By Jake Schroer
Crow River News Sports
As the fifth seed in the section volleyball playoffs, STMA defeated Coon Rapids at home Tuesday night before falling to fourth-seeded Blaine Thursday to end the season.
STMA took control from the beginning of its match with 12 seed Coon Rapids. The Knights cruised to a 25-6 win in the opening set, setting the tone for the evening.
The Cardinals kept up in the second set, but the Knights still took it 25-17 to put themselves in prime position to take the match.
STMA went on a run in the third set to blow past the Cardinals 25-12 and earn the sweep in the first round of the section tournament.
Head coach Jill Anderson said that taking care of the ball on their own end was key for the Knights.
“For the most part, we did that tonight. When we had an opportunity to take care of the ball, the hitters did a great job of changing it up,” Anderson said.
BLAINE
The Knights battled well, but the Bengals took them down in four sets to advance to the next round of the section tournament.
Three out of the four sets came down to the final few points. STMA lost the opening set 25-21 and won the second set by the same score.
The Bengals flipped momentum back in their favor with a 25-15 win in the third set and took the fourth 25-21 to get the victory.