Mike Kraft/MDN Minot High is coming off its best conference season since 2007, finishing 18-4 in the West Region and earning the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.

The Minot High volleyball team reached heights the program had not seen in over a decade, yet the Majettes can’t help but feel like there’s still a bitter taste in their mouths with how last season ended.

The Majettes finished 24-14 overall, with an 18-4 mark in West Region play, earning the No. 3 seed in the WDA Tournament. The seeding was Minot’s best since 2007, the same year it won its fifth and most recent region tournament title.

But what looked like a promising postseason run turned into heartbreak as the Majettes dropped a five-setter to fifth-seeded Bismarck Legacy in a state qualifier, ending their year prematurely in their eyes. It was the fifth straight defeat – and second in as many years – in a state qualifier since last appearing at the state tournament in 2011.

“It stings,” Minot coach Jesse Goertzen said. “A lot of us have gotten over it, but it’s still in your memory. It still hurts. It’s something they really wanted last year and I think that it’s important to let it sting because that’s what you can build off of in those moments this year. If we get to that spot again this year, we know what happened last year and we can make some adjustments based on what we did last year vs. what we could have done.”

The Majettes posted victories over every West Region opponent last season except for Bismarck Century, which went on to capture its 11th straight WDA tournament title and its 10th state championship, defeating two-time defending state champion West Fargo Sheyenne in the title game.

With North Dakota moving from two divisions to three beginning this season, the West Region has shrunk by two and will now be a 10-team league in Class AA, meaning the end of double-counters. Now, every team will play home and road contests against the other nine opponents as both Watford City and Turtle Mountain drop to Class A. Watford City and Turtle Mountain went a combined 2-42 in West Region play with the only two wins being Watford City’s double-counter victory against Turtle Mountain.

“Losing those two teams, every match is going to be crucial,” Goertzen said. “Everyone is going to be competitive and if you’re not playing well, anyone can beat you. It’s going to push us to be more consistent, which is only going to help us be better come the postseason.”

The Majetttes graduated six seniors, including all-state defensive specialist and libero Raegan Terrel and all-WDA honorees Sydney Aberle and Leah Walter. Half of last year’s senior class was defensive specialists and libero, leaving the Majettes depleted at that position. The fortunate news for Minot is Karah Lawson returns for her senior season as a defensive specialist and libero after missing her entire junior campaign with an injury.

Lawson joins all-state setter and four-year varsity member Mackenzie Dufner as well as outside hitters Jayla Hansen and Camdyn Varty, and middle blocker Eve Knutson as the five members of this year’s senior class.

“This year is going to be a little bit different since we lost six of our seniors,” Dufner said. “We’re just trying to bring what they brought to game days and try to put in more effort and more intensity every day in practice and try to keep the same level we did last year.”

Dufner led the Magicians with 606 assists in 18 conference matches last year and averaged 33.7 assists per match. She also had 36 aces in those contests.

“We do have some key returners this year,” Goertzen said. “I expect to continue to build on the strong performance from last year. A lot of the leaders from our team are coming back, so it’s good to have that experience on our varsity court. We’ll see what happens. It’s a new year, so I’m excited to start fresh again and continue to see where we end up.”

Goertzen believes highly in his team’s serving ability heading into this season. The Majettes recorded 194 aces in 18 conference games a year ago, led by Everette Deschamp’s 45. Deschamp was the youngest member of the varsity squad last year and is entering her sophomore campaign.

“We have one of the best serving teams in the state,” Goertzen said. “We coach that hard because we want to be the best in that area. We run a good tempo offense. Some teams aren’t used to seeing that and that can be something we use to our advantage. But the most important part is the camaraderie on the court. The girls are very bought in. They’re a group not only on the court but off and it’s nice to see that tight-knit team all the way, whether it’s bus trips and meals together. We’re very close.”

Dufner echoed her coach’s sentiment about team chemistry.

“Our biggest strength is our unity together,” Dufner said. “Everyone enjoys hanging out with each other and it’s just one big team together on and off the court. It’s connecting not only our offense but connecting our defense with the offense so that we’re all just one unit.”

The Class AA season opens with the BPS Crossover, featuring six matches over two days. The Majettes will play West Fargo, Fargo Shanley and Grand Forks Red River on Friday, Aug. 29, and Bismarck St. Mary’s, Fargo South and West Fargo Sheyenne on Saturday, Aug. 30, in Bismarck.