For the Minnesota Star Tribune’s first livestreamed high school sports event of the school year — the very first one of the fresh new Strib Varsity era — we present a grudge match.

Willmar girls volleyball fans might put the emphasis on ”grudge."

All set for Thursday is an exclusive livestream of Willmar’s match at Marshall, a 7:15 p.m. start. Marshall is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association, Willmar No. 3. Find the stream here on Thursday.

The back story for Thursday’s match is as good as those rankings.

This is the rare year when Marshall is not a defending state champion; the Tigers finished second to Alexandria in Class 3A last season.

Before that, they won three state titles in a row, and every one of those seasons started the same: Marshall and Willmar met in the first match of the season, and Marshall won. All but one of those seasons concluded the same: Marshall ended Willmar’s season in the Section 2 tournament.

Do not assume Willmar serves as some sort of punching bag. The Cardinals went 22-9 last season; they are winners except when they play Marshall.

And don’t assume the 2025 season will begin with another Marshall victory over Willmar. Each team has a player who’s among Minnesota’s best and presents a reason to watch. Willmar junior setter Ellery DeBoer is committed to Michigan State. Marshall senior outside hitter Reese Drake is headed to Southwest Minnesota State.

Strib Varsity Streams

Marshall-Willmar is just the start of Strib Varsity livestreaming for 2025-26. The pace will pick up next week, starting with Monday’s volleyball match pitting Chatfield, No. 2 in Class 2A, and Winona Cotter, No. 7 in 2A.

Games from Week 1 of the football season are on the Strib Varsity Streams schedule. Here’s that list of live games and a reason to watch in each case:

• Rocori at Totino-Grace, Aug. 28. Rocori offensive lineman Andrew Trout is committed to the Gophers. We are pleased when we can recommend a lineman.
• Jackson County Central at Maple River, Aug. 28. JCC quarterback Roman Voss is headed to the Gophers, too, and lineman Weston Rowe is also a Division I guy, headed to South Dakota State.
• Mankato West vs. Mahtomedi, Aug. 29. We’ll start to learn where the power is positioned in Class 5A.