---

Monticello 3, North Branch 2

Early last week, the North Branch volleyball team swept Princeton, which was firmly in the top spot of the Mississippi 8 Conference prior to the loss. That gave the Vikings the inside track to their first conference title after a few years of Monticello dominance.

But, just two days later, that same Magic team that lost to Princeton earlier this year found a way to beat North Branch in five sets, sending the top of the Mississippi 8 Conference into disarray with three one-loss teams. Princeton lost to North Branch who lost to Monticello who lost to Princeton.

The five set heartbreaker to Monticello was a long, drawn out battle. 

The Magic took the first set 25-23 before North Branch rebounded in a big way with a 25-14 win in the second set. Monticello claimed the tight third set 27-25. The Vikings kept fighting, though, and won the fourth set 25-22 to push it to a winner-take-all fifth set. It was another tight affair, but Monticello came out on top 17-15.

There are still a few conference games to be played, but it looks increasingly likely it will be a three way tie atop the M8C podium when the season ends. The Vikings still need to play Becker and St. Francis, but the Saints haven’t won a conference game all year and the Bulldogs are middle of the pack. Monticello only has Becker left on their M8C slate. Princeton still needs to get by St. Francis and Zimmerman, but it’s a similar scenario as the Vikes are in.

Midwest Fall Classic

The Vikings did have a great showing at the Midwest Fall Classic at St. Michael-Albertville over the weekend, though, bouncing back from the tough Monticello loss.

They opened the tournament on Friday, October 4 with a quick win over Rockford before getting into some very tough competition and holding their own. After the Rockford sweep, the Vikings took on Stillwater. They beat the Ponies 25-19 in the first set before losing 25-16 in the second set. The Vikings regrouped to win 15-11 in the third set and move to 2-0 on the night.

The two day tournament resumed on Saturday, October 5 and although North Branch lost their first match of the day, it was against one of the biggest schools in the state, Wayzata. But, after losing to the Trojans to start the day, North Branch bounced back with a 2-0 win over Legacy Christian Academy and an impressive 2-1 victory over Maple Grove.

The Vikes are now 21-4 on the season, and they’ll wrap up their regular season next week. They took on St. Francis earlier this week and host Rush City Thursday, October 10 in their last home game of the year. 

They’ll travel to Becker  Tuesday, October 15 for their final game before sections. Seeding the section 7AAA will be difficult, as it’s a tough bracket. 

The Vikings currently have the best record at 21-4 but one of their losses is to Grand Rapids, who is 17-9 and currently seeded fourth. Hermantown lurks at 17-3 and has a perfect slate within the section, and Princeton is 21-3, but one of their losses is to North Branch.

 

---