Lakeville North's Alyssa Goehner
When expectations are as sky-high as they were for Lakeville North's Alyssa Goehner entering this season, there are only two ways to look at it. They're either a heavy burden that drags the year down, or they're a spark that propels it forward. It's apparent which way Goehner responded. Following the Panthers' second state championship in three years, the Lakeville North junior outside hitter was recognized as the Breakdown's Overall Player of the Year for Minnesota high school volleyball.
Goehner was a terrific all-around player for the Panthers (32-1), whose only loss was a forfeit at mid-season. Otherwise, she and the Panthers were perfect all season. Goehner pounded out 609 kills as a junior, including 39 in the state championship victory over Eden Prairie. She already holds the state single-season record with 716 kills as a sophomore and has 1,801 career kills entering her senior season. But she's equally adept in the back row as one of the Panthers' top passsers.
Goehner leads a very talented group of players honored in our annual "Minny" awards, designed to recognize the best of the best in Minnesota high school volleyball.
The Breakdown players of the year by class are:
- Class AAA - Alyssa Goehner, Lakeville North
- Class AA - Kenzie Beekman, Marshall
- Class A - Riley Hanson, Nevis
Class AAA: Lakeville North def. Eden Prairie
Revenge was so sweet for top-ranked Lakeville North. A year after falling to Eden Prairie in the Class AAA state final, the Panthers turned the tables on the Eagles with a 3-1 victory over the defending state champions. North (32-1) capped a nearly perfect season – its only loss was a mid-season forfeit for using a player for two many combined sets in one night – with a nearly perfect championship match.
In their first year under Hall of Fame coach Walt Weaver, the Panthers showed no weaknesses. From the powerful swings of hitters Alyssa Goehner (39 kills), Haley Walker (7 kills) and Sami Flattum (10 kills) to the setting of Syracuse-bound Erica Handley (56 set assists) to the back row play of Goehner (16 digs), Abby Monson (14 digs) and Arizona-committed libero Laura Larson (21 digs), North looked like a dynasty. And with its second title in three years and the return of several key veterans, it may be just that.
Eden Prairie (28-5) and Miss Volleyball Sarah Wilhite (28 kills) went down swinging, though. Jamie Cairncross (24 digs) and Maddie Reese (16 digs) also played well defensively. But it was not enough.
Class AAA All-Breakdown
| Pos | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| OH | Alyssa Goehner | Lakeville North |
| OH | Taylr McNeil | Eagan |
| OH | Sarah Wilhite | Eden Prairie |
| OH | Anna Pioske | Waconia |
| S/RH | Lydia Dimke | Blaine |
| S | Erica Handley | Lakeville North |
| S | Sam Seliger-Swenson | Hopkins |
| LI | Lauren Houg | Wayzata |
Class AA: Marshall def. Caledonia
After dropping the first set, top-ranked Marshall rallied to claim a second consecutive Class AA state title with a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Caledonia at the Xcel Energy Center. Experience paid off in the final for coach Dan Westby’s squad. The Tigers (29-5) were making their 12th straight appearance at state – and record 24th overall – while the Warriors (27-7) were in their first.
It didn’t matter early, as Caledonia raced out to a big victory in the first set and fought hard until Marshall ran off a 6-0 spurt in the fourth set to end the Warriors’ upset bid.
A pair of juniors led the way for the Tigers. Outside hitter Kenzie Beekman powered the Marshall attack with a team-high 22 kills and added 14 digs, while setter/hitter Sydney Griffin had 14 kills and 26 set assists. Angela Tauer (11 kills, 4 service aces), Hannah Bennett (17 digs) and Rachel Sanow (19 set assists) also played big roles for the Tigers, who countered the bigger Caledonia squad.
Six-footers Maria Fruechte (24 kills) and Emma Lange (13 kills, 5 service aces, 12 digs) were key to Caledonia’s early success, both pounding out sets from Taylor Winjum (38 set assists).
Class AA All-Breakdown
| Pos | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| OH | Kenzie Beekman | Marshall |
| OH | Abby Manitz | Kasson-Mantorville |
| MH | Hannah Tapp | Stewartville |
| MH | Paige Tapp | Stewartville |
| MH | Maria Fruechte | Caledonia |
| MH | Macy Weller | Sauk Centre |
| S/OH | Haley Fogarty | Belle Plaine |
| LI | Alexandra Duxbury | Chatfield |
Class A: Bethlehem Academy def. SW Christian
The curse – if you could call it one – of even-numbered years is over for Bethlehem Academy. The Cardinals (26-7) won their first state title in such a year with a 3-1 victory over third-seeded Southwest Christian (25-11) in the Class A final at the Xcel Energy Center. It’s the sixth state championship in a decade for BA and coach Franz Boelter, which repeated as champions and continued its small-school domination of the past 10 years.
