Over the years, Hayfield girls have excelled on the volleyball and basketball courts.

Tuesday, March 14, 2000

Over the years, Hayfield girls have excelled on the volleyball and basketball courts.

Year after year, volleyball coach Deb Harvey leads her squad to 20-win seasons. Basketball coach Jay Klagge has had almost as much success with most of those same girls who play for Harvey.

Two years ago, Klagge’s team was forced to use four sophomores as big contributors. The Vikings made it to the Section 2AA finals before losing to St. James.

Those sophomores are now senior starters – Kristin Peterson, Kristin Petersen, Kelly Thompson, and Bonnie Thoe.

This past fall in the first year of the three-class volleyball tournament, those four along with five other dual volleyball/basketball players – senior Jana Wohlers and juniors Kellie Krueger, Sheri Swanson, Nikki Kindschy, and Lacy Wangen – fell one victory short of a state tournament berth.

After that section finals loss to Belle Plaine, Swanson vowed that the Vikings would make it to a state tournament as a team.

She and her teammates have fulfilled that promise. Last Friday, the Vikings earned a spot in the state tournament with a 55-39 win over Blue Earth Area.

The Vikings head into the Class AA girls’ state basketball tournament on a 10-game winning streak after starting the year with a 9-7 record.

Today’s quarterfinal opponent, Rochester Lourdes, is even hotter.

They have not lost in the year 2000 and are on a 17-game winning streak. They are 25-2 on the season with losses to Owatonna and Hudson, Wis. in December. The Lourdes Eagles are ranked third in Class AA in the state.

According to Lourdes coach Myron Glass’ 1999-2000 preview booklet about his team, the Lourdes Eagles hold a 17-1 all-time advantage over the Vikings, which includes two wins this season by the scores of 45-39 and 50-47.

The Eagles are lead on offense by two senior post players, Monica Hake (12 points per game) and Michelle Melquist (11 ppg). The Eagles have averaged 51 ppg as a team while giving up only 34.

The Vikings are led on offense by Thoe (13.4 ppg) and Petersen (10.8 ppg). They average 57 ppg and give up just 47.

Lourdes should be ready with a defense that makes it tough for Hayfield to score. Coach Glass has a great admirer of his defensive schemes in Winona Cotter coach Pat Bowlin, who says Glass always has a way to disrupt an offense.