Southwest Christian volleyball coach Jessica Tow-Arnett wasn't thrilled her team was tagged with the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A state tournament.
What was intended to be a sign of respect turned out to be something of a burden as Rush City, making just its second state tournament appearance, beat Southwest Christian 26-24, 25-22, 25-19 on Friday at the Xcel Energy Center.
"Honestly, people think it's a blessing, but really, it's a curse," Tow-Arnett said. "It's way easier to be the underdog. Everyone has their best moments against you. You're never going to underestimate the No. 1 seed."
Playing the team considered the best in the class was exactly what Rush City (29-2) wanted.
"I love it," said coach Eric Telander. "I relish playing as the underdog."
Freshman defensive specialist Abigail Telander explained why.
"You get to prove everybody wrong," she said. "We've always seen ourselves as underdogs. We use it for motivation."
On the court, the athletic Tigers went right at taller Southwest Christian (29-6). They served fearlessly and played loosely. After the second set the Tigers unleashed their traditional team line dance as their pep band played "Jump On It" by the Sugarhill Gang.
Coach Telander saw that as a good sign.
"It's easy to lose track of what this is all about," he said. "It's about them and their memories and the experience. And that's a memory and and experience they'll never forget."
Tow-Arnett was philosophical in defeat.
"I always tell [the team] I either want to win or get beat," she said. "I don't want to lose because losing means we didn't put everything out there. I would say Rush City beat us."
Pequot Lakes pushes past Caledonia
Leaning on its two newly named All-State players, No. 2 seed Pequot Lakes climbed out of a two-set hole to defeat No. 3 seed Caledonia 21-25, 19-15, 25-17, 25-23, 16-14 in the other semifinal.
The victory gives the Patriots a chance to remedy their loss in the Class 2A championship game one year ago.
Senior middle hitter Grace Hoffard had 21 kills — 15 in the final three sets — and senior outside hitter Ella Kratochvil added 16 for Pequot Lakes (29-5). Both were named to the Class 2A All-State team Tuesday at the state tournament banquet. Setter Aubrey Larson coordinated the attack with 42 kills and no errors in 147 set attempts.
The loss made for an especially painful weekend for Caledonia faithful. The Warriors football team, undefeated and ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, suffered a 41-0 loss to Jackson County Central in the Class 2A semifinals Thursday.
Senior outside hitter Logan Koepke had a match-high 29 kills for Caledonia (28-6).
