Stillwater struggles into semifinal with Shakopee

Shakopee’s student section tried to get the wave going during the first game of Thursday morning’s Class 3A state quarterfinal volleyball match against Centennial. The effort lasted through one and a half sections of seats at Xcel Energy Center, thus becoming about the only thing associated with the Sabers to fail this season.

Top-ranked and top-seeded Shakopee defeated the Cougars 25-17, 25-16, 25-22 to keep its season record unblemished, now at 30-0.

Behind the dropped curtain of what would be center ice at the X, Stillwater wasn’t nearly having as smooth of a time with Andover on Court 2. The two teams battled for better than 90 minutes before the Ponies ultimately won a see-saw 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22 battle over the Huskies.

Their reward for such an effort? A date at 9 a.m. today with the Sabers in the semifinals.

Though Shakopee has dropped just three total games all season – two coming last week in the Section 2 championship match against Chaska – Stillwater coach Michele Parker said there is little intimidation factor for this morning’s match.

“I don’t know what will happen next, but we’re ready,” Parker said. “[The Sabers] are who they are. They have this reputation that they’ve earned, and rightfully so.” But? “They’re beatable – anyone is,” she continued. “We’re walking in with that frame of mind. I think we’re excited to be able to play them.”

No one has knocked off the two-time defending state champion Sabers since Lakeville North over 13 months ago. Thursday’s match wasn’t perfect; Shakopee hit .176 in the second game. But it’s scary to think that coach Matt Busch chalked it up to getting “the jitters out in general.”

“Hopefully they’re gone now,” he said. “Other than our fans, everybody would love to see us lose. There’s no way around that. It comes with this territory.”

Dixon leads the Blaze

This just in: Tori Dixon has a cannon of a right arm. The 6-3 senior middle hitter amassed 25 kills against Farmington in the Class 3A state quarterfinals, leading second-seeded Burnsville to a 25-21, 25-19, 25-11 victory over Farmington.