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NICOLLET - With a big Section 2A playoff match against Valley Conference rival St. Clair, Nicollet sophomore Kayla Wenner and the rest of her teammates seemed to know exactly what to expect out of St. Clair.

The Raiders, seeded No. 2 in the South Subsection, didn't seem to have too many problems with the Cyclones going on long runs. Nicollet swept St. Clair 25-19, 25-20, 25-21 to improve to 27-3 on the season.

The Raiders seemed to capitalize on every opportunity they had and will now face Martin County West at 6 p.m. at New Ulm High School for the subsection championship.

"Our gameplan was just to work hard and cover our spots and cover our tips," Wenner said. "We did a good job with that tonight."

Wenner finished the match with 14 kills. Her teammate Jenna Mettler had 13 kills and Erin Radke had five kills. The Raiders did a good job of keeping the Cyclones guessing as to where the ball was going, something that has been a strength for them all season.

"It's really big for us to have big hitters like we do," Wenner said. "We get over most blocks and we can hit around blocks, and I think that's what we need to make it as far as state."

In the first set, the Raiders jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but the Cyclones fought back and led 8-4 on a block by Megan Beetch.

But a Nicollet kill started to shift the momentum back in Nicollet's favor and the Raiders eventually took a 13-11 lead with Kasslin Swenson at the line.

"I think that when we got that kill it just kind of boosted our confidence and it got everyone going," Wenner said.

From there, the Raiders built leads of 16-13 and 20-16 before closing out the first set with the win.

In the second set, things were close again early on, but the Raiders put together a 6-0 run to grab a 15-9 lead. They later built that lead to 18-11 and took a 2-0 match lead with a kill by Radke and a St. Clair hitting error.

In the third set, it looked like the Cyclones were going to steal one and send it to a fourth set. The Cyclones led 21-19 on an ace serve by Kelsi Huxford, but the Raiders called a timeout and adjusted. Soon, they found themselves with a tied score once again.

"I kept telling them, this is why we're here, this is why we were here in August," Nicollet coach Judy Radke said. "We needed to remind each other to stay loose."

Finally, the Raiders ended the match with a kill by Wenner.

"It was really nice, I was kind of hoping that I'd get that last one," Wenner said. "It was really fun and I'm glad that I got that one."

Anna Skrien had 27 digs and Mettler had 19 for the Raiders. Taylor Meurer finished with 46 set assists and Skrien was 15-for-15 serving with two aces. Erin Radke had four blocks.

Now the Raiders face another Valley Conference foe in Martin County West. The Mavericks handed the Raiders their first loss of the season after 10 games with a 3-2 win. The two battle for a right to play in the section championship.

"They're a very good team," coach Radke said. "We know we have to play well and we won't change anything. We're going to play like we do. We're going to have more fun than they do and we feel that if we do that, then good things will happen."