A block party propelled third-seeded Stewartville over sixth-seeded Mahtomedi Wednesday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, punching their ticket to the Class 3A semifinals.

A dominant defensive display by the Tigers held the Zephyrs to a .011 hitting percentage, and Stewartville head coach Sam Pederson said even battling sickness his team’s effort at the net was “insane.”

“For them to work as hard as they did and feel the way that they did, not our best, huge that we were able to control the game in that aspect,” Pederson said.

Stewartville, a storied Minnesota volleyball program with five state championships, made a statement at the net in its state tournament opener. The Tigers thwarted the Zephyrs’ hopes of an upset in Mahtomedi’s fourth consecutive state tournament appearance.

See Full Page