Prep athletes of the week: Kills are thrills for Andover volleyball's Avery Bolles

Andover • volleyball

Despite the relatively sudden conclusion to the volleyball season, the springy sophomore outside hitter had nothing but good things to say about how it all went.

"It was a little shocking," Bolles said about how quickly things came to an end, "but I thought [the season] was really fun. We had a good team, played a lot of hard matches and thankfully came out on top in most of them."

Much of the Huskies' 13-2 record can be traced to the play of the 5-9 Bolles, a former setter who was switched to the role of hitter partly because of her 33-inch vertical leap. "But that's with an approach," she said with a laugh. "My goal is to touch 10 feet by the time I'm a senior."

Bolles said the switch to outside hitter, which happened during the club season, was a perfect fit.

"I like it better because it's more exciting," Bolles said. "I don't get set every time, but when I do, my goal is to make sure I put it on the ground."

She parlayed her mad hops and hammer-like arm-swing into a metro-leading 229 kills. In four matches last week, she had 69 kills and 66 digs, including back-to-back 22-kill matches in five-set victories over Elk River and Champlin Park.

"We've been playing together since we were little," she said. "I made varsity as a freshman, so I'm thankful I got to play two years with her."

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted • football

The Lakers' season ended with a 14-6 loss to Maple Lake, but Boese, a sophomore linebacker, was a force. He had 19 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles and a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

Simley • volleyball

The Spartans finished their abbreviated volleyball season with a 9-3 record with Romslo, a sophomore middle hitter, setting the tone. She was at her best in three matches over the final week, recording 50 kills in 100 attacks and adding 11 blocks.

The Tigers finished off a 7-0 season with a 62-0 romp over DeLaSalle. Ude, a senior running back/linebacker, took center stage in the victory, rushing for 217 yards and scoring six touchdowns, all before halftime. He chipped in on defense with three tackles.

Minneapolis North • football

The senior quarterback concluded his high school career with his best game of the season. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-0 victory over St. Agnes in the Class 2A, Section 4 championship game.

JIM PAULSEN

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