The Union volleyball team is just one match away from the Class 3A State Championship -- and they must face one of the teams that battled them most fiercely all season to win it. The Knights will play Dike-New Hartford at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow in the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. On Oct. 1, Union hosted the Lady Wolverines, and escaped with a 3-2 win, one of only two 5-game matches the Knights played all season. The Knights advanced to the finals with Thursday's 4-game win over Mount Vernon, the only Class 3A team to defeat Union this season. Union lost the first game 16-25, but came back to win the next 3. After taking Game 2, 25-20, the Knights had to play extra tie-breaking points to win the last two games, 29-27 and 32-30. Dike New Hartford won its semi-final match over Kuemper Catholic, 25-22, 25-23 and 29-27. Against the Mustangs, Maggie Driscol was successful on 18 of 20 serve attempts, while Jackie Barz was 17-for-18 in that department. Megan Hudson again led Union with 26 kills, with Peyton Parker one behind at 25. All four will be among six Knight seniors hoping to end their careers with a W.
"Mount Vernon definitely showed up to play and I am super proud that we were able to match and exceed that intensity," said Barz. "We know D-NH well and are prepared for what they'll bring and are confident that if we play our best volleyball, we have a good chance of reaching our ultimate goal."
Many Union fans wear shirts with the theme of this year's season printed in big letters on the back: "REDEMPTION." Beating the team that earlier defeated them is one more step toward that goal.
"It felt amazing to end up on top of MV this time," says Barz. "The one thing on our mind this post-season has been redemption, and this was another example of just that. I'm just really thankful to get another day of playing the sport with some of my best friends. The opportunity to end your season with a win is one that very few teams get, and I'm excited to see what we can do tomorrow."
See Thursday's game stats HERE.