Sophomore Morgan Jost was in a position that most, if not all, athletes dream of being in. The ball is in their hands, and they can win and send their team to the state tournament.
That’s precisely what spelled out last Saturday as Jost served, up 15-14 in the fifth and deciding set against Heritage Christian of New Berlin in Kohler’s WIAA Division Four Sectional finals.
She let it go in pure silence and untouched when the ball landed on the opposite side of the floor, scoring it a service ace.
As a result, Manitowoc Lutheran punched its first ticket to The WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament since 2009.
They’ll play The Running Rebels of Wabeno/Laona Thursday morning in a Division Four State Semifinal at The Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
Jost describes her mindset to Seehafer Sports before that serve.
“I just thought to myself, I got this; I just relaxed, relied on all my training, and before I served, I just said to myself, I got this.”
The Lancers arguably had the most challenging road to state, defeating top-ranked Living Word Lutheran of Jackson and the third-ranked Patriots to make it to the Resch.
Sophomore Brook Duveneck on whether she’ll ever forget those matches from last weekend.
“Honestly, I think no. Matches like that provide life lessons you can learn from, especially to keep grinding even when the chips are down and things are not going your way.”
The Lancers are 36 and 7 and the top seed in The Division Four state field. Junior Olivia Martin says they’re successful beyond having great chemistry on the court.
“I think we are all great friends, both on and off the court. That helps all of us. No matter what happens, our Lord will always support us.” Martin adds—
We also have an excellent support system with everyone at school, our friends, and our families. We are blessed to have so many people with our backs, no matter what.”
Junior Abby Behnke is confident heading into Thursday’s state semifinal against The Running Rebels.
“I think that if we play our absolute best, I feel we have the ability to win a state championship.”
Head Coach Lacy Behnke concurs, adding that “state is a different animal” and that the mentally most formidable team will likely prevail.
“We were facing elimination twice against two of the top three teams in the state (at sectionals), and they found a way to dig down deep, show a lot of grit, and prevail. Behnke continues—
“If we handle and deal with adversity when it comes our way, we’ll be just fine.”
The match is at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. A victory would send the Lancers into the Division Four State championship match against Regis (Eau Claire) or Mineral Point on Saturday morning at 11:30.
