By Andy Buckner
The road to Minnesota Volleyball’s section 6AAA championship has regularly run through Delano. The Jordan Jaguar’s Volleyball team braved that road this postseason, and after a miraculous regular season, the Delano Tigers put an end to the Jaguar’s state championship hopes in the section semi-finals.
After a 23-3 regular season, the Jaguars started the postseason on a strong note, sweeping Westonka in a quarterfinal match by scores of 25-10, 25-14, and 25-21.
“I don’t think it was ever a question that we were going to take this game tonight,” head coach Sarah Attig said after the victory over Westonka. Such confidence has been held in abundance by the Jaguars this year, giving them the chance to put up a fight against a Delano team that many believed were destined to be state champions this year.
After struggling to find their footing in the semi-final matchup against Delano, the Jaguars found a way to erase a 4-0 deficit in the first set to tie up the score. Eventually, the Jaguars would take a slight lead, but the Tigers ultimately took the first set by a score of 25-21.
“That was the best we’ve ever played against them,” Attig said of the first set. That is a testament to what a difficult opponent the Tigers are to all teams in the state, as the Jaguars lost only eight sets throughout the entire regular season. Just keeping the game close was enough for the Jaguars to maintain confidence.
“After that first set, they knew it was possible to take a set, win a match. That gave them the hope to go on and play well,” Attig said.
The Tigers, however, also had plenty of confidence going into the second set, and it showed as they jumped out to an 11-3 lead, which ultimately was far too much for the Jaguars to come back from in a 25-11 second set loss.
Down, but not out, the Jaguars went into the third set ready to capitalize on any errors the Tigers made early on.
“I think that Delano came out pretty confident, and maybe started making some errors, and that gave us a little bit of confidence to keep going on our little run that we had there at the beginning,” Attig noted.
That “little run” she was referring to led to the Tigers taking a timeout down 13-10. For teams like the Tigers, timeouts are a great opportunity to get re-centered, and such teams often come out hot from the timeout. Things were different in this instance, as the Jaguars went on another 3-0 run after the timeout.
The Tigers did ultimately get the ball back, and were able to get the score to a manageable 17-14 deficit. The Jaguars were able to extend their lead to 21-16 before Delano called another timeout.
While the previous timeout that Delano had taken did not result in a strong run for the Tigers, things would be drastically different this time around. The Tigers came out of the timeout and proved why so many had heaped state championship expectations on them throughout the year. They only gave up one point in the next six volleys, suddenly being down just one to the tenacious underdogs.
Delano ultimately tied the score at 23, prompting another timeout from Attig. While the Jaguars came out ready to compete from their final timeout, finishing off a victory while only up one point on the Tigers proved to be too tall of a task. The two teams forced extra sets when they tied the score 24-24. However, the Tigers only needed the minimum two volleys to secure a comeback victory over the Jaguars, ultimately ending Jordan’s season with a 26-24 third set, sweep-securing victory.
Such heartbreaking losses can make it tempting for a team to hang their heads or reach for answers to questions of how they could have changed their fate. However, Attig maintains that their postseason run that ended with a close loss to the Tigers is an impressive feat worth taking pride in.
“I’ve seen Delano come back from being down ten points and winning a game. It just didn’t fall our way,” Attig said of her team’s final opponent.
“You have to be darn-near perfect to beat (Delano),” added assistant coach Becca Pauly, “We preached to them, ‘you have to be proud about what you just put up against them’”
The Jaguars took their coaches’ post-game encouragements to heart.
“Obviously, my seniors are sad. That was the end of their playing careers, but I do feel the girls were okay,” Attig said.
“I don’t think they were disappointed in themselves. I think they were just sad that this great season that we’ve had is now over,” Pauly added.
While the season is over, the impact that this team has had on the future of their program is sure to last. This is the best Volleyball team to take the court for Jordan in many years, and the community - especially its young volleyball players - took notice.
“We did talk after the game in the locker room about how big their impact is on the younger girls and the program. And I do feel like this group of girls really has been instrumental in getting kids out there and getting them involved,” Attig said.
One example of this year’s team investing in the program’s health beyond this season was a captain’s practice early in the season. The team captains opened up the gym to volleyball players of all ages to come play and receive instruction. Those younger volleyball players also came to many home matches to see an example of what a great team looks like. As much as that greatness was shown on the court, there was plenty behind the scenes that contributed to the Jaguar’s excellence this year.
“This is probably the most coachable group of girls we’ve had,” said Pauly, whose time in the program began before Attig took over as the head coach in 2022, “I just think this group of girls is good at taking their mistakes, hearing something from a coach, and being okay with constructive criticism and letting that turn them into a better player.”
A longtime staple on the coaching staff, Pauly has taken time over the season to let the girls know how much she has seen them improve.
“Just seeing the difference over the past four, five years is huge. And I’ve told the girls that before. Like, ‘You have made both mental and physical improvements’,” Pauly said, clearly proud along with Attig and the rest of the coaching staff of how much these players have grown up since they first entered the program as middle schoolers and young high schoolers.
That growth in the individual players is leading to growth in the program’s potential. While the Jaguars will lose nine seniors next year, there is much more talent waiting in the wings. The Junior Varsity squad - while mostly consisting of freshmen - had a phenomenal year themselves, and Attig noted that many of them will likely be able to contribute at the Varsity level next year.
“It will be a new team. But we have a ton of girls that I see a lot of potential in,” Attig said.
We will have to wait until next fall to see what sort of run that potential will culminate in for the Jaguars in 2026. For now, many younger players move on to club volleyball, others focus on other sports, and some will have a chance to get some well-deserved rest for the winter with less extracurricular activities on their plate.
While the paths of this particular roster only crossed for a few months, it was a very memorable few months that promises to pay dividends for the program in years ahead. When that happens, this group of girls will be able to look back with pride on all they accomplished this year, knowing it laid the foundation for a successful volleyball program.
Best of luck to seniors Avery Bahn, Sofie Fritzke, Bella Klein, Lucy Mehrkens, Makayla Plath, Addison Runge, Morgan Staloch, Lauren Weber, and Micah Winters as they move on from their high school volleyball careers.
Congratulations to the Jaguars Volleyball team on a terrific season.