In the Class A Wes-Del Regional championship Nov. 1, Lafayette Central Catholic eliminated No. 5 Wes-Del from tournament play 25-17, 20-25, 25-14, 26-24.
The match wasn't easy, but thanks to CC's Molly King and Whitney Brand, the team found the power needed to overcome a tough opponent. In the fourth game, Brand finished off a long rally with a huge spike past the Wes-Del defense. King followed up with two powerful spikes pushing the team to the title and on to the IHSAA state semifinals.
Brand's big kill was a motivation for the entire team. Her determination spread to her teammates and pumped them up for the final few points.
This is the second year in a row CC has beaten the Warriors in regional play; last season they came back from 2 games down and won in five games.
Despite their win, CC had 17 service errors, which they'll have to work on for play at the state level. However, their strong offense cancelled out the errors. Five players had at least five kills each, and Brand split three aces each with Kaitlin Hainje.
Warriors coach Chuck Wallen stated that the team had a hard time defending CC's big hitters.
Big hitters included Sami Gruse who led the Knights with 10 kills, Brand and Natalee Gruse who each collected nine and King with eight. Hainje added five more kills, while Sami Gruse and Burks combined for 37 assists for CC (35-2). King also rejected seven attacks.
The Knights advanced to the regional finals after a strong win against Rockville 25-12, 25-23, 25-8.