FARMINGTON, Minn -- Boys volleyball is in its second season as a sanctioned sport by the Minnesota State High School League. But for Farmington's senior class this year marks the final go-around of a five-year journey.
Many members of the Class of 2026 started in eighth grade with the sport sponsored at the club level.

Senior middle blocker Brayden Kemmet says, "We're a very senior-heavy team this year. I feel like we have a great shot at being a great team…We have some good middles. I got my little brother (Mason, a sophomore) right behind me.

"We have a great setter (senior Isaac Albrecht) All-Conference last year. I feel like we can get some good things as long as we play as a team and a unit. We've grown up together since eighth grade."

Kemmet says Albrecht contributes many ways. On the court, "he told us exactly what he wanted. He was really great in improving what he needed to improve. If I needed a lower ball, if I needed a higher ball, we would instantly fix it.

"Off the court he would really get us into the game. He would make sure everybody was ready and prepared. He was a stable foundation."

Senior outside hitter Jacob Graham has high hopes, "It's awesome because we've been playing, most of us since our eighth-grade year of middle school altogether. So, we've really been developing as a team, and we have a good chemistry.

"We really work together well, a well-rounded machine, and all our skills have been developing. They've been building off each other," Graham said.

Coach AJ Dubek is excited, "I'm pretty confident. Any time you have older guys that have been playing together for years, you have high hopes. We lost a couple of big seniors last year. We got to fill some gaps. But it seems like everybody is clicking pretty well and the chemistry's good which is what you need on the court."

The Tigers (17-14 in 2025) return All-Conference selections Albrecht and Kemmet and honorable mention pick Graham.

"Isaac's been a three-starter as a setter. He's a floor general. He's got a real calm demeaner that helps us persevere. Brayden Kemmet has played since eighth grade as well. Just as Isaac and Jacob. He's grown and gotten so athletic, just started to dominate and figure himself out last year. He brings a huge presence to the net.

"Jacob was honorable mention All-Conference for libero last year. With some seniors that graduated he'll be playing as an outside. He'll bring his defense to play outside. He's also worked really hard in the offseason to hit some balls at the net," commented Dubek.
He wants to see the team build "culture around high energy and bouncing back from errors."

Dubek says the Tigers' style switched last season, "More of a scrappy team. We got a couple of compliments from a couple coaches that said, we thought we had the ball down, and we just kept playing…Some of the defensive drills that we do. Some of that is just the intensity that the guys bring to the court."

Graham was looking for a spring sport when he joined in eighth grade. His parents have played volleyball recreationally, "We have some really good hitters. Brayden Kemmet at the middle, he's a monster. He gets some crazy blocks and it's amazing. Me and Braden Woody, outside, just well-rounded players, can put the ball anywhere."

Defensively, he has learned how to read where opponents are going to attack based on how they position their hands while swinging.

Kemmet, a longtime basketball player, started volleyball at the encouragement of friends, "I wanted to give the new sport a shot. I always like trying new things. Another thing was also basketball. I wanted to jump higher. I wanted to get more athletic. But after I played for the first year, I found that I loved it. I loved the teammates I got to work with."

He felt last season went well, but wants to push the ceiling higher this year, "I'm feeling a lot more like I want it. I definitely want those games that we lost to that we should have won. I've got to make sure that each practice is a lot more competitive."

Dubek says Brayden Kemmet will play all the way around and get some swings from the back row. Senior Nick Thompson is a versatile player, "He can set. He can play outside, right side. He can play in the back row. He's got a really nice heavy swing, and a top-spin jump serve."

To reach their goals, "The biggest thing is stay healthy and learn. Every opportunity you get, good, bad, or ugly, we just need to learn from what happened. Watch film. Address it in practice."

MSHSL debut
The biggest change about becoming a full MSHSL sport was transportation says Graham, "We got buses and it was more organized and there was an official state tournament…A thing I've been doing for five years now. It's fun to be actually recognized."
He says visibility is better with upcoming matches mentioned on the morning announcements at school.

Dubek liked the in-season tournaments and the way sections were run, "I feel like we've ran it like a real high school sport since we started. Matches have always looked real with officials and a crowd and the bleachers out."

FHS developed a quick rivalry with Prior Lake. "A really fun team to play against. They're very skilled. I'd say we upset them twice last year," stated Graham.

The Lakers won the state title in 2023 with the sport under the direction of the Minnesota Boys Volleyball Association. Shakopee captured the 2024 title.

Eden Prairie won the first-ever MSHSL-sponsored boys volleyball tourney last year, beating Rogers in the finals at the University of St. Thomas.

The sport dates to 2018 in Minnesota with 22 teams. The MSHSL approved the sport in May, 2023 to begin with the 2024-25 school year. Eighty-eight schools are registered this season with a one-class state tournament June 9-11.

Dubek says the current junior class at FHS is small, but the sophomore and freshmen classes have good numbers. He would love to see a community education program get started, "To have a feeder program that some other districts are doing."

Schedule
FHS hosts the Tiger Stripe Classic on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25. They are back on their home court on Tuesday, April 28 against Burnsville before a trip to Shakopee on Thursday, April 30.

A four-match home stand features Lakeville South (Tuesday, May 5), Lakeville North (Thursday, May 7), United Christian Academy (Friday, May 8) and top-ranked Eastview (Tuesday, May 12).

The Lightning are the defending conference champs, and this season's favorite after a third-place finish at state in 2025. Dubek says Shakopee, Eagan and Prior Lake are solid each year.

The regular season ends on Thursday, May 21 at home against Eagan. Sections begin on Tuesday, May 26. Farmington is joined in Section 1A by South Suburban Conference schools Apple Valley, Eastview, Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Rosemount, plus Austin, Rochester and Southland.