APPLE VALLEY, Minn. – The Farmington Tigers took on a loaded field at the Eastview Big Bolt Classic, featuring five top-10 ranked teams. The atmosphere at Eastview High School echoed the energy of past state tournaments.
Pool Play
The Tigers opened the tournament against the #2-ranked Eastview Lightning. After a tough 13-25 loss in the first set, Farmington responded with energy in set two, taking an early lead. The set remained tight, with both teams trading points up to 13-14, before Eastview's serve game heated up. The Lightning—who went on to take third place overall—closed out the match 2-0.
In their second match, Farmington faced Maple Grove in what became the match of the weekend. After dropping the first set 17-25, the Tigers roared back to win an epic second set, 31-29, with serving specialist Kayden Chant stepping in to deliver under pressure. The third set was another back-and-forth battle, with both teams going beyond the standard 15-point finish. Maple Grove ultimately edged out the Tigers 18-16 to take the match 2-1.
On Saturday morning, the Tigers returned to action against Park of Cottage Grove, determined to notch their first win. They delivered in dominant fashion. After a 25-19 win in the opening set, Farmington fired on all cylinders in set two. Jacob Graham sparked the momentum with several early aces, while Andrew Kaliev, TJ Martin, and Brayden Kemmet controlled the net, with Isaac Albrecht running the offense. The Tigers cruised to a 25-10 win and a 2-0 match victory, advancing to the Bronze Bracket.
Bronze Bracket
In the opening round of bracket play, Farmington faced Minnetonka. Picking up right where they left off, the Tigers jumped out to a 14-5 lead. A timeout helped the Skippers regroup, and a few Tiger errors paired with three Minnetonka aces cut into the lead. Up 23-19, Farmington called timeout to reset. Albrecht took control out of the huddle—feeding Kaliev for a kill and adding one himself—as the Tigers closed out set one, 25-22.
Set two saw Farmington fall behind early, but they clawed their way back to tie it at 21. With Martin at the service line and the Tigers up 24-23, he sealed the match with a powerful jump serve ace. Farmington won 25-23 to take the match 2-0.
In the Bronze Championship, the Tigers faced a relentless St. Paul Harding squad. Down 2-9 early, Farmington called a timeout but struggled to find any openings against an outstanding Knights defense. Harding took the first set 25-14 and mirrored that dominance in the second, winning 25-14 again to take the match 2-0.
Final Scores -
Eastview defeats Farmington 2-0 (13-25, 20-25)
Maple Grove defeats Farmington 2-1 (17-25, 31-29, 18-16)
Farmington defeats Park 2-0 (25-19, 25-10)
Farmington defeats Minnetonka 2-0 (25-22, 25-23)
St. Paul Harding defeats Farmington 2-0 (25-14, 25-14)
Location - Eastview High School, Apple Valley Minnesota.
Record - Farmington 4-5
Up Next - The Tigers head to Lakeville North on Tuesday, April 22nd.
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