By John Millea

The stats from Shakopee's 3-0 win over Stillwater in the Class 3A volleyball semifinals tell the story of how much Ashley Wittman means to the Sabers.

The senior hitter and two-time Metro Player of the Year had 31 kills (no surprise) but also led the Sabers with 18 digs. That is the essence of an all-around player.

Wittman's hitting percentage was an all-world .481. Her teammates played exceptionally well, too, and coach Matt Busch called it their best performance of the year.

Now we await the second semifinal between second-seeded Burnsville and third-seeded Wayzata. It is unlikely to start at the scheduled time of 11 a.m. Centennial and Andover are playing a consolation-bracket match now, and the semifinal won't begin until this match ends.

John Millea is on Twitter at twitter.com/stribjohn