One of the best seasons ever for Park volleyball ended Saturday. Host and fifth-ranked East Ridge topped the visiting Wolfpack in three close games in the Class 4A, Section 3 semifinals, winning …
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One of the best seasons ever for Park volleyball ended Saturday.
Host and fifth-ranked East Ridge topped the visiting Wolfpack in three close games in the Class 4A, Section 3 semifinals, winning 25-21, 25-21 and 25-16 to end Park’s 2024 season run.
The Wolfpack finished with a sparkling 24-6 record.
“The girls played very well,” said Park head coach Amy Johnson. “East Ridge defense was really on top of our hitters and we had a hard time finding the floor.”
East Ridge (23-6) advances to Wednesday’s section finals and a match at fourth-ranked Eagan (22-6). Eagan swept Rosemount in the other section semifinal Saturday, winning 25-17, 25-16 and 25-20.
It was an extremely hard loss for the Wolfpack, especially veteran seniors Rainna Jameson, Hannah Maxwell, Jenna Katlack, Carly Slusser, Sonja Lind and six other seniors who have taken Park volleyball to unprecedented heights.
“We had a fantastic season,” said Johnson. “I am so incredibly proud of this group of girls. We have been on this mission of pushing to the top of the conference and the section and each year we made more moves to get higher in the standings. This group has put the work in both in season and out of season. Even though we fell short of the final goal of making it to the section finals, we need to remember all of the accomplishments this team has made.
1. Winning two tournaments (Apple Valley and Bloomington Jefferson), and second in our tournament.
Have solo possession on second place in a very competitive SEC.
24-6 overall.
“We truly did everything possible to prepare for sections and again the coaches are extremely proud of the fight they put up each day,” Johnson continued. “Teams could never count us out of any match this season. I will miss our seniors. They have contributed so much to our team and I wish them all the best in their futures. I cannot wait until next season when we continue to work together to achieve our goals.”
Park lost only six times in 30 games this fall, falling to East Ridge twice, once to Anoka (20-7) and once to Hudson (34-2), ranked eighth in Wisconsin.
The Wolfpack will have a major rebuilding job next season with just two starters -- sophomore Mesa Jameson and senior Ameenah Alowonle -- returning to the varsity.
Park 3, Hastings 0
Third-seeded Park advanced to the section semifinals with a three-game sweep of sixth-seeded and visiting Hastings Tuesday, wining 25-10, 25-14 and 25-20.
In other Section 3AAAA quarterfinal matches, top-seeded Eagan swept eighth-seeded Two Rivers (25-11, 25-5, 25-11), second-seeded East Ridge eliminated seventh-seeded Woodbury (25-9. 25-17, 25-6) and fourth-seeded Rosemount got past fifth seeded Eastview (27-25, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-17).