Four champions crowned at state volleyball tournament

The 2021 Minnesota high school volleyball season came to a close with four championship teams crowned Saturday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The first championship match was in Class 1A where Mayer Lutheran defeated Minneota 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-18). It was Mayer Lutheran’s fourth state volleyball title.

In Class 2A, Sauk Centre claimed their first state championship with a 3-1 (13-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19) win against Jackson County Central. Jenna Gapinski-Vogt and Emma Kittelson each had 11 kills for Sauk Centre.

Perennial powerhouse Marshall earned their 7th state championship beating Kasson-Mantorville 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-16). Tessa Gannott led all players with 15 kills and finished the night with a .464 hitting percentage.

Closing out the night in St. Paul, top-seeded Wayzata defeated East Ridge 3-1 in the Class 4A championship. The Trojans also won the 2019 state title, so they are officially back-to-back champs since there was not a tournament in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.