Florence, Niagara to play for regional VB crown
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Florence will host Niagara at 7 tonight in a WIAA Division 5 volleyball regional championship game.
Playing home matches Thursday, the LadyCats and Lady Badgers advanced through their semifinals with 3-0 sweeps. Florence, the top seed in the region, defeated White Lake 25-5, 25-11, 25-10.
White Lake had advanced with a 27-25, 25-17, 26-24 victory at Goodman-Pembine on Tuesday.
Niagara on Thursday defeated Elcho 25-22, 25-20, 25-13. In its sweep, the Badgers did an excellent job of finding holes in Elcho’s defense and serve receive, coach Maryellen Allred said.
“We had players who showed up in out-of-system plays to keep the ball alive,” she added. “There were some incredible hustle plays that continued to fuel our fire.”
The Lady Badgers entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed while Elcho was No. 5.
“After losing to them in the regular season, we had a lot to prove,” Allred said. “The team stayed consistent and focused on their mission.”
Niagara stats:
Grace Payette, 7 aces, 1 assist, 6 digs
Lily Steinbrecher, 1 kill, 18 assists, 5 digs
Jaelyn Kleikamp, 7 kills, 1 assist, 4 digs
Bristol Sanicki, 2 aces, 7 kills, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 3 digs
Peyton Allred, 6 aces, 4 kills, 8 digs
Lexi Johnston, 2 kills, 2 digs
Sydney Swanson, 1 kill, 10 digs