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MACCRAY Wolverines
MACCRAY’s Brielle Janssen, 7, hits a shot past Minneota defenders Megan Krog, 1, and Emma Bottelberghe, 3, during the Section 3A-North championship match on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022 at the R/A Facility in Marshall. Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
MACCRAY aims for another deep playoff run
Wolverines rely on Brielle Janssen and Emma Thein to duplicate last season’s success
BY MICHAEL LYNE | West Central Tribune
CLARA CITY — Under firstyear head coach Tory Brouwer, MACCRAY made a deep playoff run and finished with a 22-11 overall record in 2022.
The Wolverines advanced to the Section 3A-North championship, where they lost to a Minneota team that won the Class A state championship in five sets over Mayer Lutheran.
As year two gets underway for Brouwer, MACCRAY will look to lock up the Camden North again.
The Wolverines will be led by Brielle Janssen and Emma Thein.
Janssen, a 6-foot sophomore middle blocker, was a West Central Tribune All-Area Volleyball Honorable Mention and a All-Camden Conference selection in 2022. She had 272 kills, 266 digs, 49 blocks and 30 service aces as a ninth-grader.
Thein is a 5-11 sophomore right-side hitter.
“Both players played a key role as freshmen and continue to improve through the offseason,” Brouwer said. “Brielle continues to elevate her game and is demonstrating great strides as an all-around player. Emma has demonstrated improved technique in skill with off-season work as well.”
A key roster loss for the Wolverines from a season ago is Sydney Thein. She was a twotime West Central Tribune AllArea Volleyball player, who was named the Camden Conference MVP in 2022.
Sydney Thein finished her career with 1,842 set assists, 1,193 digs and 1,167 kills. She is at Southwest Minnesota State University to continue her volleyball career.
And as Sydney Thein exits, there will be plenty of opportunity for younger players to make an impact for the Wolverines in 2023.
“We will be a young team with the opportunity for more players to step up,” Brouwer said.
