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Friday, September 5, 2008
Bump, Set, State
St. Paul, MN
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By: Tom Carothers
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Photo(s) By: Tom Carothers
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Bengals make a play for third-straight Class AAA tournament appearance
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“One of our biggest goals is to simply get better every time we step out on the court — we want to keep improving every day.”
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It’s been a successful stretch for the Blaine volleyball team as the Bengals have qualified for the State Class AAA Tournament for two of the three years that coach Celeste Gorman has been at the helm.
“Every year we try to set the bar high,” Gorman said.
In 2006, that meant a third-place finish in Blaine’s first trip to St. Paul since 1997. Last season, the Bengals made back-to-back state appearances for the first time since 1991-92.
Whether Gorman’s assembly can make it a three-fer for the first time in school history remains to be seen, but the coach likes how her team is shaping up.
“When you have such a high caliber of players like we do, you’re always looking at (state) as the goal,” Gorman said. “We’re looking good and everyone is working hard, which is critical.”
However, the Bengals will have to make up for the loss of All-State hitter Jessica Granquist, who graduated last spring and setter Molly Kreklow, who moved to Delano over the off-season.
Granquist’s absence will be especially tough to take for the Bengals as the 5-foot-8 outside hitter recorded a team-high 407 kills last season to pace Blaine to a 24-7 record.
“You can’t replace a player who did so many things like Jessica,” Gorman said. “We just have to re-group and have more people contribute in more ways.”
One player the Bengals will be looking to is Arriel Mewhorter, a 6-foot tall front-liner whose 2007 season was limited to just four games on account of an injury that kept her on the sidelines until state.
Back healthy for her senior season, Mewhorter will be counted on to help ease the loss of Granquist.
“She’s a phenomenal hitter and a great defender,” Gorman said. “I think she should have a very good year.”
Providing Mewhorter and the Bengals hitters with a steady supply of precise passes is setter MacKenzie Suda. As a junior, Suda made a team-high 445 assists, as well as 213 digs.
“She will help run the offense,” Gorman said. “She always does a nice job of controlling play.”
Unlike seasons past, this year’s Bengals squad features a number of senior players that Gorman has coached have truly come of age, including hitters Ashley Kvistberg and libero Amber Marcinak. Brittney Barren, a junior, also saw a significant amount of playing time in 2007 and will be counted on this fall as well.
Every member of the 2008 Bengals played club volleyball in the off-season, “which is pretty typical,” according to Gorman.
In addition to a hoped-for return to state, Blaine will be looking to again finish atop the Northwest Suburban Conference. After finishing in a three-way tie for the NWSC championship with Andover and Anoka in 2006, the Bengals finished one game behind the Huskies in 2007 as Andover swept the season series, 2-0, from Blaine.
“There’s a number of goals that we have for the season,” Gorman said. “One of our biggest goals is to simply get better every time we step out on the court — we want to keep improving every day.”
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