szczur 1 … Digs (5 or more): Cain 12, Moesenthin 12, Doscher 6

Wright County
NLS 3,
Litchfield 0

New London-Spicer wrapped up the season with a 25-11, 25-15, 25-22 win over Litchfield on Senior Night at New London.

Ashlyn Olson had 14 kills to lead the Wildcats’ attack. She had a .433 kill percentage. Emma Hanson contributed 21 set assists, five kills, 13 digs and two service aces. Mya Kruase had 21 digs and Kendra Bagley added 20 digs with nine kills.

Litchfield (9-5) 11 15 22

NLS (9-3) 25 25 25

Litchfield

Stats not available

New London-Spicer

Serving (aces): Emma Hanson 2, Ellary Peterson 2, Nyla Johnson 1 … Set assists: Hanson 21, Kendra Bagley 1, Ashlyn Olson 1, Mya Krause 1, Johnson 10 … Hitting (kills): Hanson 5, Bagley 9, Ava Kraemer 6, Olson 14, Aleah Zieske 7, Peterson 2 … Blocking (aces): Hanson 1/2, Olson 1-1/2, Kraemer 1-1/2, Peterson 1/2 … Digs (5 or more): Hanson 13, Bagley 20, Zieske 14, Krause 21, Johnson 6

Camden
MACCRAY 3,
YME 1

Sydney Thein had 17 kills, 15 set assists, 17 digs and four ace serves to lead MACCRAY to the victory over Yellow Medicine East in Granite Falls.

The Wolverines won 25-19, 18-25, 25-16, 25-13.

For YME, Alli Steffen had 16 kills, 14 digs and four ace serves. Riley Streich and Aria Peters both contributed 14 set assists.

MACCRAY (6-3) 25 18 25 25

YME (4-10) 19 25 16 13

MACCRAY

Serving (aces): Sydney Thein 4, JoAnna Johnson 2, Ella Bourne 2 … Set assists: S. Thein 15, Annie Bourne 18, E. Bourne 1 … Hitting (kills): Allison Koenen 1, Jordan Thein 7, S. Thein 17, Kylee Kimpling 7, Elsie Sumner 8, Lizzie Koenen 1 … Blocking (aces): Kimpling 1, Sumner 1, A. Koenen 1 … Digs (5 or more): S. Thein 17, E. Bourne 21, Johnson 16, Kaisa Jaenisch 5, A. Bourne 6, Sumner 5

Yellow Medicine East

Serving (aces): Alli Steffen 4, Aria Peters 1, Yansi Flores 1, Kiara Sakry 1, Riley Streich 1 … Set assists: Aria Peters 14, Alexis Smith 2, Ruby Bones 2, Streich 14 … Hitting (kills): Alexis Smith 5, Shelby Mortenson 6, Jadyn Sakry 1, Steffen 16, Flores 1, Bones 3 … Blocking (aces): Smith 3, Mortenson 5, J. Sakry 1, Flores 5, Bones 6 … Digs (5 or more): Peters 11, Smith 8, Steffen 14, Flores 12, K. Sakry 10, Streich 7

KMS 3, CMCS 0

Grace Collins distributed 30 set assists to lead Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg past Central Minnesota Christian at Prinsburg.

Makenna Kelley led the Fighting Saints’ balanced attack with 11 kills. Maret Gjerde contributed eight kills. Halie Nichols had 19 digs.

CMCS’s Coco Duininck had 20 assists and 10 digs. Molly Mulder added 13 kills.

KMS (7-3) 25 25 25

CMCS (2-7) 19 16 15

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg

Serving (aces): Halie Nichols 1, Grace Collins 2, Makenna Kelley 1, Lauren Krieger 3, Karli Jensen 1 … Set assists: Nichols 1, Collins 30, Krieger 2 … Hitting (kills): Collins 1, Maret Gjerde 8, Kelley 11, Krieger 8, Katie Klaphake 5, Jensen 1, Shakira Olson 4 … Blocking (aces): Collins 1, Kelley 2, Krieger 1 … Digs (5 or more): Nichols 19, Collins 9, Gjerde 9, Krieger 13

Central Minnesota Christian

Serving (aces): Addison Brouwer 1, Jaedyn Rausch 1, Lauren Taatjes 1, Molly Mulder 1, Sydney Damhof 1 … Set assists: Coco Duininck 20, Damhof 1 … Hitting (kills): Mulder 13, Maaike Duininck 5, C. Duininck 3, Taatjes 2, Katelyn Graves 1 … Blocking (aces): Taatjes 1 … Digs (5 or more): Taatjes 12, Damhof 11, C. Duininck 10, Mulder 5, Brouwer 5

Lakeview 3,
RCW 0

Lakeview beat host Renville County West 25-20, 25-18, 25-18.

Alexis Roxberg had eight kills and Alice Hanson added seven for the Jaguars, who got 19 set assists from Addyson Tanner.

Lakeview (2-4) 25 25 25

RCW (0-12) 20 18 18

Lakeview

Stats not available

Renville County West

Serving (aces): Bethany Bratsch 2, Abi Gasca 1, Addyson Tanner 2, Holly Bratsch 1, Ellie Wulf 2 … Set assists: Gasca 2, Tanner 19, Bratsch 3, Wulf 1 … Hitting (kills): Alice Hanson 7, Tanner 2, Reilly Elfering 3, Bratsch 1, Wulf 5, Alexis Roxberg 8 … Blocking (aces): Roxberg 1 … Digs (5 or more): Gasca 7, Tanner 7, Bratsch 9, Wulf 6

Central Minnesota
EV-W 3,
Royalton 0

Eden Valley-Watkins closed the season with a home victory over Royalton, 25-13, 25-11, 25-12.

Whitney Jansen had nine kills, 19 set assists, seven digs and three service aces to lead the Eagles. McKenna Moehrle contributed seven kills.

Royalton (2-10) 13 11 12

EV-W (7-6) 25 25 25

Royalton

Stats not available

Eden Valley-Watkins

Serving (aces): Whitney Jansen 3, Ellie Field 1, Faith Unterberger 1, Montana Jensen 1, Taylor Phelps 2 … Set assists: Brielle Kuechle 2, McKenna Moehrle 3, W. Jansen 19, Lindsey Wirz 2, Reilly Hennen 4, Brooklyn Glenz 2 … Hitting (kills): Isabella Butterfass 1, Katelyn Holthaus 1, Kuechle 3, Moehrle 7, W. Jansen 9, Wirz 3, Hennen 1, Laura Lindenfelser 2, M. Jansen 3, Olivia Langer 3 … Blocking (aces): Moehrle 2 … Digs (5 or more): W. Jansen 7, Wirz 9, Hennen 11.