Mike Kraft/MDN Jayla Hansen and the Minot High volleyball team earned a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2011 and will play West Fargo Sheyenne in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Bismarck Event Center at 1 p.m.

The sigh of relief coming from the Mandan High School gym on Saturday, Nov. 15, could be heard 100 miles away here in the Magic City.

It came from the Minot High volleyball team after surviving a five-set match against Bismarck Legacy on the final day of the WDA Tournament to finally get the monkey off its back and clinch a spot in the state tournament for the first time since 2011.

The Sabers ended Minot High’s season prematurely the year before, knocking off the third-seeded Majettes in a five-set state-qualifying match. This year, the Majettes – the No. 2 seed in the WDA Tournament – looked poised to get past Legacy without much trouble. They took the opening two sets comfortably only to see the Sabres rally in the third and fourth sets to force one final tiebreaker with the season on the line.

The Majettes (21-13) regrouped and took the set, sending them to the Bismarck Event Center for one more weekend of volleyball. Minot High will serve as the No. 3 seed out of the West Region and play West Fargo Sheyenne in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20.

“There’s definitely some relief with finally pushing through,” Minot High coach Jesse Goertzen said. “I know last year we had a good opportunity and it just didn’t work out for us. We understand how hard it is to make it to the state tournament and finally pushing through and being able to get to state is a huge accomplishment for this program and this team and I think that you can tell the girls were really emotional and excited. There was a lot of happiness and relief that was able to be released.”

The two teams met during the BPS Crossover to begin the season, with the Mustangs winning the match 3-0. The Majettes were 2-7 against opponents from the Class AA East Region this season. The Mustangs are making their eighth appearance at the state tournament, qualifying every year since joining in 2018. WF Sheyenne appeared in the state title match each of the last three seasons, winning in 2023 and 2022. The Mustangs were 8-1 against opponents from the WDA this year.

“They’re always well-balanced,” Goertzen said. “They spread the ball out well. They have some very good blockers on their team. Their defense is very disciplined and they have a very solid all-around team. It will be a challenge, but I think our girls are ready for it. They are excited to compete. We played them fairly tight. We were mixing up lineups when we played them in the crossover. We haven’t played them since. I know the team we played, their lineup was different as well, so we’ll be watching some film. We’ll be figuring out how we want to attack them and what we need to do to be successful.”

No one on the roster or coaching staff were with the team in 2011 the last time the Majettes made the trip to the state tournament, so they will be leaning on their upperclassmen to help navigate the nerves and the emotions that come with playing in a high-pressure event. Junior outside hitter Kynsli Gillmore, senior setter Mackenzie Dufner and senior defensive specialist Camdyn Varty led the Majettes statistically during the WDA Tournament.

Gillmore put down 49 kills over three games and also led the team on the defensive effort with 72 digs. Dufner continued to add to her school record assist count, racking up 117 more, and Varty registered 70 digs on the defensive side of the net to keep the ball in play.

“We have so much confidence in our abilities,” Goertzen said. “Offensively, we’ve been spreading the ball out even more. We’re getting our middles involved a little more. Our pins are getting more confidence in their shots and their shot selection. Mackenzie Dufner is doing an awesome job of distributing the ball and making the right choices at the right time and our defense is scrappy. We might not always be the cleanest team, but we’re scrappy and we’re getting a lot of touches on a lot of good swings from other teams. Hopefully we can continue to build on that.”

The Majettes are 2-10 in four trips to the state tournament. They have finished eighth twice, sixth once and had their best showing in 2007, where they placed fourth. Overall, they have won nine total sets at the state tournament and lost 32.

Goertzen said the biggest difference in his team this year compared to other seasons in the past is its calmness on the court. Even if the pressure is at its highest, the Majettes stay relaxed.

“We’ve been fairly loose all season,” Goertzen said. “We have a very focused, energized group. I expect the intensity to be very much the same for all three of these matches as it was for that qualifying match. I’ve just been so proud of the work ethic that they have and the improvements not only in the individual skills for each of the players but also in how our team is cooperating with each other on the court and really gelling out there.”

Bismarck Century is the No. 1 seed from the West and the defending state champion. The Patriots have played in 13 of the last 14 title matches, winning eight. They have 10 state titles in their program’s history. Century plays East No. 4 West Fargo Horace in the quarterfinals.

Other quarterfinal matches pit No. 2 Jamestown against EDC regular season champion Fargo Davies and No. 4 Bismarck High against EDC Tournament champion West Fargo.

Minot High, WF Horace and West Fargo are all seeking their first state titles.