Prep volleyball: McDonell bests Mercer to return to state tournament
Oct. 31—CLEAR LAKE — Kait Ortmann didn't see her thundering kill that secured a state tournament berth for her McDonell Macks. But she sure felt it.
"I think I blacked out for a second," Ortmann said. "I swung and I saw that it was going in and just immediately closed my eyes. I felt everybody come around me and I was like, 'Oh my God, we just did it.'"
Ortmann's 10th kill of the night completed McDonell's improbable journey to a second straight Division 4 state volleyball tournament appearance, putting the finishing touches on a straight-set victory against No. 1 seed Mercer Saturday night in Clear Lake. It also ignited a celebration with the sectional championship trophy that started with the players and eventually included a sizable student section that made the long drive.
"Last year we got to state, but this year was a lot of hard work to get there," senior Lauryn Deetz said. "It was a lot different than last year."
McDonell entered the playoffs as a No. 3 seed after a somewhat disappointing regular season considering the program's high standards. The Macks went 3-4 in the Western Cloverbelt after posting a perfect 7-0 mark in 2020. They dealt with injuries and players adjusting to new roles, but they used the campaign as a learning opportunity. Come playoff time, they put those lessons to work.
The Macks were the beneficiary of a major upset in their sectional, avoiding a Turtle Lake team ranked No. 1 in the state by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association. But they still upended an Immanuel Lutheran group that went to state last year and had the talent to repeat, took down the Clear Lake squad that upset Turtle Lake and swept a No. 1 seed in Mercer Saturday night.
"Our journey to get to state has been a pretty crazy one," McDonell coach Kat Hanson said. "We've battled a lot of ups and downs and we've fought hard and battled together. We had a really tough sectional and we're fortunate to come out on top."
McDonell will head to the Resch Center in Green Bay alongside Wabeno/Laona, Wonewoc-Center and Monticello. The teams will be seeded at a later date.
The night started slowly for McDonell, with Mercer taking the first four points and six of the first seven. The Macks worked their way back to equalize at 14-14, then got up 18-14 as part of a 6-0 run. McDonell only trailed once the entire rest of the match, when Mercer took a 1-0 advantage at the start of the third set. Hanson's group did well to handle the Tigers' perseverance to seal a 25-20, 25-17, 25-18 triumph.
"A team like that, they get every ball up," Ortmann said. "It's annoying. You just have to keep hitting and hitting at them until they make a mistake."
Once again, McDonell could lean on prior experience.
"It was really similar to the Clear Lake feeling," Ortmann said. "We got down 9-0 to Clear Lake and still felt like we had a chance. It was the same thing. We knew that we could comeback if we just played our game."
Many players on this year's team got a taste of state last year, but it wasn't the full experience. The event was split up into multiple locations due to the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a more muted environment. Division 4 was played at Little Chute High School. This year the tournament has returned to its regular format.
"They don't know any different, so they don't know what to expect," Hanson said. "I know what it's going to be like, so it's going to be exciting to watch their reactions when we get down to the Resch Center when they see the big lights and the big venue and the big crowds. I'm excited for them. They worked hard for this. This was not an easy journey."
The players know enough to expect the Resch Center to be a step up.
"Last year it was amazing to go to state, but it was in a high school gym the size of (Clear Lake's)," Ortmann said. "To go to that stadium will be a really, really good feeling."
"This is like a whole new level," Deetz added. "We actually get to go down there and play in a really cool gymnasium and in front of a bunch of people where last year it was nothing like that. ... It gave us something a lot more to work for during the regular season."
------
McDonell 3, Mercer 0
McDonell def. Mercer 25-20, 25-17, 25-18.
McDonell leaders: Marley Hughes 12 kills, 3 blocks, Kait Ortmann 10 kills, Aubrey Dorn 10 kills, Lauryn Deetz 16 digs, 2 aces, Desi Baughman 8 kills, 11 digs, Sydney Flanagan 11 digs, 4 aces, Abby Bresina 12 digs.