BARNEVELD — A first-time trip to the Resch will have to wait another season for Argyle as it suffered a loss to Central Wisconsin Christian in a Division 5 Sectional final on Oct. 31, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18. The run was also the deepest for the Orioles in program history.
The No. 2 seeded Orioles (22-7) looked to avenge a set one loss where they were consistently within a few points of a tie-or-lead, including starting the night on a trio of points thanks to a Claire Holmes ace, a block from Jade Wellnitz, and an attack from the No. 1 seeded Crusaders (30-8) that flew out of bounds. Just as Argyle opened the first frame, owning three of the first five points, it also was responsible for three of the final four points. Holmes and Avari Steiner got a kill and a block, respectively, to climb within one point, 23-22, while a dig error and a kill from CWC sent away the first.
The most dominating set performances came in the even sets.
The Crusaders carved out an ace complimented by an Orioles block that flew into the uprights, while CWC also sent a serve into the net. Argyle flew into action largely behind the actions of First Team All-Conference senior Brooke Wellnitz who paired two kills with a block ahead of an ace from Brynn Harris. The Crusaders needed to regroup, and called a timeout as the Orioles had the girls in blue and gold on their heels with a 6-2 advantage.
More points came in favor of Argyle as CWC hit an attack into the net alongside a kill from Brooke Wellnitz on a free ball before the No. 1 seed flexed got to work trimming the split methodically. A 9-2 run for the Crusaders put the set at risk of flipping altogether, but Butler’s squad was tenacious. The Orioles were the first to clear 20 points, again thanks in part late to four kills from Brooke Wellnitz, eliciting a CWC timeout as it stared at a 20-16 split.
The Crusaders quickly trimmed the difference to one point out of the stoppage, but Argyle got help in a big way thanks to one kill from Haleigh Fish, and two by Jade Wellnitz. Bookending the kills, and ending the set, was a serve into the net and an attack flying out of bounds from CWC.
The Orioles were the first into double digit scoring in the third frame as well, 10-7, capped again by a Crusaders error with points from Brooke Wellnitz, Holmes, and Fish interspersed. A resulting timeout finally worked for CWC as it flipped the lead on a 6-2 run, and the slugfest was on.
Following a Crusaders error that tied the set at 17-17, errors were almost exclusively responsible for Argyle’s point gains to the end of the frame. The lone exclusion was thanks to a Fish kill. The Orioles were also only directly responsible for three points to the final rally — Fish’s aforementioned kill, as well as an attack flying out of bounds and one into the net.
CWC moved into the fourth set with confidence as it cracked open a 10-5 run from the start. Thankfully, Argyle wasn’t ready to leave yet. Points came mostly at the hand of six kills from Brooke Wellnitz, as well as an ace from Holmes, and a Crusaders attacking error. Suddenly, a 13-13 tie showed on the scoreboard.
Unfortunately, CWC then flashed the strength a state-bound team should. The Orioles needed to burn their final timeout following a 5-1 run to attempt slowing the bleeding, but it didn’t work. Brooke Wellnitz split a pair of Crusaders kills, before CWC closed out the match on a 5-2 run.
To reach the sectional final, Argyle defeated rival and Six Rivers East champion Barneveld in a four-set thriller on Oct. 29, 24-26, 31-29, 25-14, 25-17.
Wellnitz had 25 kills and 26 digs. Steiner dished out 42 assists, Haleigh Fish paired seven kill so go with eight digs, Brynn Harris accumulated 21 digs, Claire Holmes tallied six kills and four aces, Ellie Coffee finished with 11 digs and six aces, and Elise Kuebli added 12 digs.
“It was an exciting night,” said Argyle coach Jen Butler, adding she was very proud of the way her team came out and played. “They worked hard and it was a great team effort. Everyone had moents where they came through with big plays. They came back the second set and didn’t give up. That was a big set for us to win. They took the momentum from there and kept pushing through.”