Eighth-grade setter Payton Nutter led the way for the Cardinals with 50 set assists, feeding terrific balls to seniors Maddie Borwege (25 kills) and Jessie Mathews (17 kills, 37 digs). Sophomore outside hitter Payton Schultz added 11 kills and 29 digs. But it wasn’t easy for BA, which had to rally past a Southwest Christian squad that had it on the ropes early. The two teams split the first two sets and the Stars opened up a big 13-4 lead in the third over the shocked Cardinals. But a 10-1 run that included six Stars’ hitting errors swung momentum back to BA.
Southwest Christian junior Mackenzie Horkey led all players with 35 kills, while Katie Lubben (46 set assists) and Courtney Sheets (31 digs) also paced the Stars.
Class A All-Breakdown
| Pos | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| OH | Riley Hanson | Nevis |
| OH | Jessie Mathews | Bethlehem Academy |
| OH | Mackenzie Horkey | SW Christian |
| OH | Nico Schmidt | Mayer Lutheran |
| MH | Shelby Kaster | Win-E-Mac |
| MH | Maddie Borwege | Bethlehem Academy |
| MH | Taylor Reiss | Minneota |
| S | Kalyn Biever | Wabasha-Kellogg |
Coach of the Year
Thief River Falls coach Laurie Bitter
In her second season at Thief River Falls, coach Laurie Bitter helped lead the Prowlers to new heights, taking the program to its first-ever state tournament and coming home with hardware: the Class AA consolation trophy. The fiery and competitive Bitter, who has compiled more than 400 career victories in 23 seasons (21 at Lake of the Woods), has led the Prowlers to 25 and 28 wins in her two seasons there. For those accomplishments, Bitter was recognized today as the Breakdown's Coach of the Year award winner.
Bitter joins a distinguished group of coaches honored in each class, including:
- Class AAA - Matt Busch, Shakopee
- Class AA - Laurie Bitter, Thief River Falls
- Class A - Greg Sayuk, SW Christian
Best of the Best "Minny" Awards
Team of the Year: Caledonia. The Warriors didn't win a state title, falling to powerhouse Marshall in the Class A final, 3-1. But they did certainly gain many admirers in their first state tournament appearance. Not only did Caledonia have to contend with Stewartville and Kasson-Mantorville just to get out of Section 1AA, the Warriors then had to knock off first Maple Lake and then previously unbeaten Sauk Centre just to get to the final. The 6-foot duo of seniors Maria Fruechte and Emma Lange led the way, as no other Class AA programs at state could contend with the bookend middles. Fruechte was a beast who was equally adept at digging in the back row, while Lange's length made her tough to defend. Add in Maddy Mullins and setter Taylor Winjum and the Warriors were a senior-led bunch, but one that made the most of its first visit to the X.
Honorable mentions: Lakeville North, Marshall and Bethlehem Academy. The ongoing dynasties at those three programs have to be recognized, as each had a big target on its back all season and still managed to come home with the title. North won its second in three years and Marshall and BA both successfully defended their crowns.
Best state tournament mascot: The three wise men from Southwest Christian. With a robed and bearded "Jesus" and a fan with a giant gold star on his back next to them, the Stars' student section certainly had a seasonal feel to it.
Best cheer: Not to be outdone by its "We've got Jesus!" cheer of year's past (and this fall, as well), Bethlehem Academy good-naturedly teased the Southwest Christian fans throughout the Class A title match. They singled out the "Jesus" character and heckled him with "You're not Jesus!" and then when he went to get smoothie, they playfully cheered "How's your smoothie?."
Best match: Because it was in the Class AAA third-place match, not many may have seen it, but Blaine perhaps erased some state tournament demons with a 3-2 victory over Shakopee. The Bengals dropped the first two sets before roaring back to take the final three, 18-25, 14-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-12.
Hardest serve: Nevis' Riley Hanson. With great height off her jump serve -- and a huge wingspan at the top -- Hanson's ball seemed to be coming from the rafters of the Xcel Energy Center. Her seven service aces at the tourney brought her season total to 102.
Hardest kill: Lakeville North's Alyssa Goehner, again. She may be just 5-foot-11, but she plays a great deal bigger than that. Great elevation and a huge arm swing propelled the ball's trajectory nearly straight down. With 39 kills in the state championship victory, Goehner finished with 609 on the season and 1,801 through her three-year career.
Best unsung performance: Lakeville North's defensive specialist/libero combination of Laura Larson and Abby Monson. Neither was named to the all-tournament team, but both provided great defense for the Panthers, who rolled to their second state title in three years. They were at their best in the state final against Eden Prairie, as Larson (21 digs) and Monson (14 digs) made it nearly impossible for the Eagles to get a kill down.