No doubt about it on Faribault Daily News

Faribault High School junior Kelsey Cherwinka (3) sets a ball as teammate Miranda Krenske (9) looks on during the Falcons match with Owatonna on Thursday. (Mark Remme/Daily News)

FARIBAULT — Everyone wearing green and black began inching toward the floor at the Owatonna High School Gymnasium, ready and willing to storm the court at the expense of the home team.

But before the visiting Faribault High School volleyball team could join its fans to celebrate its 3-1 win over the Huskies in the Section 1AAA quarterfinals Friday, the Falcons had one piece of business to take care of.

That pesky “Finish the Falcons” sign hanging in the far end of the gym? It needed to be ripped down.

So that’s what Faribault did.

“We come in and see that sign,” senior Michaela Smith said. “It gets in your head and we had to play through it.”

The Falcons (17-7) certainly did that, finishing off their fierce rivals in 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 25-23 fashion. FHS will play Thursday in the section semifinals.

For Faribault, Owatonna’s brash sign was simply extra motivation. The Falcons wanted — needed — this win from their program’s perspective, and they didn’t hesitate to pounce on the Huskies (15-13) from the very first serve.

FHS commanded this victory, and with a supporting crowd that sang and cheered louder than the host Huskies, the Falcons stormed away with their second win over Owatonna this season — the first time that feat has happened during coach Dawn Cherwinka’s seven-year tenure.

“We had more fans in the Owatonna gym than Owatonna,” Cherwinka said. “That says a lot for our program. That’s a big deal for us.”

The Falcons jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first set, showing its intensity with each diving dig and every booming spike. After taking the first two sets, Faribault found a way to endure a 25-15 setback in the third before finishing off Owatonna in the fourth set.

“I wanted (this win) so bad,” junior setter Kelsey Cherwinka said. “I can’t even believe we beat Owatonna twice in one season.”

Simply put, the Falcons — with both its fans and players — showed more intensity than Owatonna on this night. In the end, it was Faribault that moved on to the semifinals while the Huskies head home for the offseason.

“Our team was supposed to win. There are nights when both (teams) played very well, but our team played the best,” Dawn Cherwinka said. “We were fighting for every single point.”

— Sports reporter Mark Remme may be reached at 333-3129.

FHS INDIVIDUAL STATS

Serving: Michaela Smith 11-13 (2 kills), Kelsey Cherwinka 22-22 (1), Alli Kosanda 24-24 (1), Amber Krenske 17-17 (3), Miranda Krenske 4-4, Maggie Stoeckel 7-7 Total: 85-89 (7). Serve receive: Smith 4-6, Kosanda 12-19, A. Krenske 16-21, Marisa Amacher 10-14, Stoeckel 4-8 Total: 47-69. Passing: Smith 3-3, Kosanda 4-4, Krenske 8-8 Total: 20-20. Setting: Cherwinka 58-58 (15 assists), Caitlin Bonde 38-40 (12), M. Krenske 8-8 (4) Total: 105-112 (31). Hitting: Smith 29-35 (15 kills), Lauren Degner 10-15 (3), M. Krenske 9-12 (2), Jessica Reuvers 3-4 (1) Total: 58-83 (24). Digs: Cherwinka 6-6, Kosanda 8-8, A. Krenske 9-9 Total: 29-30. Tips: Smith 18-18 (10 aces), Cherwinka 8-8, Stoeckel 7-7 (1) Total: 42-44 (14). Blocks: Smith 9-13 (3 aces), Bonde 6-6 (2), Stoeckel 13-17 (3), Reuvers 8-12 (3) Total: 45-60 (14)

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Member Opinions: By: Faribault-proud on 10/31/09 What a great performance by this group of young ladies. They came out with the attitude and desire to show there rival to the south that this was there year. They wanted to prove that beating Owatonna earlier in the season was not just luck. Thanks to all the fans that made the trip to support these girls, it actually felt like we had the home court advantage with so many fans there. GOOD LUCK NEXT WEEK GIRLS!! LET YOUR BIG DOG OUT!! By: secretsquirrel on 10/31/09 One of the best I have ever attended! Fantastic performance girls! This is Falcon territory this year for sure. By: Faribault-proud on 10/31/09 You came to the net with your hearts full of fire, But that proved no match for the FALCON's DESIRE!!! By: secretsquirrel on 10/31/09 Wingers are red and Huskies are blue Wins against Falcons are fleeting and few
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