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McDonell 3, Newman 1



Box Score



McDonell Central played a near-perfect match Saturday morning in the Division 4 State Championship at the Resch Center in Green Bay, topping Newman 25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 25-14 to earn a State title in its first ever appearance.



The Macks were led by Right Side Hitter Christi Schoch's 15 kills, while junior Outside Hitter Hannah Krejci and sophomore Middle Hitter Sarah Schoch added 11 kills apiece. Junior Setter Karley Wiensch tossed up 39 assists and added five kills in the match.



Newman's Schuster twins recorded double-digit kills once again for the Cardinals, with Andrea tallying 14 and Emily earning 10.



McDonell came in as the favorite, and asserted its offense in set one hitting a blistering .444 to earn a resounding victory to open the final.



Facing a 20-12 deficit in set two, Newman fought back to tie the game at 22 thanks to numerous hitting and communication errors on the McDonell side of the net. Once the momentum was lost, McDonell couldn't bring it back, as the Cardinals stormed to a three-point comeback win.



A refocused McDonell squad started set three on a 6-0 run before a kill from senior Middle Hitter Kaitlyn Ford finally broke the ice for Newman. The Cardinals looked out of synch in set three as they did for much of the match, yet as usual, scored its points in bunches. Those bunches were few and far between though as the Macks were too solid.



The Macks continued to pour it on in set four as they raced to a 10-5 lead. Zumbrock may be 5'3" but she can sure elevate from the Outside Hitter position. Three straight aces from Newman's Ford gave the Cardinals some momentum, but a Krejci kill put an end to the spurt. McDonell was simply too strong defensively and was able to put the ball down in the clutch, sealing the 3-1 victory.



Despite the loss, Newman earned its first State volleyball hardware this season with its semifinal upset victory over Highland.



Game Ball: Junior Outside Hitter Hannah Krejci registered 11 kills, 15 digs, two assists and a block assists. Her hard cross-court swings were the go-to for McDonell down the stretch, as the Macks took home the Division 4 title.