Division 2 and 3 Regional Recap: Madison-Area Teams Sectional Bound

<p>Several Madison area teams in Divisions 2 and 3 survived the first round of WIAA playoffs and will move to the next hurdle, sectionals. </p> <p>Unlike upset-minded Oregon in D1, there weren't many surprises in D2 and 3. Most of the teams expected to get past regionals did, but who has what it takes to get to state? </p> <p>Here's a look back at last week's regional action: </p> <p><strong>McFarland Survives Test With Mount Horeb </strong></p> <p>No. 1 seed McFarland was pushed to the limit in its regional title clash with Mount Horeb Oct. 20, but prevailed. </p> <p>The Spartans dropped the first two sets, but rallied to win the final three, 25-7, 25-17 and 15-9. Senior Ashley East pounded 14 kills, while 6-1 sophomore Katie Hildebrandt had 13. Junior Lizzy Fortune did a superb job setting up the offense with 30 assists. </p> <p>Sophomore Nina Crull had seven service aces and 12 digs. Junior Erin Eggers also had a standout night defensively with 13 digs. East also had nine digs. </p> <p>The Spartans had an easier task in their regional opener, disposing Wisconsin Dells 3-0 on Oct. 18. East had an impressive 18 kills and senior Izzy Grassl added 11. </p> <p>Eggers had 17 digs, while Crull had 16 and East had 14. Fortune also had a great night leading the offense with 35 assists. </p> <p>The Spartans (28-9) will play second-seeded Madison Edgewood Oct. 25 in the sectional semifinals. </p> <p><strong>Speaking of Edgewood,</strong> the Crusaders (28-19) also passed a stiff challenge to claim their regional crown. </p> <p>Edgewood nipped Platteville 3-2 on Oct. 20, taking the final set in a 20-18 nail-biter. The Crusaders stayed on the attack in all five sets. Freshman Natalie Ring had 27 kills, while senior Anna Mueller had 25. That's 52 kills between two players. Senior Ashley Arians added 11. </p> <p>On defense, the Crusaders also spread the wealth. Senior Caroline McNeil was unstoppable, collecting 25 digs. Juniors Liz Cook and Caroline Craig had 15 and 14, respectively. Mueller and junior Annabel Lewis each had 11. Craig also had a whopping 63 assists. </p> <p>In its first two regional matches, Edgewood barely broke a sweat, sweeping Adams-Friendship and Prairie du Chien 3-0. Against the Blackhawks, Mueller finished with 10 kills and eight digs and Craig had five service aces, nine digs and 26 assists. Arians added four blocks. </p> <p>Against Adams-Friendship, Mueller had 12 kills, Ring added five blocks and Lewis had 11 digs. Craig finished with 31 assists. </p> <p><strong>Lakeside Lutheran Knocks Out Rival </strong></p> <p>Also on Saturday, No. 2 Lakeside Lutheran escaped a threat from crosstown rival Lake Mills, winning 3-2. The Warriors prevailed 25-14, 19-25, 19-25, 25-15 and 15-13. Lake Mills was a very solid unit, coming into the playoffs at 25-5.  </p> <p>The Warriors cruised past both Evansville and Campbellsport in the opening rounds of regionals with 3-0 sweeps. </p> <p>At only 5-3, junior libero Kylee Gnabasik is a defensive marvel. Gnabasik leads Lakeside Lutheran with 544 digs, 56 service aces and 391 receptions. Meanwhile, 5-10 junior Ella Collins has 232 kills and 6-1 sophomore Payton Kuepers has 104 blocks. </p> <p>Lakeside will tangle with East Troy in Thursday's sectional semifinal. </p> <p><strong>Waterloo Rolls in Division 3  </strong></p> <p>The Pirates (27-11) steamrolled to another regional title, crushing Montello, Poynette and Markesan with 3-0 sweeps. </p> <p>After finishing 10-0 in their conference, the Pirates hardly skipped a beat in regionals. For the season, six-foot sophomore Brooke Mosher has 458 kills, 75 blocks and 94 service aces. Libero Michaela Riege has 381 digs and 577 receptions. Setter Katie Kuhl, a senior, has 386 assists. </p> <p>Waterloo will face No. 1 seed Lake Country Lutheran in Thursday's sectional opener. </p> <p>This week's sectional battles are bound to be exciting with some teams earning their first trip to state and others hoping to return. </p>