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Spiking interest in downtown NU

4th annual Spikin’ in the Street brings the community together

By Clay Schuldt 6 min read

NEW ULM - As of Monday morning, downtown Minnesota Street was back to normal with almost no evidence of the weekend's sand volleyball tournament, except for photos and memories.

On Friday, 1,200 tons of sand were spread across two blocks of Minnesota Street, during an all-day rainstorm, to create eight sand volleyball courts for the fourth annual Spikin' in the Street.

A total of 92 teams competed in four divisions, with most of the volleyball matches scheduled for Saturday.

Going into the tournament, the biggest question was how Friday's heavy rains would impact the sand volleyball play.

The answer was: not a lot.

Volleyball play went on Saturday and went off without a hitch. Temperatures on Saturday held around 84 degrees, drying most of the sand by noon. A few players had to contend with sand sticking to their feet and clothing, but it was a minor issue.

"If your shirt is clean after a match, you're not playing hard enough," Crystal Johnson said.

Johnson and fellow New Ulm Chamber co-worker Mae Geidel played together on the team "Spike Wazowski" in the Recreation Division.

It was the second year the two played in Spikin' in the Street tournament, though neither expected to win the division.

"We're defending our title for dead last," Geidel admitted.

Though they did not expect to win, the two were committed to playing their best. At the end of the tournament, Geidel was happy to note "Spike Wazowski" did not finish dead last.

For many of the teams, a winning record was a secondary concern for the day. The main goal was to have fun.

Dan Rieke, captain of the Thrivent-sponsored team, said he was not overly concerned about winning in the volleyball tournament, but it was something fun to do together as a team.

"For me, the best part of Spikin' in the Street is camaraderie," Rieke said. "It really brings the town together."

This sentiment even followed teams coming from outside of New Ulm. Spikin' in the Street brought volleyball to town from all across Minnesota, including a team from Hokah, Minnesota, representing Hummer's Pub.

The Hummer's Pub team traveled three hours to play volleyball in New Ulm. Team captain Kurt Fruechte said he saw Spikin' on the Street advertised on social media and decided to register in the tournament.

"The atmosphere looked amazing," Fruechte said. "Our team enjoyed playing here. We will return again next year."

Spikin' in the Street brought in more than just volleyball players. Thousands of spectators gathered in downtown to watch the tournament.

Mathew Curtis of Waukegan, Illinois, attended Spikin' on the Street as a spectator for the first time. Curtis said he attended Martin Luther College as a student, but had never been in New Ulm during the summer months. He made a point to check out the tournament this year.

Curtis said the volleyball tournament was great, but he said the Takedown Wrestling tournament held on Friday was the highlight for him.

"I am definitely coming back again next year," he said.

Spikin' in the Street also brought extra attention to downtown Minnesota Street businesses. Many business owners cited a spike in business. Mabel's Merkantil, located a block down from the volleyball tournament, still received a lot of foot traffic.

Shop owner Kelly Munce said many of the players came into the shop in between games.

"Many of the customers were first-time visitors to the shop," Munce said. "We like to see that."

She said they sold a lot of sports-themed items during Spikin' on the Street, including signs and keychains.

Mabel's Merkantil was even sponsoring a team in the Rec Division of the tournament. Munce had previously sponsored a team through her ice cream truck business, Jersey Sweet Spot, but this year she decided to sponsor it under the Mabel's Merkantil name.

Wunderberg Collective, 21 N. Minnesota Street was at the center of the Spikin' in the Street tournament. Staff said there were customers and players coming off the street every day. Some were coming in to cool off, but many were shopping for necessary items.

Wunderberg co-owner Jen Berg said they sold a lot of summer clothing items. By the end of the day, they sold off every pair of sunglasses in the store.

Berg said it was a big benefit to the store because in August, they traditionally transition from selling summer clothes to fall clothing items. The extra sales help reduce their summer inventory at the right time.

Sweet Haven Tonic was able to offer sidewalk service during the tournament. Owner Leah Pekrul set up a temporary bar from the business’s front window, where she served specialty drinks created specially for the tournament. Pekrul said the peachy punch proved to be the most popular of the new drinks.

Garrett Freeman, insurance agent at American Family Insurance, watched the Spikin' in the Street tournament in front of his Minnesota Street office. To his right is a box full of inflatable beach balls that serve as free giveaways.

"There are about 1,200 beach balls injected into the community because of us," Freeman said. "We order about 300 each year."

Freeman said American Family Insurance does not directly benefit from the downtown volleyball tournament, but he said it is overall great for the community.

"It's not just about our business," he said. "It's about benefiting small town USA."

Below are the results of the 2026 Spikin' in the Street

Division A Championship Bracket:

•1st Place - Spring Grandes, Swanville, MN

• 2nd Place - Holy Blockamole, Minneapolis

Division A Consolation Bracket: 1st place - Schaefer Well/Crane & Black Frost, New Ulm

Division B 1st Bracket:

•1st place - K&K Funtime, Watertown, MN

•2nd place - Block Party, Dakota City, NE

Division B 2nd Bracket : 1st place - Damn R's, St. Bonifacius, MN

Division B 3rd Bracket: 1st place - Hit, Tip, Hurray, Sioux Falls, SD

Division B 4th Bracket: 1st place - New Ulm's Greatest Hits, New Ulm

Division C 1st Bracket:

• 1st place - Schultz Electric, Hutchinson

• 2nd place - VICTORY, New Ulm

Division C 2nd Bracket: 1st place - McDeezy Transport, New Ulm

Division C 3rd Bracket: 1st place - Setting Ducks, Buffalo, MN

Division REC 1st Bracket:

•1st place - Legacy Chiropractic, New Ulm

• 2nd place - Beta Blockers, Eagle Lake, MN

Division REC 2nd Bracket: 1st place - The Painted Ladies, New Ulm

Division REC 3rd Bracket: 1st place - Loverude Farms, New Ulm

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