Staff photo by Ari Selvey Sleepy Eye’s Kadence Hesse (12) and Sam Price (7) rise up to try to block United South Central’s Jaelyn Stanger (4) in the quarterfinals of the Section 2A Volleyball Tournament Thursday at St. Peter High School.

ST. PETER — No. 2-seeded Sleepy Eye took out No. 6-seeded United South Central Thursday in four hard-fought sets of the Section 2A Volleyball Tournament quarterfinals, winning 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19 at St. Peter High School.

“They hit well,” Sleepy Eye head coach Sydney Geiger said. “We sent a lot of balls over, between free balls and tipping. We weren’t as aggressive as we’d like to be, and they were. They hit well, they found our holes and they played well. We just found ways to win.”

Despite the struggle, Sleepy Eye only dropped one set to the Rebels, pushing their leads and preventing USC comebacks.

“When we did hit, we hit fairly decent,” Geiger said. “We were scrappy towards the end. There were points where we weren’t really picking up balls, but we were scrappy. Those are some pretty good things, more things that we need to work on for next game.”

The Indians had a well-balanced attack in the match, with four players earning double-digit kills. Kadence Hesse had 11 kills, 24 digs and six blocks, while Sam Price had 11 Kills. Paige Haala had 10 kills and 18 digs, Brea Mertz added 10 kills and 10 digs, and Hannah Meyer earned 35 set assists and 13 digs.

Haala said that the balanced attack is something the team works for in every game.

“We always aim for that,” she said. “Even across the board with kills. Some games are a little off, but it’s good if everyone gets an even amount of kills. It shows we’re a good overall team.”

Sleepy Eye took a small lead early in Set 1, with a kill by Mertz putting the team up 8-5, but USC battled to a tie as the teams traded points for several serves. The Indians then went on a 4-0 run to take a 19-16 lead before USC took a timeout. The Rebels battled to a tie once again, forcing Sleepy Eye to take a timeout. Sleepy Eye came out of the break with a 4-1 run to take the game on a block by Hesse.

Set 2 started with a 3-0 Indians lead, but USC soon came back to take the lead at 12-11. The Rebels held onto this lead for the remainder of the game as they went on to win 25-22.

Set 3 was the Indians’ most decisive win, as they jumped out to a 5-2 lead on a block by Lydia Helget. The teams traded points for much of the set, with Sleepy Eye eventually carving out a 18-12 lead on a kill by Price. USC held on to trail 21–16 before Sleepy Eye scored four straight to take the set.

Sleepy Eye once again took the lead in the fourth set, going up 7-3 on a trio of kills by Hesse. A USC timeout helped them battle back to cut the lead to 10-9, but the Indians responded with a 6-1 run, capped off with an ace by Mertz, to force another Rebels timeout. USC once again came back, going on a 5-2 run to force a Sleepy Eye timeout, But the Indians held on, and a pair of kills by Mertz gave them the 25-19 win.

Sleepy Eye now takes on top-seeded and cross-town rival Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s in the semifinal match of the Section 2A tournament at Mankato East High School on Tuesday. The teams faced off three times in the regular season, with St. Mary’s winning two of the contests.

“I think we need to relax and think like it’s any other game,” Haala said. “I know they’re our cross-town rivals, but I know we can pull it out. It will be at a neutral site, that will help. We just need to play our game and we’ll be fine.”