Valiant Raiders Volleyball team competes at State tournament
Roseville's scrappy effort comes up short against 4th-seeded Apple Valley
Roseville Area High School fans gathered in their best holiday gear to root on their 5th-seeded Raiders Girls Volleyball team against the 4th-seeded Apple Valley Eagles Wednesday in the first round of the 2026 Minnesota State High School League Class AAAA Girls Volleyball Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Roseville entered the tournament with a 24-6 record and were riding the wave of a seven-game winning streak. The competitive Raiders battled the Eagles evenly throughout the entire match, with each team refusing to surrender a point. Each game was razor-close, but in the end, the Eagles prevailed in a three-set match, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22.
Hard-fought first set
The competitiveness of the two teams was on full display in Set 1 as neither team had more than a two-point lead during the majority of the set. Roseville defenders, especially Samantha Bloomquist, Chloe Kloeppner, Stella Rivard, and Leah Biyadglign, were tenacious in their pursuit of Apple Valley attacks, and Bloominquist and Whitney Walen presented a formidable blocking duo at the net.
Maddy Gaedy and Kaia Jensen provided the power on the offense, with their hits keeping Eagle defenders off balance. And Walen was in firm control as the setter, assisting on six scores. With the score 19–16 Raiders, Apple Valley took advantage of some Roseville errors to take 9 of the next 10 points scored to win the set 25-20.
Raiders fail to hold the lead
Roseville had several opportunities to even up the match as they held four and five-point leads throughout Set 2. The sturdy Raiders defense was causing Apple Valley fits, leading to several attack errors. Gaedy and Jensen contributed four and three kills, respectively, and Sophia Gholson-Johnson put up a wall at the net, blocking two Eagles hits.
Walen kept the Roseville hitters in great attacking position, contributing 11 assists in the set. They held a 22-19 lead when Apple Valley caught fire again, winning six of the ensuing seven points, finishing with a 25-23 Set 2 advantage. The Raiders were down, but their spirit wasn’t broken.
Raiders lose a heartbreaker
Set three was another back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands several times. Walen kept Roseville’s offense on track with ten assists, and Biyadglign delivered four kills. Kloeppener, Rivard, and Biyadglign would not let the ball hit the court on defense, and Bloomquist contributed two blocks.
Apple Valley was up 15-14 when the momentum in the match started to turn. The Raiders were once again beset with attack errors, and two close officials' calls brought agony to the face of Roseville coach Greg Ueland as the Eagles stayed aggressive, eventually downing the Raiders 25-22 to take the set and the match. This ended Roseville’s State Championship dreams.
Gaedy led all Raiders hitters in kills with eight for the match, followed by Bloomquist, Gholson-Johnson, Jensen, and Biyadglign with five. Bloomquist contributed four blocks. Kloeppner paced Roseville with four service aces. Kloeppner also led the team with 22 receptions, and Walen ended the match with 27 assists.
Fortunately, the Raiders season wasn’t quite over with the loss. Roseville defeated Alexandria Area 3 sets to 2 on Thursday to win their consolation bracket match. They now go on to play Chanhassen at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Come cheer the Raiders on to victory on Court 2 at Grand Casino Arena.
Strib Varsity All-Minnesota Girls Volleyball
Congratulations to the Raiders' Leah Biyadglign for being selected to the 2026 Strib Varsity All-Minnesota girls volleyball team. This award recognizes the top players from all over the state for their teams' and individual success on the court.
More local sports coverage
Greg Simbeck
Greg Simbeck
Naomi Krueger
