It’s Déjà vu all over again, times three for the Manitowoc Lutheran girls’ volleyball team.
The Lancers, ranked fourth in Division Three, win their third straight Big East Conference title and their 16th in school history, defeating St. Mary Catholic, the tenth-ranked team in Division Three, 25-19, 25-23, and 25-18 in front of a near-capacity crowd at Lancer Circle.
Head Coach Lacey Behnke tells seehafernews.com that one box has been checked as they prepare for postseason play.
”We achieved one of our goals this year by going undefeated at home,” the coach said. “We know we always have a target on our backs, but we’ve done a nice job of controlling just how big that target is. If we just play our brand of ball, limit the mistakes and focus on us, all our goals still in front of us are certainly attainable.”
Behnke says she was proud of the kids coming right out of the gate, ready to play.
“Everybody just did their job,” she explained. “Not one person had to put pressure on themselves to carry the team. We distributed responsibilities throughout the team and for the most part they executed the game plan beautifully.”
The second set was a bit rocky as the Zephyrs controlled a good portion of that set, but they couldn’t pull away.
The Lancers trailed by no more than two, then finally caught and pulled ahead late and hung on to win.
Behnke on her kids persevering through adversity.
“We needed (St. Mary Catholic) to earn their points,” she revealed. “We were giving them too many freebies, and I told them to just pick one thing you feel you need to personally clean up, and it’ll change the momentum. The kids did that, and I’m proud of how they responded.”
Manitowoc Lutheran dominated set three, leading by as many as nine (21-12), eventually winning by seven and completing the sweep of the Zephyrs, who lost for the first time in the Big East (6-1) and for just the second time in 25 matches all year (23-2).
For a second consecutive year, the Lancers don’t lose a single set in conference play, finishing 7-0 in the Big East and 20-11 on the season.
The Lancers head coach says October is the most exciting time of the year.
“We’re ready,” she said bluntly. “We still have things to clean up, as all teams do, but our goal each match is to leave the gym a better team than when we walked in.”
The annual Big East Conference Tournament, which does not have a bearing on league standings, will be held Saturday in Appleton.
Seeding for the upcoming WIAA Tournament will be held on Sunday.
