By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
The Royall volleyball team’s bid for its third straight regional title fell short Saturday night after it dropped a 3–2 decision to top-seeded Cashton in a Division 4 regional. championship.
Royall opened the match with a 25–22 win in the first set, but dropped the second 25–23. The back-and-forth continued, as the Panthers notched a 25–21 win in the third set, but then allowed Cashton to take the momentum in the fourth and win 25–14. The fifth set went the distance, but Cashton’s defense helped the Eagles to a 15–13 win.
McKenzie Baeseman landed 32 kills in the win, and Tais Gueye scored seven. Gueye also blocked four attacks and finished with a team-high 31 assists.
Baeseman led the team in digs (17), and Emma Herek had 16 and Gueye 15.
The loss ends Royall’s season at 22–12 overall.
Royall 3, Wonewoc-Center 0
Tais Gueye had 20 assists and six kills in Royall’s 3–0 sweep of Wonewoc-Center (25–13, 25–12, 25–12) in the opening round of regional play on Oct. 18.
McKenzie Baeseman scored a team-high 19 kills and five digs. Emily Olson had six of the team’s eight serving aces.
Royall 3, Hillsboro 1
For the third straight season, Royall ended rival Hillsboro’s season in volleyball. But this year the two teams met in a regional semifinal.
The Tigers came out to take game one 25–22, but couldn’t maintain their control over their opponent. Royall won the next three sets, 25–16, 25–19, 25–16, advancing to the regional final.
Leading all hitters, McKenzie Baeseman earned 32 kills on 70 attempts. Hillsboro’s Molly Crandall led the Tigers with 11 kills, and Jessica Mitchell added 10.
Baeseman and Emma Herek each had 15 digs; Tais Gueye had 26 assists to lead the team.