Cannon Falls' star outside hitter is back in the lineup in the nick of time
Oct. 19—CANNON FALLS — The likely
top high school volleyball player in southeastern Minnesota
and one of the best in the entire state will be back in the lineup when playoffs start next week.
Cannon Falls' Madison Burr, an explosive 6-foot-1 outside hitter and two-time All-State player, began practicing Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 31. It was then that the senior tore the meniscus in her right knee in a match with Lake City.
Burr rejoins a team that was ranked in the top three in Class 2A when the season began but sunk out of the rankings a few weeks after Burr was sidelined. The Bombers carry a 12-16 record into the playoffs. They were 4-0 with Burr in the lineup and have gone 8-16 since, though have gained steam in recent weeks.
Burr's return hugely changes the Cannon Falls team and its chances. A year ago, she helped lead the Bombers to the Class 2A state championship, its first volleyball title in school history.
Cannon Falls coach Melissa Huseth is glad to have her All-State player back.
"I am happy for (Madison) that she gets to finish her senior year on the court and I am happy for her teammates," Huseth said. "Coming back, the first thing she will help us with is our block. We have been having a tough time there even though the girls have been working extremely hard at it and have done a great job. But you add a 6-1 player, you have a bigger block. She is also going to help us with our offense. But I don't want to take anything away from our girls who have been playing all year. They have worked so hard and have definitely improved throughout the season."
Burr entered this season as a candidate for the Miss Baden Volleyball Award, annually going to the top senior volleyball player in the state. A year ago, she totaled 468 kills, including 21 in putting on a show in the state championship match against Pequot Lakes, the Bombers winning in a sweep.
Burr has verbally committed to play volleyball next year at Division I South Dakota State University.
In Burr's first two practices since coming back, Huseth said that the senior tired a bit more quickly than normal, but still had her explosiveness.
"When it comes to her swing, it looks like nothing has changed," Huseth said. "She looks good."
