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Waterloo and Regis are two teams who are not used to playing in 5 set matches.  The 5 set thriller they put on in a Division 3 state semifinal game will be one to remember.  Waterloo will have a chance to defend their Division 3 state championship tomorrow after defeating Eau Claire Regis 3-2 (25-14, 24-26, 13-25, 25-16, 15-13).

The Mosher sisters put on a show Friday afternoon.  Waterloo’s sophomore setter Claire Mosher and her senior sister Madeline Mosher helped lead their team to the win.  Claire finished with 48 assists and 13 digs, while her sister Madeline slammed the ball home with 41 kills and 25 digs.  Madeline broke the Division 3 state record for total attempts in a 5 set match with 87, breaking the previous record held by Megan VanTatenhove (Oostburg) in 2007.  The two sisters have both already committed to playing together in college at Marquette University.

Waterloo came out firing on all cylinders in the 1st set, gaining a 10-3 lead early.  Regis answered back though with big plays by senior outside hitter, Tori Matson.  Ultimately Waterloo would prevail and take the 1st set 25-14.

The 2nd set appeared to be much of the same at first; Claire Mosher setting up her sister Madeline for some monster kills.  Slowly but surely Regis stuck around though and took their first lead of the set 22-21.  After being tied at 24-24, Regis was able to win the set 26-24 thanks to an ace by Tori Matson and a huge kill by senior Shae Brey.

In the 3rd set Regis was finally able to get their offense going like they are used to.  The Ramblers started running the offense through Shae Brey, the state’s 2nd leading player in kills with 598.  Regis took the 3rd set 25-13 over Waterloo.

Going into the 4th set, Waterloo head coach Scott Schumann said he could feel the positive energy in the huddle.  Waterloo pulled away midway through the set and never looked back.  Madeline Mosher got the last 3 points for the Pirates on massive kills, the last of which ended up in the crowd.  Waterloo won the 4th 25-16.

Waterloo carried over the momentum to being the 5th set.  The Pirates never did trail in the 5th, but did have their 11-5 lead get trimmed down to 14-13 after a Shae Brey block.  In fitting fashion, Madeline Mosher put the ball down to end the set and match 15-13.

Regis senior and Butler basketball recruit, Shae Brey had a fantastic match with 22 kills.  Also Tori Matson, Grace Gilles, Alexis Schaffer, and Amber Darge played major roles in the Ramblers great effort.

Waterloo head coach Scott Schumann knew his team would not be denied, he said they trusted and loved each other enough in the end to get the job done.

In a 5 set match that lasted 2 hours, Lake Country Lutheran was able to prevail over Lourdes Academy 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12) to advance to the Division 3 state championship game.

Lake Country Lutheran brought their best game Friday afternoon, and they needed it.  Sophomore outside hitter, Brooke Andersen packed a punch towards the Lourdes Academy back row.  Andersen ended up with 28 kills and 12 digs for the match.

The entire match was filled with multiple lead changes.  Lake Country Lutheran led most of the 1st set, but Lourdes stuck in their strong and won the set 25-22.  After a Lake Country Lutheran service error, Lourdes took the momentum and completed the comeback.

Lake Country Lutheran was in control of most of the 2nd set.  Trailing most when they were down 3-6.  Lake Country Lutheran used long runs to eventually get them the 25-18 2nd set victory.

The 3rd set featured numerous tied scores and lead changes.  Every time you looked up at the scoreboard it seemed like a different team was leading.  Lake Country Lutheran was able to pull away late though.  Kills at critical times by Brooke Andersen and freshman Jennifer O’Keefe helped put an end to the 3rd set 25-20.

The 4th set was a game of catch-up for Lourdes to keep their hopes alive.  Lourdes trailed most of the set until they went on a 10-4 run to cap off an impressive come from behind win.

The momentum was short lived though for Lourdes.  Brooke Andersen started off hot with a kill to open the 5th set, and Lake Country Lutheran never looked back.  Lake Country Lutheran took the 5th set 15-12.

Lourdes Academy senior setter and outside hitter, Sam Jaeke had a stellar performance on the state stage.  Jaeke totaled 25 kills, 8 assists, 7 aces, and 16 digs.  Jaeke, who will be heading to UW-Oshkosh next year, said playing at state was a great experience and is proud of how her team played.

Waterloo (33-11) will look to repeat as Division 3 state champions on Saturday against Lake Country Lutheran (37-5).  The Mosher sisters will have a challenge getting around Lake Country Lutheran’s blockers, but it is a task they are ready for.  Lake Country Lutheran will need a stellar effort from sophomore Brooke Andersen once again in order to capture their first ever state volleyball title.  The Division 3 state championship game will take place at 11:30 am on Saturday at the Resch Center.