2 Class A Minnesota volleyball teams face off in semi-finals, each making school history
ST. PAUL, Minn. —The Minnesota state volleyball semi-final matchups took over the Xcel Energy Center on Friday.
In the Class A tournament, there was an intense matchup between two small, but mighty, schools, as it was the first time either of them had played in the state tournament.
New Life Academy of Woodbury won one of the sets, but Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, better known as RTR, hit back hard, securing the win 3-1 to move on to the state championship.
RTR credits their record-breaking season to the generations of volleyball players that came before them.
"We're going off what they taught us, and we're exceeding that," said Abby Carr, a RTR senior volleyball player.
Carr played side by side with her older sister for several years on the team and learned from her along the way.
"I've watched my sister, and many players before me, not get to this point, and it's absolutely unreal that I am doing this," said Carr.
The connections at RTR run deep. Carr is coached by former RTR player Daynica Brown, who played on the team in the 1990s with Carr's aunt.
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"It feels, in a way, like we're completing our dream through these kids," said Brown.
Getting to state wasn't the only first. Carr is the first volleyball player in RTR school history to have 1,000 career kills. She showed that skillset off in the semi-final matchup.
This team has the confidence going into the final fight for the state title, and they hope to make the three-hour road trip from southwest Minnesota worth their while.
"I think that no matter what happens, we're very happy with how far we've come, but I don't think we're done. We said when we we're on our way up here: we're not going to come up here and lose," said Carr.
RTR will face Mayer Lutheran on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for the championship.