The first set of the Class 1A, Section 4 championship match began with New Life Academy taking an eight-point lead over Mayer Lutheran.
Crusaders’ coach Joelle Grimsley decided her team needed a little life on the floor and turned to spark plug Rachel Roepke, a sophomore middle hitter in her second varsity season.
Roepke’s play ignited Mayer Lutheran, helping the third-seeded Crusaders storm back to defeat top-seeded New Life Academy 25-23, 25-17, 25-12 in the section final at Bloomington Kennedy High School on Thursday.
“When Rachel got in there, she lit us up,” Grimsley said. “She got the fire started for us.”
New Life Academy (20-3), No. 3 in the final Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association's Class 1A poll, and Mayer Lutheran (12-14) had not lost a set in the section tournament, but the Crusaders handed the Eagles their first losses by playing with a sense of urgency.
“I’m really proud of how we jelled together,” Roepke said. “We played every point as if it were our last.”
Mayer Lutheran and New Life Academy met during the regular season, with the Eagles recording a 3-1 victory.
“We knew they would be tough,” Grimsley said. “We thought they might overlook us a little bit.”
The Crusaders entered the match with a deceptive 11-14 record, the result of a schedule filled with high-level competition. Mayer Lutheran used it to prepare for playing in the postseason, Grimsley said.
“We play an extremely tough schedule, and it showed tonight,” she added.
The Crusaders move on to the state tournament, which begins Nov. 6 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.
