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Elkton-Lake Benton sweeps Miller, to play for Class A state championship
Elkton-Lake Benton celebrates after defeating Miller in the Class A semifinals on Friday in Sioux Falls.
(Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Elkton-Lake Benton sweeps Miller, to play for Class A state championship

Nov 18, 2022
  

By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — One year after playing for the consolation championship, Elkton-Lake Benton will play for a state championship. 

The Elks looked sharp in a Class A semifinal contest and swept Miller to secure a spot in the state championship on Saturday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. On Friday, the Elks swept the Rustlers 25-22, 25-9 and 25-21. 

Elkton-Lake Benton (33-3) will play No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian in the Class A state championship match at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Elks won last season’s Class A consolation championship and will make school history with their first trip to the title match Saturday. 

“We are all so excited to be here,” ELB senior Rachael Krog said. “The fact we get to go play in the state championship, especially my senior year … oh my gosh. Flabbergasted is the word that I would use.”

Against the Rustlers (33-3), Elkton-Lake Benton was rock solid defensively and racked up 75 digs. Krog collected a team-high 17 digs and added 11 kills. Tevan Erickson (14), Kayla Goertz (14) and Kylie Ramlo (10) all registered double-digits in digs. 

“That was huge,” Krog said about ELB’s defense. “We knew they had some pretty big hitters, especially No. 10 (Ally Mullaney), props to her. But on our defense we covered everything. We were scrappy. We did exactly everything we needed to do.” 


Elkton-Lake Benton, which features seven players 5-foot-10 or taller, racked up 11 total blocks. Erickson, Krog, Ramlo and Aubree Bales all logged solo blocks. 

Offensively, the Elks posted 35 kills and Kailyn Drietz logged 10 kills. Erickson dished out 29 assists in the sweep. 

“We played together as a team,” Krog said. “Communication was on, hitting was on, defense was on and that’s how you win.”

The Elks were especially on during the second set. After pulling away for a three-point first-set win, the Elks kept the momentum going into the second frame. Elkton-Lake Benton bolted out to leads of 10-2 and 20-9 en route to a 16-point win.  

“The momentum there, that built us up right away,” Krog said.

In the third set, the Elks again closed on a strong surge to complete the sweep. 

Miller received 12 kills from Mullaney. Jolie Palmer posted 21 digs, while Tyra Gates dished out 25 assists and had 10 digs. Jaden Werdel added 11 digs and six kills. 

Miller will play Elk Point-Jefferson at 5 p.m. Saturday in the third-place match.