WILLMAR -- The Willmar Cardinals were unable to match the hitting of Prior Lake and fell to the No. 4 seed 25-11, 25-21 and 25-16 in the quarterfinals of Section 2AAA volleyball on Friday.
It was the post-season opener for the No. 5 seed.
"I think the girls were a little intimidated starting out," said Terrin DeBoer, the Cardinals' first year coach. "Prior Lake is a tough team. They have a lot of hitters."
The Cardinals found a rhythm in Game 2, but were unable to put away enough attacks for kills.
"We played good defense, but they outpowered us on the hitting aspect," added DeBoer.
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The Lakers (23-4) have five starters back from a team that won 20 matches a year ago. They will meet No. 1 seed Shakopee in the semifinals.
It was the final match for six Cardinal seniors. All contributed against the Lakers: Hannah Smith supplied eight kills, three ace serves and 18 digs, all team leading totals. Jennie Mattison had 14 assists and eight digs, Jena Thompson six kills and two ace blocks, Alex Lippert two kills and two ace blocks, Karlee Johnson six digs, and Sara Banks five kills.
"The girls worked hard and did a good job," said DeBoer. "They made (Prior Lake) earn it."
Willmar, which placed third in the Central Lakes Conference, finished 18-11 overall.
Prior Lake 3, Willmar 0
Willmar 11 21 16
Prior Lake 25 25 25
(Key: good-attempts-aces)
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Willmar
Serving: Jennie Mattison 4-4-0, Hannah Smith 13-14-3, Addy Nelsen 6-6-0, Shae Bruess 7-7-0, Jena Thompson 7-7-0, Jena Thompson 7-7-0, Karlee Johnson 6-7-0 ... Setting: Mattison 44-47-14, Nelsen 28-29-8 ... Hitting: Smith 25-32-8, Lindsey Atchison 8-10-0, Thompson 15-20-6, Laura Swartz 2-2-2, Alex Lippert 8-8-2, Sara Banks 14-15-2, Mattison 5-5-0, Nelsen 2-2-1 ... Blocking (aces): Smith 1, Lippert 2, Thompson 2 ... Digs: Breuss 8, Johnson 6, Nelsen 3, Mattison 8, Atchison 6, Smith 18
Prior Lake
Statistics not available
