Maple Lake Irish volleyball fans eyes are smiling this season as the defending Class AA champions, led by senior Linsey Rachel remain unbeaten at 13-0 following a three sets to one victory Thursday night against the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers in Howard Lake.
Rachel, a starter since eighth grade took time after the match for an interview with HSGN.
Rachel is on of four sisters to go through the Irish volleyball program. The other three were Andrea, Chelsea and Shelby. Even Rachel's mom was a volleyball player. "It kind of runs in the family," the senior stated.
Rachel also stated what it was like playing for veteran head coach Marty Kiebel. "If we're down, he'll bring us back up."
She also mentioned what it was like to win the state Class AA title last season. "It was crazy. A couple times we proved to people that we could.
This season, the Irish lost two players from last year's team and have a lot of veterans back.
In addition to volleyball, Rachel also plays basketball and softball. She also plays Junior Olympic volleyball, attends various camps and plays in summer leagues. She has not decided on where she will play volleyball in college. "I'm not sure yet," Rachel said.
Kiebel gave his view on how Rachel earned her spot on the varsity team. "She basically earned her way on as an eighth grader. I wasn't sure she was going to be ready for the varsity.
He also mentioned the key to Maple Lake's success this season. "We have a special group that have played for a long time together."
As the defending state champion, the Irish has to get past the Section 6AA tournament with a strong field that includes Rocori, Sauk Centre, St. Cloud Cathedral and Howard Lake-Waverly. "Our Section 6AA is very good," Kiebel said.
Can the Irish make another trip down Highway 55 to St. Paul in November? There's plenty of season left to go.
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