Momentum is hard to get and even harder to keep.
Lisbon found that out the hard way Monday, Oct. 23, when it lost a five-set barnburner to West Branch, 26-24, 25-20, 24-26, 23-25, 15-9, in a Class 2A regional semifinal at Lisbon High School.
“It was definitely stressful,” senior outside hitter Ava Czarnecki said. “We came back and we just trusted each other.”
Lisbon (28-7) was staring a sweep in the face during the third set. The Lions trailed 12-6 when Lisbon Coach Lance Kamaus called his second and final time out.
“My assistant went, if you call a time out, we still need 19 points to win,” Kamaus said. “We actually needed 20. It just shows the tenacity of our kids.”
Lisbon finally tied the third set up at 18-18 with a kill from Czarnecki. But the Lions could not get the lead. And after a net serve and a kill by Emily Coleman, the Bears had set and match point, up 24-22.
Mykala Luzum-Selmon came back with a pair of kills, and a Bear attack error gave Lisbon its first lead of the set, 25-24. Luzum-Selmon finished it off.
“We kind of always do that,” Luzum-Selmon said. “We don’t like giving up.”
“We kind of got up off the mat that third set,” Kamaus said. “We were not going to give up. The kids were going to find a way.”
“We knew we had to come back,” Czarnecki said. “We definitely didn’t want it to be our last set.
“We went as hard as we could and left no energy on the floor.”
Momentum had shifted, and the Lions never trailed in the fourth set.
But it did get interesting. Kills by Alyse Klinkhammer and Coleman tied it up at 22-22 and 23-23. But the Lions closed it out with two big kills by Czarnecki.
“You ride the horse that brought you here,” Kamaus said. “We’ve run our offense through our two outsides all season long.”
However, Lisbon couldn’t string together points in the fifth set, getting behind 8-4, then cutting it to 9-6 on a Czarnecki kill before the Bears closed with a 6-3 run.
“It is hard,” Luzum-Selmon said. “It’s hard to know that one little mistake you or your teammates make can end your season. You’ve just got to push through it.”
Lisbon had three attack errors and one service error in the final set, but mostly it was the Bears coming up with big attacks.
JaLynn Falco led the Bears with 16 kills, followed by Kylie Pickett with 14 and Coleman with 13. Pickett had 32 assists and Claire Jarrett added 14. Madelynn Falco led with 30 digs.
West Branch (18-17) advanced to the regional final, where they took on No. 4 Denver (34-10). The Cyclones won, 23-25, 25-9, 25-16, 25-18, to advance to the state tournament.
For Lisbon, Czarnecki had 23 kills and Luzum-Selmon had 17 kills to pace the offense. Kaitlynn Hasselbusch had 49 assists and Addy Happel led with 34 digs.
The Lions finished with 28 wins, but did not become the first Lisbon volleyball team to qualify for the state tournament.
“We’ve been close the last couple of years,” Kamaus said. “We were happy with how we did. We wish we could’ve got a few more points here or there.”
Lisbon libero Addy Happel receives a serve against West Branch on Monday, Oct. 23, in Lisbon.