Minnesota High School Volleyball Section Playoffs Begin With Rochester Area Teams in the Mix

The Minnesota high school volleyball postseason moves into full swing this week. Teams in all four classes are competing in section tournaments, with 32 spots at stake in the state tournament, which will be held in St. Paul from Nov. 11 to 14.

In the Rochester area, Class 4A, Section 1 opens with quarterfinals on Oct. 28 at the better seed. Top-seeded Lakeville South hosts No. 8 Rochester John Marshall, and No. 4 Rochester Century faces No. 5 Owatonna. The other two matchups pair No. 2 Lakeville North with No. 7 New Prague and No. 3 Farmington with No. 6 Rochester Mayo.

The section semifinals are set for Nov. 4 at a location still to be announced, with both matches starting at 7 p.m. The championship match will be played Nov. 7 at Mayo Civic Center, beginning at 4 p.m.

Class 3A, Section 1 also begins Oct. 28 at the better seed. No. 1 Northfield meets No. 8 Faribault-SSM, No. 4 Byron plays No. 5 Austin, No. 2 Stewartville faces No. 7 Albert Lea, and No. 3 Kasson-Mantorville takes on No. 6 Winona. Semifinals follow on Nov. 4 at the better seed, with both matches at 7 p.m. The final is Nov. 7 at Mayo Civic Center at 2 p.m.

In Class 2A, Section 1, first-round results are already in. No. 16 Lake City beat No. 17 Blooming Prairie 3-1, and No. 18 Randolph edged No. 15 St. Charles 3-2. Second-round matches were scheduled for Oct. 26 at the better seed, including top-seeded Dover-Eyota against Lake City and No. 4 Cannon Falls against No. 13 Rochester Lourdes.

The 2A, Section 1 quarterfinals are set for Oct. 30 at Mayo Civic Arena, with two matches at 6 p.m. and two at 7:30 p.m. The semifinals will be played Nov. 5 at the same venue, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The final is Nov. 7 at Mayo Civic Arena at 10 a.m.

Class A, Section 1 follows a similar path. Its second round was scheduled for Oct. 26, with the better seed hosting. Quarterfinals are Oct. 29 at Rochester MCC, where Fillmore Central or Houston is slated to meet Bethlehem Academy or Grand Meadow at 6 p.m. The semifinals are Nov. 5 at Rochester MCC, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The final is Nov. 7 at noon.

Elsewhere in the state, schedules vary by section. In Class 4A, Section 2, quarterfinals are set for Oct. 27, with top seed Chaska waiting in the semifinals on Oct. 29. In Class 4A, Section 5, the final is scheduled for Nov. 7 at St. Michael-Albertville High School. In Class 4A, Section 8, a first-round match between No. 8 Brainerd and No. 9 Bemidji was slated for Oct. 26.

Brackets for every section are being updated as the tournaments progress.