Beating the odds works for Wayzata

Their rivalry is like clockwork.

The Wayzata and Hopkins volleyball teams have a strict schedule: Wayzata heads to the state tournament on even-numbered years (2004, 2006, 2008) and Hopkins takes the odds (2005, 2007).

"The superstition was that it's going to be their year," Wayzata senior captain Kelsey Simmons said. "We talked about it all season saying it wasn't going to keep going this year."

Wayzata was determined to break the pattern, going as far as launching a "Defy the Nine" campaign to keep players focused and motivated for a return to the state tournament in 2009.

It worked -- even if it sure looked for a while like Hopkins had Wayzata's number yet again after handing the Trojans their only conference loss of the season earlier in the year, and by winning the first game of Thursday's Class 3A Section 6 final by a convincing 25-14 score. At that point, coach Scott Jackson decided to take a timeout.

"I told them, 'The wheels are coming off already,'" Jackson said. "I knew we were going to get tested, but it was good because we had a longer window to react to it and make sure we ended up with a positive result."

For the second game, Jackson made a lineup change to try and spark the team. Wayzata rallied from there to win the next three games for their second consecutive section championship.

Senior captain Olivia Fiergola said the team was on edge at the beginning.

"After the first game our team calmed down a little bit," Fiergola said. "We ran on some nerves and our heads weren't quite connecting with our body."

The Trojans have struggled mightily in opening games of their matches this season, and the team is stressing how important it is to start out strong in the state quarterfinals. The third-seeded Trojans will face unseeded Alexandria at 11 a.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

"Being in the huge Xcel and the atmosphere of the state tournament definitely makes it more difficult, but we're still playing the same game," Fiergola said. "If you lose that first game you might not have a chance to get that back -- especially playing these teams in the state tournament."

Wayzata's preseason goal was to make school history. The Trojans never have finished better than third at state, and after winning their fourth consecutive Classic Lake Conference title and another section championship, they are in prime position to make their mark. After a first-round loss last season, they hope experience will get them over the hump.

In his 11th season as head coach, Jackson is bringing back more experience to the state tournament than he ever has before, but it will all come down to what happens on the court.

"It's a gift to go down there and a privilege," Jackson said of the state tournament. "But once the match starts, it bounces, it rolls, the ball hits your hands the same way it does every other day."