Prep volleyball: McDonell bests Immanuel in clash of titans for regional title
Oct. 24—AUGUSTA — McDonell and Immanuel Lutheran were both state volleyball qualifiers last fall, part of a stellar showing for the Chippewa Valley in the sport.
That wasn't possible this year with the state-ranked squads on a collision course in regionals. So when the two titans clashed in Saturday night's regional final, it had the makings of a match destined to go five sets. McDonell coach Kat Hanson could sense it.
"We were talking earlier about coming into the match and what it was going to look like," Hanson said. "We know that both of us are strong. We both have great programs. We both have different strengths and different weaknesses. So it was really about who could expose those and who could respond."
In the end, Hanson's Macks were just a smidge better. That slight advantage was enough to secure an upset and a bit of hardware.
McDonell scored the final two points of the evening, finishing off with an ace by Sydney Flanagan, to seal a 16-14 advantage in the decisive fifth set of a match moved to Augusta to accommodate a raucous crowd. In doing so, the third-seeded Macks were able to topple a No. 2 seed that boasted victories against multiple Big Rivers foes.
"It took all of us," Hanson said. "We made mistakes tonight and it took all of us to rebound from that. Immanuel is good. They have a great program, were down at state last year. It is unfortunate that we had to meet up before state. My heart hurts for them."
The Macks were tested the entire night, including in the final points of the match. McDonell broke a 10-10 tie with a four-point run, capped off with a kill by Marley Hughes to put the Macks a point away from securing a title. But Immanuel responded with four straight of its own. An Immanuel kill from Annie Oster made sure the match would last at least a point extra.
McDonell was able to handle the adversity, first with a kill from Hughes and then Flanagan's ace.
"I really didn't think it happened," Flanagan said. "I was like, 'Oh my god.' It was so much adrenaline. When it happened, it felt so good."
For Hanson, the match felt like her squad finally getting over a hurdle. There have been learning moments this season as players took on larger roles, as well as injuries to overcome. A 3-4 record in the Western Cloverbelt was far from the program's usual standards, but it put the girls in positions to improve.
"We had a lot of really close matches, a couple of really tough five-set losses," Hanson said. "Those moments prepared us for this moment. .. They didn't back down. We made mistakes down the end and we didn't fold. We kept fighting and digging deep. That's what playoff volleyball is all about."
Senior Destiny Baughman is among the players who have missed time, sitting out the last three weeks with an MCL injury. That added to her fire Saturday night.
"All I was thinking is, 'I don't want this to be my last game,'" Baughman said. "I have to do everything I can so that we can win this game."
Baughman led the Macks with 15 kills in addition to her 14 digs. Kait Ortmann was close behind with 14 kills, while Lauryn Deetz had 24 digs.
The match was close throughout, with McDonell capturing the first set 25-18 and Immanuel equalizing with a 25-23 win in the second. That pattern repeated, with McDonell winning the third 25-18 and Immanuel forcing a fifth with a 25-16 advantage.
"This time of year, I'd 100% of the time rather play in a game like that and lose than to not have the opportunity to play in it," Immanuel coach Joe Lau said. "I think they played their hearts out. I can't fault the effort. There were certainly some things we could have done better, but congratulations to McDonell. I thought they played really well. The first couple times we saw them we split, so we knew it would be a tight match tonight."
Immanuel graduates a stellar senior class in Marnie Schaller, Kitara Mielke, Faith Kazemba, Annie Oster, Riley Naumann, Allie Schierenbeck and Claire Schierenbeck. The group led the Lancers to their first WIAA state appearance in program history as juniors.
"In many ways it will be like starting over next year," Lau said. "They left a legacy for some of our younger players. ... It's just been a nice thing for our school to rally around."
The winner of McDonell and Immanuel was expected to face an enormous challenge in the sectional semifinals with Turtle Lake looming. The Lakers are the No. 1 ranked Division 4 team in the state according to the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association, but they were upset by No. 4 Clear Lake in four sets Friday.
That means McDonell will host the sectional semifinal on Thursday.
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McDonell 3, Immanuel Lutheran 2
McDonell def. Immanuel 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 16-25, 16-14.
McDonell leaders: Destiny Baughman 15 kills, 14 digs, Kait Ortmann 14 kills, 3 aces, Lauryn Deetz 24 digs, 4 aces, Sydney Flanagan 19 digs. Immanuel leaders: Annie Oster 25 kills, Riley Naumann 20 kills, Claire Schierenbeck 13 kills, Annie Schierenbeck 28 assists, Faith Kazemba 30 digs.
