Kernels beat Sturgis, earn berth to state

The Mitchell High School volleyball team booked its ticket to the Class AA state tournament with a straight-set victory over Sturgis in a Region 2AA state play-in game Friday in Mitchell.

This is the third consecutive state appearance for Mitchell, which was denied a state tournament appearance each year from 2005 to 2009. The Class AA tournament is set to start Thursday and run through Nov. 17 at Rapid City Central High School in Rapid City.

Mitchell’s Megan Farnham said the Kernels put a lot of time into preparing for this match because they haven’t played Sturgis since Aug. 24, the first game of the regular season.

“We prepared a lot for these guys, so we knew what we had to do to win this match,” said Farnham, who had 13 digs in the win. “I think we executed really well and got the job done.”

Mitchell (15-8) had control of the match from the start and did so by spreading out the offense.

Taylin Alm led the Kernels with 14 kills and Kerri Young tallied nine kills and two blocks.

“Besides our middles, our other hitters also did a good job at coming through for us, and I thought Kendra (Morgan) did a really nice job of setting for us, making some really good decisions,” said Mitchell head coach Deb Thill, whose team won handily by set scores of 25-16, 25-11, 25-17.

Morgan led the Kernels with 33 set assists, five digs and three aces.

Sidney Neugebauer added eight kills, five digs and two blocks in the win. Emma Schmidt had seven kills and 12 digs and Taylor Sebert recorded four digs and two aces for the Kernels.

Farnham said her teammates have made her senior season memorable.

“We have really good team chemistry and we’re all good friends,” she said. “It’s been a fun year and I’m looking forward to ending it with a great state tournament.”

Thill said she is happy with the way her team has played in recent weeks, and it has yet to peak.

“We still haven’t played our best, and we’re going to work for that to happen at the state tournament and see what happens,” she said.

Tags: sports, updates, kernels, volleyball