Jordan Bridges (above) and Katie Habeck
For the first time in four years Farmington won't be playing in the Section 1AAA semifinals.
Missota Conference rival Northfield scored a lopsided win in the first game and then held off a spirited Tiger rally in a 25-6, 25-20, 25-23 win over the defending section champs in a semifinal match played Friday, Oct. 29, in Northfield.
Sixth-seeded Farmington opened post-season play on Wednesday. Oct. 27, with a 25-16, 25-23, 25-13, shutout victory over No. 11 Hastings.
"We really struggled in the first game against Northfield," coach Mike Woody said, "but we bounced back in the next two. They could have gone either way.
"I am very proud of our girls. We were a different team in the section than we were most of the season. We had a very solid and fun week."
In the opening round win over Hastings, all-Missota Conference jack-of-all-trades Katie Habeck led the way.
Offensively, the Tiger senior accounted for 20 of her team's 35 kills and also served for nine points. Defensively, she registered a team-high 18 digs and came up with a dozen serve receptions.
"We were hitting on all cylinders in the first game," Woody said. "We got off to a slow start in game two but came back to play well at the end and carry momentum into game three. It was a great way to finish our home season."
Habeck had plenty of help in the win. Jordan Bridges turned in a solid performance, finishing with six kills and a pair of blocks while serving for a team-high 16 points. Renee MacLean and Mia Johnston served for 14 and 13 points respectively.
Johnston also had a good night distributing the ball, accounting for a team-high 17 assists. Andrea Smith added nine.
In the back row, Brook King continued her quality play, coming up with a team-best 24 serve receptions and ranking second in digs with 15.
The post-season split leaves the Tigers with a final season mark of nine wins and 19 losses.
