By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
11:55 a.m. – Catholic Central comments from coach MaeMae Oberhofer: “It was nervewracking, but we pulled it out. Luck was a really good team. I told them, ‘We beat ourselves game one.'”
CCHS senior Kelly Gould on the trip back to the state championship match (the third in a row for the Lady Toppers): “It feels amazing, oh my gosh. We wanted it, but we didn’t expect it. Now that it’s here, it’s such a surreal experience.”
Maggie Smith finished with 16 kills for CCHS, while Megan Wadsworth had 15. Bella Nelson led Luck with 19 kills.
11:31 a.m. – NOW it’s a wrap, 25-22 CCHS in set four.
11:29 a.m. – CCHS looked to have this one wrapped up, but Luck is making one final run with CCHS at match point. The Lady Toppers call timeout after a string of errors has Luck within 24-21.
11:13 a.m. – Off a brutal spike by Maggie Smith, CCHS leads 7-2 in set four. Luck can’t seem to buy a good pass or hit right now, and CCHS is riding a huge wave of emotion.
11:06 a.m. – The wheels completely came off for Luck in a stretch where the Cardinals just could not get a ball in bounds or over the net. Luck tried to close the gap last, but CCHS libero Ali Wiemer got good speed on a send over the net, and it rolled off the Luck defender in the back row for set, CCHS, 25-17.
Wausau Newman, meanwhile, swept Hillsboro, winning the first set in a battle and then cruising in the next two.
11:00 a.m. – And just like that, CCHS has reeled off eight of the last nine points, and leads 16-11. Both teams have stepped up the level of play now, working hard to find holes in the defense.
10:55 a.m. – CCHS trails 10-8 in set three after Luck’s Bella Nelson pounded a hit from the back row that just caught the line. It’s timeout, Catholic Central.
10:45 a.m. – After the Catholic Central timeout, the Lady Toppers reeled off four straight points, getting to game point on a spike kill by Maggie Smith that just caught the back line, and then winning the game on an illegal set by Luck, 25-19. We’re all even at one set.
10:42 a.m. – CCHS is hanging onto a small 21-19 lead in set two, as Luck’s Bella Nelson has come up with a handful of very hard kills, and Luck libero Jaimee Buck just served an ace.
10:23 a.m. – Well, Luck wins set one, 25-20. The Cardinals are playing very loose and very confident, while CCHS has given up several points on errors. The Lady Toppers did rally at the end of set one to make it close, so we’ll see how they come out in set two.
10:15 a.m. – CCHS calls another timeout, this time trailing 15-10. Luck is playing very loose, and the Lady Toppers are making a number of errors.
10:10 a.m. – After starting with an early lead, CCHS is struggling with some errors. The Lady Toppers call a timeout, trailing 10-7 to Luck.
9:59 a.m. – Introductions are being made. We should be starting momentarily.
9:50 a.m. – Teams are working through warm-ups now. Good news for Catholic Central: Megan Wadsworth, who sat out part of the sectional final with a knee injury, is cleared to play and is not wearing a brace. She looks pretty solid, as does the majority of the CCHS team. No nerves apparent – at least not yet.
9:20 a.m. – Good morning, folks. We are live here from the Resch Center in Green Bay, awaiting the WIAA Division 4 teams taking the court for the state semifinals.
Please refresh often for the latest updates.
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