Volleyball: Lakers lose state semi-final to top-seeded Marshall 3-1; will face Byron for third place Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

St. Paul, MN (KDLM) – The Marshall Tigers are on the verge of a third consecutive state championship title, having defeated the Detroit Lakes Lakers in four sets on Friday morning at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

With a total of eight state championships under their belt, Marshall is the most successful team in Minnesota. However, the Tigers faced a tough challenge from the Lakers, who won the first set 25-20. But the Tigers fought back and won the next three sets 25-19, 25-13, and 25-18, securing their spot in the championship game.

The Lakers came out strong in the first set, building a 12-point lead and relying on the outside offense of Grace Gunderson and Rylee Johnson. Gunderson had six kills, while Johnson finished with five kills and two ace serves in the first set. However, the Tigers regrouped and started to play more consistently.

The second set was much closer, with six lead changes. Marshall’s Brielle Riess led the offense in the second set and finished with eight kills. With the score tied at 18-18, Marshall swung the momentum in their favor and scored six of the last seven points to tie the match at one set apiece.

Marshall dominated the third set, with Riess once again leading the attack for the Tigers and finishing with five kills. The Lakers struggled in the third set, making three service errors and four attacking errors. Marshall finished the set with an attack percentage of 78%, compared to the Lakers’ 41%.

In the must-win fourth set, the Lakers played strong, keeping the set close throughout. There were seven tie scores and six lead changes in the set. However, Marshall’s head coach, Dan Westby, called a timeout when the Lakers were leading 11-8. Marshall regrouped and scored ten straight points out of the break. Though the Lakers tried to halt the momentum, they couldn’t hold off the Tigers any longer. The Tigers won the match thanks to a kill by Avery Fahl.

After the game, Coach Rachel Solum expressed pride in her team and said they would be bouncing back to go for third place, “I’m proud of our girls. We came out ready to go in set one, and I don’t think Marshall expected that. Overall, we gave them everything we had. Our goal now is third place. That is a huge accomplishment in itself. We want to end our season with a win tomorrow.”

Although the loss drops the Lakers out of championship contention, they still have a chance to win third place. The match will be played tomorrow at 4:30 pm.

Marshall, who is making their 33rd appearance at state this year, will look to win the championship title tomorrow evening in their game scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm.