Staff Photo By Jake Olson Martin County West's Maddie Carlson spikes the ball during Monday night's contest against Mountain Lake at Trimont Elementary.

TRIMONT – Head coach Kayla Zehms and her Martin County West High School volleyball team are moving on to round two of the 2025 Section 2A Girls Volleyball Tournament after earning a three-set victory-25-18, 25-16, 25-18-over Mountain Lake on Monday night.

Despite all three sets being back and forth at times early on, the Mavericks were able to string together surges of offensive production that ultimately neutralized the Wolverines.

Maddie Carlson once again led her team in kills with eight while tallying 11 digs. Five different Maverick players had five or more digs, with Rowan Faber tying Carlson with 11. Finally, Emily Schettler racked up 20 set assists to highlight her impressive night of passing.

“I am glad that we won in three, obviously,” Zehms said after the match. “Saw some things we have to work on, but it was also great that it took everybody to get that win. I like it always when things are spread throughout the whole team, and the whole team feels that sense of accomplishment.”

Fans in Trimont Elementary were able to see a fast-paced set to open the night, with Mountain Lake stringing together a handful of crafty kills around the net to stay in the match.

Martin County West got separation from the Wolverines after stringing together a mini three-point swing of their own to boost the score to 13-9, using 2 service points from Gianna Chase and a spike from Courtney Anderson to propel the rally.

Moments later, it was Mountain Lake who was able to bring themselves back into the set with the help of Ashlyn Pfeiffer, who tacked on consecutive kills that got her team the lead at 16-14.

But Zehms’ team was never phased, ending the first set on a run of their own. Finishing the game on a 7-1 run, Carlson picked up two more kills to put the final touches on the set to give her team an immediate advantage.

Set 2 started with the Wolverines putting up a quick 3-0 lead after Kylie Phommachan collected two kills of her own. But this lead didn’t last long, as the Mavericks would go on a six-point swing of their own, highlighted by the likes of Carlson, Chase, and Brynlee Haukoos.

After a service point from Nadia Phommachan tied things up at 12, Martin County West went on an 11-1 run that extended the lead to 23-13, using kills from Chase and blocks from Haukoos and Jaylee Hanson.

Mountain Lake would pick up 3 points late to cut into the lead, but it was ultimately too big a deficit to attain a comeback. Carlson again put the finishing touches on another set victory, blocking a Wolverine spike and bringing the Mavericks one set closer to a win.

Much like the rest of the night, Set 3 started with both teams trading points, refusing to give up a big lead. A pair of blocks from Bailey Larson propelled a mini 3-point run that gave Martin County West its biggest lead of the set thus far at 10-7.

Mountain Lake took advantage of a pair of out-of-bounds hits from the Mavericks and a spike from Pfeiffer to take a 14-12 cushion over their opponent.

However, Zehms’ team was able to respond again with a massive run of their own. A kill from Haukoos started a match-ending seven-point run that guided Martin County West to victory. A block from Larson and a spike from Schettler put away the Wolverines’ season, as the entire Trimont Elementary gymnasium rejoiced in their home team’s accomplishment.

The Mavericks will continue their season on Thursday with a second-round matchup against Sleepy Eye Saint Mary’s, who toppled Nicollet in straight sets on Monday night. This contest will be played at St. Peter High School beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“We just need to be together, have energy, have teamwork, and do what we do best,” Zehms said.