The fifth and final Minnesota Boys High School Volleyball Association State Tournament got underway Wednesday at Shakopee High School in front of more than 1,000 reported fans.
Next stop? Legitimacy.
This is the last boys volleyball state tournament conducted by the MNBHSVA, which has run boys volleyball as a club sport since 2017. It is set to become an officially sanctioned Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) sport next spring. Currently, it is classified as an "emerging sport" by the MSHSL.
Shakopee, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, breezed through the first two round Wednesday. The Sabres did not lose a set and will ride the momentum of a pair of 3-0 victories into Thursday's semifinals.
The Sabres defeated St. Paul Johnson 25-21, 25-18, 25-11 in the quarterfinals. Shakopee improved to 24-1, its lone loss coming to Spring Lake Park in the finals of a tournament at St. Michael-Albertville in mid-May.
They will face Andover, the 2023 state tournament runners-up, in the semifinals. Andover, the No. 4 seed (23-6), needed five sets to get past Maple Grove in the quarterfinals 25-18, 25-15, 19-25, 18-25, 15-13. It was Andover's third victory over Maple Grove this season.
The other semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Rogers, which defeated Eden Prairie 25-14, 25-19, 25-12, against No. 3 seed Spring Lake Park. The Panthers survived a first-set loss against St. Paul Como Park to win 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-18.
The semifinal matches begin at 10 a.m. Thursday. The championship match is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The higher-seeded teams controlled the opening round, with Shakopee leading the parade of higher seeded teams to victory. No. 4 Andover, No. 5 Maple Grove and No. 8 St. Paul Johnson emerged with victories in the top bracket while No. 2 Rogers, No. 3 Spring Lake Park, No. 7 Eden Prairie and No. 11 St. Paul Como Park won in the bottom bracket. Como Park was the lone lower-seeded team to emerge from the opening round, beating No. 6-seeded Eagan.
