It’s the final week of the spring sports season, but there is still a lot to be decided in Boys Volleyball. This week a boy’s champion will be crowned in Boys Volleyball and STMA will represent the Wright County Area. You can follow the Knights throughout the state tournament and AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app. Below is a state preview. Good luck to the Knights!
All games subject to change.
The Teams:
#1 Seed: Eastview Lightning, 31-0, defeated Rosemount, 3-0 in Section 1 final, second state appearance.
#2 Seed: Eden Prairie Eagles, 22-4, defeated Shakopee, 3-0 in Section 2 final, second state appearance, defending state champs.
#3 Seed: Wayzata Trojans, 23-8, defeated Edina, 3-0 in Section 6 final, first appearance at state.
#4 Seed: STMA Knights, 25-7, defeated Elk River, 3-2 in Section 8 final, first appearance at state.
#5 Seed: Spring Lake Park Panthers, 20-11, defeated Blaine, 3-1 in Section 7 finals, second state appearance.
#6 Seed: Johnson Governors, 16-4, defeated North St. Paul, 3-2 in Section 4 finals, first state appearance.
#7 Seed: Prairie Seeds, 19-8, defeated Roseville, 3-2 in Section 5 finals, first state appearance.
#8 Seed: East Ridge Raptors, 17-5, defeated Central, 3-1 in Section 3 finals, first state tournament appearance.
Eastview, above, is led by Jay Thammavongsa, shown above rising up for a kill earlier this season.
Players to watch:
Eastview: Jay Thammavongsa, leads the team in kills and digs.
Eden Prairie: Shuarya Gumma, and Aakarsh Shukla are the top kills leaders on EP.
Wayzata: Jacob Aslanishvili, 253 kills, and Connor Voss, 706 assists.
STMA: Drew Demarais, and Treyson Cornillez, lead the Knights in kills.
Spring Lake Park: James Dao, 213 kills,and Victor Nguyen, 652 assists.
Johnson: Did not provide players or stats.
Prairie Seeds: Charlie Anderson, 374 kills.
East Ridge: Nathan Hegeman, 224 kills.
Charlie Anderson, above, from Prairie Seeds, lead PSA with 374 kills this spring.
Key Notes and Stats:
- #1 Seed Eastview has only dropped four sets all season.
- Eden Prairie, the defending state champs, came the closest to knocking off Eastview this season, losing 3-2.
- Speaking of Eden Prairie, the Eagles overcame a 2-0 deficit to Rogers last year and rallied to win the final three sets to take home the first state championship in MSHSL Boys Volleyball history.
- The Boys Volleyball state tournament is only in its second season as a MSHSL sport, and Eastview, Eden Prairie and Spring Lake Park are the only three teams to make it both years.
- STMA went 1-6 vs. the state field, with its only victory over Spring Lake Park, it’s first round opponent.
Eden Prairie, above, rallied from a 2-0 deficit to capture the first ever MSHSL Boys Volleyball Championship with a win over Rogers last year.
Can STMA win it all……..
I don’t know? First matchup with Spring Lake Park is a rematch from earlier this season that the Knights won, 25-21, and 25-17, so that means it could be a good start for the Knights. It’s true the Knights only went 1-6 vs. teams in the state field, but four of those six matches went to five games and the other was a win over SLP, so the Knights have been very close to pulling off some upsets all year. The Knights are well coached with Coach Cornillez, they are strong up front with Cornillez, and Demarais, and they are strong in the back with Nick Michals (377 assists.) If the Knights limit mistakes and take advantage of opportunities, I don’t see any reason why STMA can’t make a run at the championship.
Trey Cornillez, above, looks to lead the Knights to their first state championship in volleyball in his senior year.
