Florence senior Kamdan Johnson (3) slams a kill past Niagara’s Raegan Frappier (10) on Thursday at Florence High School in WIAA Division 5 sectional action. (Sean Chase/Daily News photo)

FLORENCE, Wis. — Every time Niagara and Florence meet up, you can expect an electric atmosphere.

Throw in a chance at a sectional title and all the pomp and circumstance that comes with Halloween, and everyone in the Florence High School gym were in for a treat on Thursday as the LadyCats and Badgers faced off in a varsity volleyball match.

Florence used the energy in the gym to its advantage and picked up a 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-16) win over Niagara in the WIAA Division 5 sectional semifinals.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the effort that my girls put in, from start to finish, there was total effort all the time,” coach Chrisman said. “Volleyball is such a game of momentum, it really is. When you have a gym full of people that are supporting you, you can see it on girls’ faces.”

While the LadyCats thrived in the raucous environment, the Badgers struggled to find their footing early on.

“I thought in the first set, we just really didn’t show up,” Niagara head coach Maryellen Allred said. “I felt like we let the atmosphere of the gym get to us. And then we did show up. When it comes down to it, Florence outplayed us. They found holes in our defense and hit them. They did a great job of doing that.

“I think we put it all out there and that is something I’m happy with.”

Although they’re heated rivals on the court, Allred is rooting for the LadyCats as they push for a state semifinals appearance.

“I really respect Teresa (Chrisman) and I hope that they can make a push to the state level from this area,” Allred added.

Prior to the start of the match, coach Chrisman kept her message to the team simple.

“We have very strong hitters and we need to set that up and slam it,” coach Chrisman said.

Senior Kamdan Johnson opened the first set with a kill, sending the gym into a frenzy. Then with the LadyCats holding a 7-4 advantage, Johnson stepped to the service line. She held serve for 11-straight points, including three aces and the lead ballooned to 16-4.

“Kamdan (Johnson) is an all-state player,” coach Chrisman said. “She was honorable mention, last year, as a junior. … She’s just the real deal.”

Kelsi Chrisman added two kills down the stretch and then Johnson slammed the door shut on the Badgers with a big block, securing a 25-13 win in the first set.

The second set started like the first with Florence taking the lead as Johnson tallied three early kills. Kelsi Chrisman and Ashlyn VanDenHeuvel got in on the action with kills of their own. But, despite falling behind early, Niagara was ready for a fight and back-to-back kills from Mallory Sanicki gave it an 18-17 lead.

“These girls are resilient,” Allred said. “I think they have determination and grit.

“They are capable of fighting a battle and unfortunately things didn’t go our way.”

Florence took advantage of an attack error from the Badgers a few points later, then Audrey Franz added an ace to give the LadyCats a 24-22 advantage. Johnson tapped over the final kill as Florence took the second frame, 25-23.

The LadyCats started off the third set on fire as Johnson tallied four early kills, propelling Florence to a 4-2 lead. She tallied nine kills in the set and the LadyCats locked up a 3-0 win over Niagara.

Johnson led all players with 18 kills. She also tallied four aces, 11 digs and three solo blocks.

Florence also received contributions from Kelsi Chrisman (9 digs, 7 kills), Sammie DeMuri (3 kills, 5 digs), Ashlyn VanDenHeuvel (9 kills), Miley VanDenHeuvel (3 kills, 2 assists, 4 digs), Franz (4 assists, 1 ace, 9 digs) and Naomi Millian (2 kills, 2 assists, 1 ace, 5 digs).

Rachel Walker led the Badgers with six kills. She also tallied an ace, two blocks and eight digs.

Niagara also received contributions from Elesia Sweig (1 kill, 7 assists, 7 digs), Raegan Frappier (2 kills, 8 assists, 9 digs), Peyton Allred (2 aces, 1 kill, 10 digs), Grace Payette (6 digs), Bristol Sanicki (5 kills, 1 block, 1 assist, 2 digs), Addison Wheeler (4 digs) and Alivia Kleikamp (1 dig).

Now the LadyCats turn their attention to the sectional championship match, today against Newman Catholic at 6 p.m. The last time Florence was in this position was 2017 when it fell to Newman Catholic. However, this time it will be on the LadyCats home court.

“They’ve been a thorn in Florence’s side for most of the volleyball banners up here,” coach Chrisman said motioning to the walls adorned with banners commemorating Florence’s success. “And the biggest thing is that we’re hosting it.

“This is history. We’re trying to make history and I think we have a shot.”

NORDICS 3,

KNIGHTS 0

NORWAY — After rallying for a five-set win earlier in the week, the North Dickinson varsity volleyball team took its talents to Norway on Thursday looking to end the regular season on a high note.

Although they started slow, the Nordics found their footing and picked up a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 26-24) win over the Knights at Norway High School.

“We came out a little flat and weren’t quite prepared for Norway to play as scrappy as they did; we had stretches where we had a significant lead and Norway was able to make a comeback,” North Dickinson head coach Taylor Johnson said. “Norway played a tough defensive game and really made us earn this win. Cami Sleeter and Aubrey Applekamp both had big hitting nights at the net; Raina Ledzian did a great job getting the ball to our hot hitters.

Senior Jessica Harwath led the way for the Nordics with six aces. She also tallied three kills, two assists and 10 digs.

“Jessica Harwath showed a lot of leadership,” Johnson added. “She was positive, encouraging, and played smart.

“She was perfect from the serving line, and was able to fire off four in a row to secure the third set and the match for us when we were down 22-24.”

North Dickinson also received contributions from Hailee Siegler (1 kill, 4 digs, 1 ace), Aubrey Applekamp (8 kills, 1 assist, 1 dig, 1 ace), Dakota Massie (3 kills, 4 digs, 2 aces), Maddie Miller (1 dig, 1 ace), Hope Schuiteman (1 dig), Raina Ledzian (5 kills, 25 assists, 9 digs, 1 block, 5 aces), Nadia Carpenter (1 dig), Kiira Ledzian (2 kills, 15 digs, 1 ace), Cami Sleeter (11 kills, 1 dig, 1 block) and Mary Grace Holmes (6 digs, 2 aces).

North Dickinson is back in action on Monday in the MHSAA Division 4 District 99 opener against North Central.