Independent file photo Members of the Marshall volleyball team celebrate after scoring a point during their Section 2AAA championship match against Willmar last Thursday. Marshall will face St. Paul Highland Park in the Class AAA quarterfinals today.

MARSHALL — After not being able to compete in a section or state tournament last year due to COVID-19 halting their season short, the Marshall volleyball team is back in the state tournament for a 30th time after defeating Willmar 3-0 in the Section 2AAA championship match last Thursday.

Marshall enters the Class AAA bracket as the No. 1 seed with an overall record of 30-2 and will take on random draw St. Paul Highland Park today in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center.

Marshall brings a lot of veteran experience to the floor, led by the team’s six seniors in Cassie Hoover, Maysa Gillingham, Tessa Gannott, Ashleigh Steinbach, Megan Wegner and Taylor Ariasola. Juniors Caitlyn Christenson, Grace Ehlers, Brooke Andries, Leah Jones, Lexie Bednarek, Lauren Wherry and Randi Wendorff and sophomores Morgan Bjella and Brielle Riess also provide balance in both the back and front row.

On the other side, St. Paul Highland Park, comes in to the tournament with an overall record of 18-6 after defeating DeLaSalle 3-1 in the Section 3AAA championship. The Scots are making their fourth state tournament appearance and first since winning the Class AA championship in 1977, which ended a run of three straight state trips of reaching the championship match (runner-up finishes in 1975 and 1976).

Similar to Marshall, St. Paul Highland Park is also entering the tournament on a roll, as it has won six of its past seven and 11 of its past 13 matches. The Scots feature a mix of youth and experience, with seniors Azeria Stagg, Kiyomi Callahan, Delaney Sis, Alysa Monteagudo and Joleene Acon leading the way. Juniors Ayana Bougie-Martinez, Annabella Kottke, Chi Vang and sophomores Molly Hanley, Ella Johnson, Abigail Lawton, Katherine Reubish and Alyssa Ramos round out their roster.