As a prelude to the state volleyball tournament, the Clippers were among the 32 teams introduced on stage at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St. Paul last night.
The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association hosted the banquet, which also included a presentation of the All-State teams of each of the four classes, MVCA service awards and announcement of the state’s top volleyball player from among five candidates
Head coach Dave Nixon introduced the Clipper girls and coaches.
The fifth-ranked Clippers take on fourth-seeded Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. The winner of that match competes against top-seeded Mayer Lutheran vs. eighth-ranked North Woods on Friday at 1:00 p.m., while the loser heads to the consolation bracket that same day at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
On the other side of the bracket, two-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and seventh-seeded Nevis square off while third-ranked Filmore Central takes on sixth-seeded Ada-Borup-West.
On Saturday, the championship match is at 2:30 p.m., the match for third place is at 12:30 p.m., and the consolation bracket championship match (for fifth place) is at 10:30 a.m.
All matches are played at Grand Casino Arena (formerly the Xcel Energy Center) in downtown St. Paul.
MACCRAY is the only team the Clippers and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa have played in common. The Clippers lost that match 2-0 in a tournament while the Jaguars lost it 3-0. Strictly looking at class, BBE had a much tougher schedule than the Clippers. The Jaguar’s 1487 quality rank formula (QRF), a score based on wins and strength of opponents, is 67 points higher than the Clippers. For reference, Mayer Lutheran has a 1731 QRF while Nevis’s is 1171.
The Clippers played Filmore Central in a tournament back on September 19 and lost 2-0. They hosted Mayer Lutheran on September 9 and lost 3-0.
For more information, including purchasing tickets, please visit the MSHSL Class A Tournament page.
The Clippers gathered for a photo after the banquet. They include, from L-R, front row: Ava Kluntz, Aubrey Blaschko, Natalie Flowers, Amelia Chmiel, Luci Blaschko, Delaney Thompson, Taylor McCabe, Keira Schipper, Jocelyn Kortuem, Taylor Wolf and Valentina Rohlfing. Back row, assistant coach Madisyn Schrom, assistant coach April Thompson, Maile Meissner, Sierra Lotspeich, Liviana Lee, Melia Sathoff, Cheyenne Lotspeich, Kaitlyn Flowers, Anna Lamont, manager Mollie Bowman, statistician Neenah Lassiter and head coach Dave Nixon.