Montevideo, which has already pulled off two straight upsets in the Section 3AA-North volleyball tournament, will try to make it three straight when the Thunder Hawks face top-seeded Benson tonight in Granite Falls.
Montevideo (16-9) finished fourth in the West Central South Conference this season with a 5-8 record and was seeded No. 6 in the tournament. Benson (26-4) won the conference title and beat Montevideo twice during the regular season, 3-1 and 3-2.
"The second time we saw (Benson), it was one of the most intense matches we have played all season with the exception of our postseason," said Montevideo coach Joanna Magnuson. "Benson is obviously a very talented team. We will not be able to get by with making unforced errors and having any mental let downs if we want to have a chance of winning."
Montevideo knocked off No. 3 seed Yellow Medicine East 3-1 in the quarterfinals last Friday in Morris, then upended No. 2 Morris Area 3-2 Tuesday night in Montevideo.
"We have spent a lot of time watching film and studying what other teams are doing," Magnuson said. "We have done a better job of picking out three or four team tendencies and focusing on how to combat those tendencies. We have also spent a lot of time refining some of our own skills."
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Magnuson feels her players are beginning to understand that any mistakes now can't be rectified if they lose.
"I believe my players are starting to realize that we can not afford to be making as many mental errors and losing focus of the task at hand," she commented. "Because any match could be our last."
The championship match was originally slated for Southwest Minnesota State, but has been switched to Granite Falls. The match begins at 7 p.m.
Volleyball event to honor Leiseth
A volleyball event in honor of the late Stina Leiseth will be held Nov. 21 at Yellow Medicine East High School in Granite Falls.
Leiseth, who would have been a senior this year, was killed in a one-car rollover Nov. 26 near her home outside Granite Falls. The outside hitter had been named to the All-Area volleyball team as a junior.
The Stina Leiseth Memorial Foundation will be hosting the event, which features seniors from the West Central South Conference against seniors from the Camden North Conference. There will also be a hardest spike and serving contest.
The event will also include motivational speaker and former NFL player Keith Elias, a silent auction and food.
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Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with the match to begin at 7 p.m.
For more information, go to www.stinaleisethmemorialfoundation.org .
