BRODHEAD - Senior outside hitter Kylie Moe couldn't fight back the tears.
Moe hugged each of her teammates one last time after the Brodhead High School volleyball team's season came to a stunning end with a four-set loss to Mineral Point in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal Thursday.
Second-seeded Brodhead (23-16) dominated the first set rolling to a 25-14 win behind strong play at the net from Moe, senior Amber Pickel and sophomore Erin Nyhus. The third-seeded Pointers then outdueled the Cardinals to win three straight sets 25-18, 25-23, 25-16.
"Mineral Point is a good team," said Moe, who had a team-high 16 kills and 22 digs. "We killed ourselves. They (Mineral Point) didn't earn a lot of their points. The loss is on our side."
The Cardinals jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first set on kills by Moe and Nyhus. Brodhead freshman Abbey Johnson then delivered an ace, and Nyhus had a kill to give the Cardinals a 15-7 lead. It's a lead the Cardinals didn't relinquish.
"We served tough in that first set," Brodhead coach Erin Kammerer said. "Our serving was the best I have seen all year in that first set."
Johnson racked up a team-best 43 assists and five aces for the Cardinals. The Cardinals had several passes go into or too close to the net in the second set, and the Pointers took advantage. The second set was a see-saw affair until Mineral Point junior Destinee Kruser notched an ace, and the Cardinals were called for a net violation to give the Pointers an 18-16 lead. Mineral Point junior Jalissa Weier then powered down a kill to give the Pointers a 22-17 lead.
"We needed to serve stronger and pass better," Kammerer said. "We always have problems when we can't pass the ball. We spent a lot of time on defense. We can't defend all night. We had to come out at them."
The Cardinals got spikes from Pickel and Moe to help build a 21-15 lead in the third set. The Pointers rallied behind Weier's six straight service points. Mineral Point senior Clara Chambers, who had a team-high 15 kills, had a kill late in the set to give the Pointers a 23-22 lead. The Cardinals had a hit go into the net, and junior Sydney Staver scored on a tip late in the set to give the Pointers a big comeback win.
"We didn't get as many strong serves," Moe said. "That's volleyball. It just didn't go our way the rest of the night. Abbey Johnson was flying all over. We just didn't get a good pass to her to set so our hits weren't as strong."
The Pointers used the momentum from the third set to roll in the final set. Mineral Point cruised out to a 15-7 lead sparked by kills from Chambers and Weier and an ace from senior Carly Tibbits.
Pickel scored on a tip and Weier answered with a kill to give the Pointers a 17-9 lead. A Staver ace gave the Pointers a 19-10 lead. Kammerer used a timeout, but the Cardinals never got back on track.
"Then it's all about mental toughness," Kammerer said. "Our physical capability is the same as theirs. We had to fight for one point at a time. We didn't play well enough to come out with a win."
Pickel posted 12 kills. Brodhead senior Blake Boegli had 19 digs and Nyhus had 18 digs. The Cardinals had six seniors they relied on throughout the season.
"Going to state is something we will never forget," Moe said of the Cardinals' achievement two years ago when she was a sophomore. "This is the closest knit group of girls I have ever been a part of in high school volleyball. I will never forget them."
Kammerer wasn't prepared to say good bye to her seniors.
"Amber and Kylie have been varsity players for four years," she said. "All of the seniors will be hard to replace."
Moe hugged each of her teammates one last time after the Brodhead High School volleyball team's season came to a stunning end with a four-set loss to Mineral Point in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal Thursday.
Second-seeded Brodhead (23-16) dominated the first set rolling to a 25-14 win behind strong play at the net from Moe, senior Amber Pickel and sophomore Erin Nyhus. The third-seeded Pointers then outdueled the Cardinals to win three straight sets 25-18, 25-23, 25-16.
"Mineral Point is a good team," said Moe, who had a team-high 16 kills and 22 digs. "We killed ourselves. They (Mineral Point) didn't earn a lot of their points. The loss is on our side."
The Cardinals jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first set on kills by Moe and Nyhus. Brodhead freshman Abbey Johnson then delivered an ace, and Nyhus had a kill to give the Cardinals a 15-7 lead. It's a lead the Cardinals didn't relinquish.
"We served tough in that first set," Brodhead coach Erin Kammerer said. "Our serving was the best I have seen all year in that first set."
Johnson racked up a team-best 43 assists and five aces for the Cardinals. The Cardinals had several passes go into or too close to the net in the second set, and the Pointers took advantage. The second set was a see-saw affair until Mineral Point junior Destinee Kruser notched an ace, and the Cardinals were called for a net violation to give the Pointers an 18-16 lead. Mineral Point junior Jalissa Weier then powered down a kill to give the Pointers a 22-17 lead.
"We needed to serve stronger and pass better," Kammerer said. "We always have problems when we can't pass the ball. We spent a lot of time on defense. We can't defend all night. We had to come out at them."
The Cardinals got spikes from Pickel and Moe to help build a 21-15 lead in the third set. The Pointers rallied behind Weier's six straight service points. Mineral Point senior Clara Chambers, who had a team-high 15 kills, had a kill late in the set to give the Pointers a 23-22 lead. The Cardinals had a hit go into the net, and junior Sydney Staver scored on a tip late in the set to give the Pointers a big comeback win.
"We didn't get as many strong serves," Moe said. "That's volleyball. It just didn't go our way the rest of the night. Abbey Johnson was flying all over. We just didn't get a good pass to her to set so our hits weren't as strong."
The Pointers used the momentum from the third set to roll in the final set. Mineral Point cruised out to a 15-7 lead sparked by kills from Chambers and Weier and an ace from senior Carly Tibbits.
Pickel scored on a tip and Weier answered with a kill to give the Pointers a 17-9 lead. A Staver ace gave the Pointers a 19-10 lead. Kammerer used a timeout, but the Cardinals never got back on track.
"Then it's all about mental toughness," Kammerer said. "Our physical capability is the same as theirs. We had to fight for one point at a time. We didn't play well enough to come out with a win."
Pickel posted 12 kills. Brodhead senior Blake Boegli had 19 digs and Nyhus had 18 digs. The Cardinals had six seniors they relied on throughout the season.
"Going to state is something we will never forget," Moe said of the Cardinals' achievement two years ago when she was a sophomore. "This is the closest knit group of girls I have ever been a part of in high school volleyball. I will never forget them."
Kammerer wasn't prepared to say good bye to her seniors.
"Amber and Kylie have been varsity players for four years," she said. "All of the seniors will be hard to replace."
