The Groton Tigers are headed back to the SoDak 16 after a strong performance Thursday night.

The Tigers earned a 30-28, 25-14, 25-14 sweep over Sisseton in Region 1A volleyball action at Groton Area Arena.

Groton coach Chelsea Hanson said it was good to get in the win column on a big stage.

“Honestly, it just feels good to be back,” Hanson said. “We’ve played not the cleanest games and we haven’t really had that ‘go’ factor for a few matches. I saw it again tonight and they were locked in and ready to go, so I’m super happy.”

Although the Tigers pulled out the win, the “go” factor was not there right away. Groton held a lead for much of the first set before the Redmen closed the deficit late, cutting the Tigers lead down to 25-24, forcing extra points to be played. That’s when Groton called a timeout and Hanson told her players to not put any added pressure on themselves.

“If we lose we still get to play another set,” Hanson said. “So, just kind of trying to eliminate the big picture and just focus on the pass, do what you need to do. We know that we were going to win at the serve and pass line and we just needed to make sure that we kept the ball in play. That was kind of the goal.”

Both squads traded points until the Tigers finally finished the set, 30-28. Groton sophomore Rylee Dunker said the team needed to push through to the end of the set.

“Just keep pushing point by point,” Dunker said. “Take it one point at a time.”

Sisseton coach Deliah Lehrke said it took a strong desire for her team to come back and push the Tigers to the end.

“A lot of heart and a lot of wanting it,” Lehrke said. “And they know that they can compete with just about anybody, so that belief, too. I think that’s what kept them going in that first set.”

The Tigers took control of set two early, using explosive hitting to build a 14-4 lead. Hanson said her team needed to counter Sisseton middle hitters Chloe Langager and Krista Langager in order to have success.

“I knew going into this match that their middles are their big blockers,” Hanson said. “As soon as their blockers had to start moving laterally, we were hitting with one blocker or no blockers a lot of the time.”

Lehrke noted that her team lost momentum after the exciting first set, but also gave credit to Groton’s scheme causing the Redmen problems during sets two and three.

“When they were setting up their right side, that cross-court, I think that really took us out of rhythm and we weren’t really prepared for that,” Lehrke said. “They didn’t do that the first time we played them, so I think that’s where we struggled the most, I think, in the second and third.”

Despite Sisseton’s attempts to mount a comeback, Groton pulled away for the convincing 25-14 set two win. The Tigers completed the sweep in set three by the same score.

Dunker said the team’s passing played a big part in getting the win.

“The passing was great, which helped keep the setter in the perfect spot, and just run(ing) some different routes, which helped a lot,” Dunker said.

While the season did not turn out how they had hoped, Lehrke was proud of how the Redmen (12-15) improved throughout the season and grateful for the seniors on the team.

“I thought it was a good season. Much better than where we started the season. They really improved this whole season, and so I’m proud of them for that,” Lehrke said. “The seniors were total leaders on the team. They helped out the younger ones. They knew exactly what I wanted from them, and they helped tremendously, so I actually can’t say enough about the seniors.”

The Tigers (20-4) now advance to the SoDak 16 where they will face Lennox on Tuesday.

Dunker, who led with 12 kills, said she is excited for the match and for the community.

“It’s awesome. It’s huge,” Dunker said. “We’re all excited.”

Hanson said she is also excited for the team to be one game away from the state tournament.

“It feels great. We’ve done everything we can do at this point in time, and now, we’re there,” Hanson said. “It’s exciting, it’s fun, and I’m happy for the girls, because we’ve been through our ups and downs this season just like every team has. We’ve done everything we can do and let the cards fall as they may.”

Serving: Groton 74-78 8 aces (Jaedyn Penning 13-15 4 aces, Chesney Weber 20-20 2 aces, Carly Guthmiller 12-12 1 ace).

Hitting: Groton 125-143 44 kills (Rylee Dunker 19-24 12 kills, Weber 25-27 10 kills, Sydney Leicht 31-35 9 kills).

Setting: Groton 42 assists (Liz Fliehs 38 assists).

Digs: Groton 73 digs (Anna Fjeldheim 15, Guthmiller 13, Laila Roberts 12).

Blocks: Groton 4 blocks (Emma Kutter 1 solo 2 assists, Fliehs 2 assists).

Records: Sisseton 12-15; Groton 20-4.

Sisseton stats not reported