RICHLAND CENTER — The Aquinas High School volleyball team let things get away from it a little bit during Saturday night’s WIAA Division 3 sectional championship match against Laconia.
The top-ranked Blugolds won the first set before losing the next two. They also trailed by four points late in the fourth before clawing their way back in for a 25-22, 19-25, 15-25, 25-21, 15-7 victory that put them in their first state tournament since 2019.
Junior outside hitter Sammy Davis took control of the end of the fourth set, and Aquinas (27-4) led from start to finish in the fifth to complete the comeback.
“I don’t know what it is, but these girls really like five-set games, I guess,” Aquinas first-year coach Danielle Dolan said. “This is surreal.
“We set this is a goal at the beginning of the season, and for it to be right in front of us now is awesome.”
The Blugolds will begin their state tournament at the Resch Center on Green Bay on Friday. The four qualifiers will be seeded and play at either 8 a.m. or the match that follows. The championship match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Senior Addy Foor led Aquinas with 26 kills and added 10 digs. She also had a couple of those kills as the Blugolds extended their lead in the fifth set.
Davis had 23 kills to go with 14 digs and four blocks. Senior Zoe Emineth led Aquinas with eight blocks, senior Tessa Miskowski had a team-high 21 digs, and senior Josie Lawton posted 48 assists with Foor and Davis as solid targets.
Emineth also had eight kills and six digs.
Aquinas found itself in a 19-15 hole in the fourth set as its season hung in the balance. Davis then asserted herself on the fifth-ranked Spartans. The score quickly moved to 20-20 before the Blugolds scored five of the last six to force the fifth set.
“When she plays loose and smart,” Dolan said, “a fire starts under her.
“That’s what happened tonight.”
The Blugolds, who emerged with the MVC championship, won their regional final and both sectional matches by going five sets.
Being forced there by Laconia (27-3) probably wasn’t a surprise after winning 60 matches the past two seasons. The Blugolds may also have not been quite as ready as they typically are.
“We had a lot of errors (in the second and third sets),” Dolan said. “That was the most nervous I’ve seen the girls play this season, and they’ve had some big moments.
“Some of those nerves came in, and we had to dig in really hard to loosen up.”
