Columbus Catholic defeats Newman to advance to the title game, Laona/Wabeno falls in the semifinals

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WSAW) – The Columbus Catholic volleyball team is just one win away from winning the state championship. The Dons defeated Newman 3-1 (19-25, 30-28, 25-23, 25-20) on Thursday to secure their spot in the D5 championship game.

Newman opened the match with momentum. The Cardinals won the first set 25-19, helped by a strong serve from Lily Shields midway through the set.

However, the dynamics of the game changed in the second set. Columbus, which had been virtually deadlocked since the 20-point mark, finally pulled away with a 28-28 lead and won the thriller 30-28. Two consecutive serves from Aubrey Waldhauser helped the Dons win the set and tie the game at 1-1.

With the momentum from the thrilling win in the second set, Columbus rallied to win the next two sets, winning the game and advancing to Saturday’s championship.

Shelby Spata led Columbus with 18 kills. Waldhauser scored ten kills himself. The Dons had 13 service aces in the match. Camille Sobolewski led the attack on Newman, recording 20 kills.

Columbus will now face Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran in the state title game on Saturday at 9 a.m

In the D4 bracket, Laoana/Wabeno ended its season in the state semifinals, losing to Manitowoc Lutheran 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18).

The rebels fell into a hole early on. After a first set tie at 7-7, Manitowoc Lutheran went on an 18-6 run to defeat Laoana/Wabeno.

Both the second and third sets were closer for the Rebels, but the Lancers had too many long runs to pull away and win each set, securing the win.

Brynn Yaeger led the Rebels with seven kills, while Lily Terry and Allison Albrecht each had six.

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