After winning its first regional title since 2015, the Union Grove High School girls volleyball captured a WIAA Division 1 sectional championship, with punches the Broncos ticket to the state tournament in 34 years.
The top-seeded Broncos, who swept No. 4 Muskego in Thursday’s sectional semifinal at Racine Case, needed four sets to put away third-seeded Kenosha Indian Trail Saturday at Waterford.
Union Grove (41-5), which last appeared at a state tournament in 1985, bounced back from a 27-25 first set loss to Indian Trail to win the next three sets, 25-16, 25-18, 26-24.
“Set one was back and forth between the teams. We weren’t able to keep the serve,” said Broncos coach Annie Sireno.
“Lainy Pettit put up a huge block totaling eight for the night.”
Pettit also added six kills, seven behind team-leader Olivia Dir, who contributed 14 kills as well as 12 digs.
While setter Karlee Lois set the tone on offense, pitching in 29 assists, she added 21 digs, six kills and three blocks.
Defensively, libero Kelsey Henderson dove in for 26 digs, adding five assists.
Bailey Berger contributed at the service line, where she had four aces, chipping in 11 kills and 15 digs.
“Our team stepped up our serving to get them out of their rotation especially freshmen Sydney Ludvigsen,” Sireno said. “She had 11 attempts during set 2 which helped us get a lead.”
Meanwhile, in Thursday’s sectional semifinal, the Broncos defeated Muskego, 25-18, 25-23, 25-17.
Pettit made big contributions, accounting for 11 kills and one block. She produced a .562 hitting percentage.
“Lainy Pettit and Karlee Lois really connected during sets 2 and 3,” Sireno said. “Lainy played very well for us tonight and was unstoppable in the middle. Karlee did a nice job mixing up the offense.”
For Lois, she added 38 assists, nine digs and eight kills.
Dir added 15 kills and seven digs.
Other contributors were Henderson (15 digs), Berger (eight kills, six digs), Ludvigsen (seven kills) and Allison Lentz (six digs).
See the full story in the Nov. 8 edition of the Westine Report.
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