Frazee advances to Section 8AA semi-finals

Ella Ullrich sets the ball by the net during Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Warroad.
Rylee Stock eyes up a tipped ball during the third game of Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Warroad.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Just two nights before chants rang through the student section of the Frazee High School gym about bringing on Perham, the Frazee Hornets were able to upset the fourth seeded Perham Yellowjackets to advance to the Section 8AA semi-finals on Tuesday night. The thrilling 3-2 win over Perham on Friday night came on the heels of a commanding 3-0 win over Warroad on Wednesday night.

Jayden Sonnenberg tries to block the ball during Wednesday’s game in Frazee.

The pair of wins improved the Hornets to a school-best 20-6 season record as they will now square off against top seeded, top ranked and defending state champion Hawley in the Section 8AA semi-finals on Tuesday night. The Nuggets defeated the Hornets 3-1 on September 18, which was one of the rare times all season the Nuggets dropped a set. In fact, Hawley has lost just five sets since the Hornets took them to four games, which includes a pair of losses in tournaments. 

Ruby Eckert finished with 12 kills and 27 digs in Friday’s 3-2 win over Perham.

Hawley comes into the game with a record of 27-2 overall, while the Hornets are 20-6. The winner of Tuesday’s game, which will be held at Moorhead High School, will take on either seventh seeded East Grand Forks, or sixth seeded Wadena-Deer Creek on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Moorhead High School at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to state.

Wednesday

In a game that lasted approximately 45 minutes from start to finish, the fifth seeded Frazee Hornets made quick work of the visiting Warroad Warriors in the Section 8AA opener on Wednesday night. After defeating Warroad 25-6 in the opening set of the night, the Hornets went on to defeat the Warriors 25-12 and 25-19 in the second and third set to complete the three game sweep. 

The win was the 19th of the season for the Hornets who advanced to the Section 8AA quarterfinals against fourth seeded Perham.

Brynn Larson had a big night offensively and defensively for the Hornets as the senior finished with a double-double of 14 digs and 14 assists in the win. 

Aubree Bristlin sends the ball over the net during Wednesday’s Section 8AA match against Warroad.

In addition to Larson, the Hornet hitters put up some impressive numbers in the three game sweep as Ruby Eckert finished with nine kills and a .615 hitting percentage, while Jayden Sonnenberg finished with eight kills and a .583 hitting percentage. Aynslee Johannsen hit .357 and finished with seven kills, while Aubree Bristlin finished with four kills, Larson finished with three and Leslie Moore rounded out the offensive attack with a pair of kills. 

In addition to leading the team in kills, Eckert finished with five ace serves and Sonnenberg finished with seven block assists to lead the charge for Frazee. 

Kills– R. Eckert (.615) 9, J. Sonnenberg (.583) 8, A. Johannsen (.357) 7, A. Bristlin 4, B. Larson 3, L. Moore 2

Aynslee Johannsen sends a shot past a pair of would-be Warrior blockers on Wednesday night.

Aces– R. Eckert 5, K. Aschnewitz 2, K. Courneya 1

Assists– B. Larson 14, E. Ullrich 7

Digs– B. Larson 14, K. Aschnewitz 9, R. Eckert 6, E. Ullrich 5, M. Wacker 3, R. Stock 3

Block Assists– J. Sonnenberg 7, B. Larson 4, L. Moore 2, R. Eckert 1

Solo Blocks– J. Sonnenberg 1, A. Bristlin 1

Friday

In a game that will go down as one of the all-time classics in the Highway 10 rivalry between Frazee and Perham, the fifth seeded Hornets proved the third time was the charm as they upset fourth seeded Perham in five sets on Friday night. 

After dropping their previous two meetings to the Yellowjackets by a 2-1 score at the Hawley Tournament and a 3-1 score in Heart O’ Lakes Conference action just three weeks ago, the Hornets were able to overcome a 2-1 set deficit and advance to the Section 8AA semi-finals against top seeded and ranked Hawley 3-2 on Friday night.

After dropping the first set by a score of 25-18, Frazee knotted the match up at one set apiece of Friday with a 25-19 win in the second set. Perham narrowly took control of the match 2-1 when they defeated Frazee 25-23 to come within one set from knocking off the Hornets for the third time this season. That’s when Frazee took control of a thrilling final two sets of the night as they came away with a 25-21 win in the fourth set to set up a winner-take-all fifth and final set.

The Hornets were able to get the best of the host Yellowjackets 18-16 in a set that was suppose to go to just 15 points, to not only pick up their 20th win of the season, but come just two games away from advancing to the state volleyball tournament.

Brynn Larson had another solid night on the court as the senior finished with a triple-double with 12 kills, 19 assists and 26 digs. Ruby Eckert and Analise Olson both had double-doubles in the win with Eckert finishing with 12 kills and a team-high 27 digs. Olson finished with a team-high 23 assists and 17 digs in the win.

Jayden Sonnenberg led the Hornets with a team-high three block assists to go along with 12 kills, while Aynslee Johannsen and Aubree Bristlin each finished with six kills. Kaija Aschnewitz finished with 25 digs, while Katie Courneya finished with 18 of her own.

Kills– B. Larson 12, J. Sonnenberg 12, R. Eckert 12, A. Johannsen 6, A. Bristlin 6, L. Moore 3

Aces– A. Olson 2, K. Aschnewitz 2, R. Eckert 2, J. Sonnenberg 1, B. Larson 1, K. Courneya 1

Assists–  A. Olson 23, B. Larson 19

Digs– R. Eckert 27, B. Larson 26, K. Aschnewitz 25, K. Courneya 18, A. Olson 17

Block Assists– J. Sonnenberg 3, A. Johannsen 2, A. Bristlin 2, R. Eckert 2, B. Larson 1, L. Moore 1

Solo Blocks– A. Johannsen 2, J. Sonnenberg 1