RAPID CITY — Half of the eight-team field, including defending champion Dakota Valley, will be returning to the Class A State Volleyball Tournament, which begins today at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.
Joining Dakota Valley as teams returning from a year ago are Madison, which was second last season; Sioux Falls Christian, which was the consolation champion, and Sioux Valley, which was sixth.
Also making up this year’s field will be Parker, which was third in Class B last season, Miller, McCook Central/Montrose and Belle Fourche.
“I think there are eight strong teams in the tournament and that the talent and caliber of play will make for a very exciting and entertaining state atmosphere,” said Miller coach Linda DeBoer, who guided her team to the school’s ninth state tourney appearance this season.
“Some teams are entering with lots of state experience and others with very little,” she said. “I hope the Rustlers play to their level and rise to the play of their opponents, because there should be some awesome volleyball.”
With a 25-4 record, Miller will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face fourth-seeded Madison, which is also 25-4, in the opening round at 1:45 p.m. MT today.
“Madison is a very strong team and they have state experience from last year, going all the way into the finals,” DeBoer said. “We are going to have to play our best and try to execute better offensively than we have lately.
“First-ball contacts will be crucial to our success against their great team, which includes Olivia Rud (5-11 middle hitter), Jenni Giles (5-8 outside hitter) and Jessi Giles (5-10 outside hitter),” she said. “They are a very well-rounded team of players and don’t show many weaknesses in their game.”

The Rustlers are returning to the state tournament for the first time since finishing as the Class A runner-up to Sioux Falls Christian in 2014.
“I would expect my team to be a little nervous as no one on this team was playing the last time we went in 2014,” DeBoer said. “I expect my team to keep a positive attitude, have fun, and play the way they have all season long, which got them to this exciting place.”
Propelling Miller to a berth in the state tournament this season has been the strong play of seniors Annie Keeter, Kassie Schaefers, Karly Beckett and Teanna Pawlowski, along with sophomores Rachel Oligmueller, VonnaGail Schlechter and Kadye Fernholz.
“We have a great bunch of seniors with leadership and experience, and some outstanding sophomore talent, that have got us to the tourney,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer knows her team will need to be at the top of its game with both its offensive attack and defensive play in order to be successful in the opening round and throughout the state tournament.
“We will need to be consistent, have strong serving, get our double block up on their hitters, and serve receive the ball well,” she said. “We need to maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses in order to be successful in this tournament.”
Sioux Falls Christian will be the top seed for this year’s tournament with a record of 28-4, and will face No. 8 McCook Central/Montrose (19-8) in the opening match of the day today at noon MT. Sioux Falls Christian won Class A championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Third-seeded Belle Fourche, which is 30-3, will open the evening session today against No. 6 Sioux Valley (25-4) at 6 p.m. MT.
The final match of the opening round will feature defending Class A champion Dakota Valley, which is the second seed at 26-3, playing No. 7 Parker (25-6) at 7:45 p.m. MT.
The consolation semifinals will be held at noon and 1:45 p.m. MT on Friday, with the semifinals to follow at 6 and 7:45 p.m. MT.
The seventh-place match is scheduled for 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, followed by the consolation championship match at 10:45 a.m. MT and the third-place match at 12:30 p.m. MT. The Class A championship match will be played at 6 p.m. MT.

Photos:

Kassie Schaefers of Miller plays a volley during a match against Hitchcock-Tulare on Sept. 21 in Hitchcock.

Next, Rachel Oligmueller of Miller sets the ball for teammate Annie Keeter during a match against Hitchcock-Tulare on Sept. 21 in Hitchcock.

Mike Carroll/plainsman file photos