ONALASKA — She broke up the flowing tears with hugs from friends and teammates and pictures with those who wanted them.
Onalaska Luther High School senior Kayla Schiebel was having a tough time comprehending what her volleyball had just accomplished in the biggest match it has ever played.
The second-seeded Knights, who were playing in their first WIAA sectional in 30 years, had just raised the bar on a magical season once again by coming from behind to beat fourth-seeded Aquinas 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 16-14 in a Division 3 sectional semifinal.
Luther (20-10) sent its home crowd into pandemonium by winning the final four points of the fifth set and giving the program a chance to become a state qualifier for the first time.
The noise level in the gym seemed to rise with every point throughout the night of a very close match.
All of that was difficult for Schiebel to sum up in her emotional state after the victory.
“That was exactly what you want in a volleyball match, right?” she asked after wiping away those tears of joy. “We played great competition, and we played our best.
“The fight and drive that came from our team was incredible. We had to earn that win, and I’m so proud of my girls and my team for getting that win.”
The Knights advance to play Marshall, a second seed from the other side of the bracket, in a 7 p.m. sectional final at Richland Center on Saturday.
Marshall (26-10) knocked off top-seeded Mineral Point in three sets on Thursday to earn its spot in the sectional final.
The Knights faced a two-point deficit on six occasions in the fifth set and were down 14-12 after a hitting error moved the Blugolds (16-15) within one point of the victory.
Sophomores Audrey Clark and Tessa Gloede made big plays down the stretch to keep the Knights in the match and give themselves a chance to make program history on Saturday.
Luther had four players reach double figures in kills and beat Aquinas with a balanced effort.
Sophomore Cara Unke had a team-high 19 and was followed by Schiebel’s 16, Clark’s 15 and Gloede’s 10.
The Knights also did the best they could with Aquinas senior Sammy Davis, who finished with a match-high 31 kills.
“It was a battle by rotation,” Luther coach Dan Larson said. “In that first set, we set up our blockers to take her out, which they did. But they battled back by changing their rotations so that didn’t line up.
“We got the last two rotations where that lined up again, so that helped us.”
Davis also had 11 digs and three service aces. Senior Alaina Elias had 16 kills, junior Adi Bezemek 56 assists and 15 digs and junior Aubrey Coyne a team-high 28 digs for the Blugolds, who placed second in last year’s Division 3 state tournament.
Junior Addie Schaper had 55 assists and 29 digs for the Knights, who have won four straight matches and beat Aquinas twice this season.
Senior Kamryn Anderson had 19 digs, and sophomore Natalie Hackbarth and senior Marlie Krause had 10 each. Schaper added six aces and Gloede seven blocks.
It was an impressive performance for a young team that is maybe achieving quicker than anyone anticipated.
Schiebel said she was immediately impressed by the younger players on the team but wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of success.
“I was a little nervous because we had so many young sophomores,” she said. “But I am so proud of every single one of them because they stepped up and have done such an amazing job with their roles and playing amazingly, especially in high-pressure situations like this.
“That’s something that comes naturally, and it’s been amazing.”
