CUBA CITY — No. 3 Brodhead (23-19, 5-5 Rock Valley) fell on the road in a WIAA Division 3 regional final to No. 2 Cuba City (28-3, 11-1 SWAL) on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Cubans won 25-15, 25-16, 25-13.

Cuban head coach Keri Lawson used one word to describe the team’s game plan coming into Saturday — balance.

“(Balance) is what’s worked for us all week,” Lawson said. “When we come up against other people nowadays, they say ‘so-and-so really turned it on’ and that’s the whole idea. They know Ella (Vosberg) and Lainey (Runde) are going to get the ball. All of the hitters in that six-two are firing.”

The 6-2 Lawson referred to is one of three common volleyball formations that teams deploy.

The first two sets opened almost exactly the same — both squads fought to a 4-4 head, with the Cubans coming out of the deadlock ahead and holding the lead.

Set one had Cuba City blast out to a 12-7 lead ahead of a Brodhead timeout, with a 5-3 run giving the Cubans a comfortable 17-10 lead.

Lawson signaled for the timeout as her squad sat eight points out from a set-one victory.

The break helped the Cubans compose and lock down the set, scoring in eight of the 14 rallies to start with a 1-0 set advantage.

Brodhead opened the second set with a similar intensity to the first, but Cuba City cranked up the pressure yet again.

Ella Vosberg and Lainey Runde were firing on all cylinders the entire game, and they helped keep the Cubans just ahead of a Cardinal squad keeping up through a 12-11 split favoring Cuba City.

The Cubans added another trio of points to nab their biggest lead in the second, 15-11, before locking down the rest of the set.

A 10-5 run ensured just one more win on the night would send Cuba City to a sectional semifinal showdown next Thursday.

To that end, the Cubans pressed Brodhead hard, opening a 9-4 lead over the Cardinals in set three.

Cuba City continued its dominant play throughout the third, reaching a 20-10 lead, and coasting to the match win on a 5-3 run that ended in a serving error from Brodhead.

Addison Yates was the dominant force at the net for Brodhead, tallying a team-high five kills with two blocks. A trio of players shared the setting duties — Makenna Schooff ( 6 asst), Paityn Kail (6 asst) and Addie Leifker (5 asst). Defensively, Jaelyn Hilliard and Allie Dahl kept sets alive with 13 and 17 digs, respectively.

Brodhead ends its season 15-14. The Cardinals have advanced to at least the regional final in the last six seasons.

BRODHEAD 3, BELLEVILLE 1

BRODHEAD — Brodhead advanced to the regional final against Cuba City with a regional semifinal win over Belleville on Thursday, Oct. 19. The Cardinals bested the Wildcats 16-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-23.

Yates and Brynn Riesterer paced the offense with 12 kills each, while Schooff distributed the ball with 18 assists. Five players contributed defensively with 10 or more digs — Dahl (22), Hilliard (22), Schooff (12) and Leah Rear (12).

— Natalie Dillon contributed to this story.