ST. PAUL - The third game between Carlton and Mayer Lutheran in a Minnesota Class A volleyball state tournament quarterfinal Thursday belonged to the Bulldogs, who led by as many as 10 points en route to a 25-21 victory.
And yet it was the Crusaders who used Game 3 as a springboard into today’s semifinals via a 25-22, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 win at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
In the third, Mayer Lutheran dug out of 14-4, 23-16 and 24-18 holes to at least make things interesting. And even though Carlton ultimately closed it out, the Crusaders rode the surge into Game 4, where they kept right on rolling.
These teams hooked up in September at a tournament in Burnsville, with Mayer Lutheran winning 2-1. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs entered the state tournament knowing they could compete with their first-round opponent. And they were right there before Game 4 snowballed, trading points with the Crusaders on the tartan surface that covered the Minnesota Wild’s home ice.
Mayer Lutheran’s Maria Kuntz led all players with 21 kills, while fellow big-hitter Maddy Hucky added 16 and 32 set assists.
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Macy Belich tallied 14 kills, Grace Macor had 13 and Jessica Stanslaski 12 for Carlton, which plays Browerville in a consolation match at 3 p.m. Friday at Xcel.
