Kenyon-Wanamingo Volleyball Impressive in Conference Opener

The Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights came out on fire against the Goodhue Wildcats on the road Thursday night and went home early after a 3-0 sweep.

The Knights jumped out to a 8-1 lead and never looked back in the first set, finishing with a 25-8 victory. Kenyon-Wanamingo tallied six ace serves in the set, with juniors Mia Peterson and Mara Quam doing most of the serving in the set.

Goodhue jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the second set and saw the Knights tie the set at 16 and go on to win it 25-21. Quam had two more ace serves in that set.

Goodhue had a 22-18 lead in the third set and fell 25-23.

Kenyon-Wanamingo head coach Jen Nerison told me after the match that the first set was the finest set she's ever seen her Knights have under her tutelage.

It was impressive and a number of girls played. Our Kenyon-Holden-Warsaw Insurance Knights of the match were Quam, Peterson and Megan Flom, but Nerison said everyone playing in the match did their role well.

Nerison had to be giddy inside seeing 5-foot-7 eighth-grader Ally Peterson shine along with 5-foot-3 sophomore Sydney Way, 5-foot-10 sophomore Corynne Dahl, 5-foot-8 sophomore Maddie McCauley and 5-foot-8 senior Alexa Christenson. Siri Quam, a 5-foot-3 senior setter, and 5-foot-3 junior Peterson dispersed the ball well while running the Kenyon-Wanamingo offense.

To Goodhue's credit they didn't fold up after being throttled in the first set. The Wildcats jumped out to the 10-4 lead in set two and were just a couple of points away from winning the third set before Kenyon-Wanamingo came back.

Wildcat senior setter Michelle Hadler is so fun to watch. She is as cool as the other side of the pillow, never seems to get flustered and is just steady on the floor. The 5-foot-4 junior libero Haley Lexvold also had a good night for Goodhue.

The Wildcats are now 0-2 and the Knights go to 3-0 on the young season. Goodhue head coach Lindsey Mace believes her team has the talent to do well, but notes there are no better volleyball conferences in Class 2A than the Hiawatha Valley League, with a handful of state-ranked teams every year.

The latest MNVBCA coaches poll has Kenyon-Wanamingo ranked eighth in the state in Class 2A. The team that defeated them in the Section 2 final last year, Belle Plaine, is rated No. 1. Stewartville is second, Kasson-Mantorville fourth and Cannon Falls received votes; in Class A, Hayfield got some votes. That's five HVL teams.

Despite a shaky start Bethlehem Academy was tops in Class A with Waterville-Elysian-Morristown seventh.

In Class 3A, Champlin Park is tops followed by Eagan, Lakeville South is fourth and Rosemount fifth. Rochester Mayo got votes.

Things don't get any easier for Goodhue. The Wildcats travel to Hayfield on Tuesday.

The Knights host a tournament this Saturday and head to Lake City on Tuesday. The Tuesday match will be broadcast on Power 96 Radio, 95.9 FM and on the web at power96radio.com. Remember, you can also download the free RadioPup app and listen on your favorite mobile device anywhere in the world.

In other HVL matches Thursday night, Stewartville swept Hayfield 25-23, 14 and 11

Cannon Falls edged Byron 3-2, Zumbrota-Mazeppa bested Lake City 3-2, Kasson-Mantorville got by Rochester Lourdes 3-2 and Pine Island downed Triton in four sets.