Manitowoc Lutheran made quick work of a very good Kewaunee team in a WIAA Division Three Girls Volleyball Regional Semifinal at Lancer Circle.
The Lancers earned their 30th victory of the year, defeating the Storm 25-14,25-8, 25-16.
Head Coach Lacey Behnke tells seehafernews.com that senior outside hitter Marissa Melhorn and junior outside hitter Ava Stuebs set the tone with their aggressive play.
”I thought Ava and Marissa really rose to the occasion and took the team on their back,” she explained. “Together, they are a dynamic duo. The team rallied behind them, and they rallied behind their team, and we got the win.”
The match lasted just an hour, and Behnke says they have mentally “flipped the script” as postseason play gets underway.
“All season we’ve been told that we’ve been the hunted and teams are going to bring their best against us,” she noted. “Tonight, we flipped the script and became hunters. The kids from the beginning executed and brought amazing energy. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Next up for the Lancers will be Kiel, who defeated Wrightstown Thursday night to set up a Division Three Regional final Saturday at Lutheran High School.
“We’re going to watch tape and try to see if there’s anything we can exploit,” Coach Behnke said. “Other than that, we are going to take care of our side of the net. We are going to make sure that we’re putting up those good blocks, play good defense, and continue to serve the ball well.”
The Regional Championship matchup will be held at Lancer Circle at 4 P.M. Saturday.
Valders will be hosting Brillion at 7 p.m. Saturday, with the winners of these matchups battling in a Sectional Round opener next Thursday night.
Other Division 3 matchups found Kiel taking down Wrightstown, Brillion knocking off Chilton, and Valders beating Southern Door.
In Division 1 matchups from around the area, Manitowoc Lincoln saw its season come to an end at the hands of Neenah in straight sets, as did Sheboygan South, which fell to Hamilton.
In Division 2, Two Rivers lost to Fox Valley Lutheran, Sheboygan Falls fell to Kewaskum, Plymouth’s season ended at the hands of Winneconne, and Denmark lost to Freedom.
The only local team to advance was Howards Grove, which knocked off Campbellsport.
And in Division 4, Roncalli advanced with a win over Lourdes Academy, Sheboygan Lutheran bested Kohler, Sheboygan Christian beat Kenosha Christian Life, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah lost to Sevastopol, and Hilbert fell to Montello.
