Thunder take 3rd at 'B'

They came in with the No. 3 seed, and they proved the voters right.

Medina/Pingree-Buchanan capped off a historic 33-7 season on the court with a 3-0 sweep of the Thompson Tommies (25-23, 25-15, 25-22) in the third place match at the State Class B Volleyball Tournament from the Fargodome Saturday afternoon, Nov. 23.

Playing a full match knowing they would be without senior middle hitter Maddie Gefroh was enough of a challenge, but Coach Jacie Connell's team's depth and business-like approach would serve them well in the placement match.

M/P-B played steady ball throughout the third place tilt against a Tommie squad under longtime Coach Lisa Strand that had 15 losses coming into the tournament, but the four-time state champion program came on like gangbusters in the final weeks of the season to snag the Region 2 crown and nearly knocked off eventual champion Langdon Area/Munich in losing a 16-14 fifth set heartbreaker in the semifinals.

Junior Brynn Sorenson played the top hitter's role to the hilt, finishing with 18 kills and 15 digs. Jorgen Tripp had five kills, to go along with 17 digs of her own.

M/P-B got several key points off serve, with seven aces off the hand of Destiny Opp in the victory. She, along with Shayla Martin, took over Gefroh's blocking role by combining for four blocks each.

Violet Bohl had 33 assists in the win, and was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Sorenson.

Thompson was paced by a six-kill performance by Kiley Huebner, with five from Jordyn Tozer. Kya Hurst had 18 digs for the Tommies, and Addy Sage had 14 assists.

Along with Gefroh, Connell says goodbye to libero Cierra Mack, along with defensive specialists and twin sisters Savannah and Samantha Reister.

Connell's returning nucleus in 2025, with another state slot up for grabs in the new three-division setup to be implemented starting next season, could be strong enough for another possible tournament run.

State Class B Volleyball

Tournament, Fargodome

Third Place

M/P-B 3, Thompson 0

Thom. 23 15 22 ­ - 0

M/P-B 25 25 25 - 3

M/P-B Individual Stats

Kills: Brynn Sorenson 18, Jorgen Tripp 5, Violet Bohl and Samantha Reister 1.

Assists: Bohl 33, Cierra Mack 2, Destiny Opp 1.

Aces: Opp 7, Shayla Martin and Sorenson 2, Maddie Nagel and Tripp 1.

Blocks: Martin and Opp 2, Bohl and Tripp 1.

Digs: Mack 26, Tripp 17, Bohl 16, Sorenson 15, Savanna Reister 13, Nagel 4, Martin and Opp 2.

Thompson Individual Stats

Kills: Kiley Huebner 6, Jordyn Tozer 5, Danica Gross, Kloey Huebner and Andie Schwab 4, Abby Olson 2.

Assists: Addy Sage 14, Cella Stevens 10.

Aces: Kloey Huebner 2, Schwab 1.

Blocks: Kloey Huebner and Schwab 1.5, Gross and Olson 1.

Digs: Kya Hurst 18, Schwab 13, Kiley Huebner 12, Sage 5, Kloey Huebner, Stevens and Tozer 1.

Class B All-State Tournament Team

Central McLean: Reagan Kjelstrup

Dickinson Trinity: Annabel Scheeler

Fargo Oak Grove: Alayna Foster-DeVold

Kenmare/Bowbells: Taya Aufforth

Langdon Area/Munich: Hilary Haaven, Payton Hall, Meredith Romfo

M/P-B: Violet Bohl, Brynn Sorenson

South Prairie/Max: Skotti Beck, Delaney Hankel, Azjiah Trader

Thompson: Kya Hurst, Jordyn Tozer

NDHSCA Class B Senior Athlete of the Year

Azjiah Trader, South Prairie/Max

NDHSCA Class B Coach of the Year

Keturah Schwarzrock, South Prairie/Max

Tournament Results

First Round

South Prairie/Max def. Kenmare/Bowbells, 3-0

M/P-B def. Central McLean, 3-0

Langdon Area/Munich def. Dickinson Trinity, 3-2

Thompson def. Fargo Oak Grove, 3-0

Consolation Round

Kenmare/Bowbells def. Central McLean, 3-2

Fargo Oak Grove def. Dickinson Trinity, 3-2

Semifinals

South Prairie/Max def. M/P-B, 3-1

Langdon Area/Munich def. Thompson, 3-2

Seventh Place

Dickinson Trinity def. Central McLean, 3-2

Fifth Place (Consolation)

Kenmare/Bowbells def. Fargo Oak Grove, 3-2

Third Place

M/P-B def. Thompson, 3-0

Championship

Langdon Area/Munich def. South Prairie/Max, 3-1