For six years, Hopkins volleyball coach Vicki Swenson had the luxury of coaching one of the best setters Minnesota has produced, her daughter Samantha Seliger-Swenson. Yet, because the Royals toiled in a brutal section that included such powers as Eden Prairie and Wayzata, mother and daughter never got to a state tournament together.
This year, with Samantha starring for the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State High School League realigned volleyball sections, putting Hopkins in a much less perilous one.
"When Samantha saw that before the season, she texted me 'Really? This happens now?' " Vicki Swenson said.
Samantha knew that Hopkins' route to its first state tournament berth since 2007 had been smoothed over. She was right. The Royals rolled to the Class 3A, Section 6 championship, beating undefeated Minneapolis Washburn in four sets in the final.
"Don't get me wrong," Swenson said. "We were happy to be able to beat a very good Washburn team. But there's always a little luck involved and, sometimes, you need to be a little lucky to get to the state tournament."
From the outside looking in, it's difficult to call Hopkins lucky. The Royals survived a regular season filled with injuries, including losing their top players, junior outside hitter Jasmyn (Jaz) Martin and sophomore setter Tara Lee, for lengthy periods. They finished the regular season fourth in the five-team Lake Conference and entered the playoffs with a 14-13 overall record.
While Swenson was scotch-taping a lineup together, the injuries began to have a trickle-down effect. Role players were thrust into vital roles. When the wounded returned, the Royals had depth.
"One of our kids, Amanda Gans, was forced into a major role. Now she's playing all six rotations and we count on her ball control," Swenson said. "That changed what Greta [Werner] did. She was someone we needed to step up as a hitter. And Elyse Ruthenbeck, who had never set at this level before, grew tremendously during the season."
