Lisbon left no doubt which team was the top of the Tri-Rivers pack.
The Lions swept three pool play matches Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Lion’s Den, then traveled to Starmont on Saturday, Oct. 19, to win three more times to claim their third Tri-Rivers Tournament title in the past six seasons.
That included a win over Springville in the championship, 25-16, 26-24. The Orioles beat the Lions in five sets back on Sept. 12 in Springville.
“Honestly, we’re a different group,” Lisbon Coach Lance Kamaus said. “We have different pieces we didn’t have that night.”
Kamaus added that top hitter Mykala Luzum-Selmon did not “play up to her standards” in the loss to Springville. “But on Saturday, she definitely did.”
Luzum-Selmon had 12 kills and hit at a .435 efficiency, with just two errors.
Kamaus also cited the play of junior middle Alexa Roos, who had three kills.
“She doesn’t get the ball a ton, but we started going to her and she finished,” Kamaus said. “All were at critical junctures.”
On Thursday, Lisbon beat Central City 21-13, 21-11, Bellevue Marquette 21-10, 21-8, and North Linn 21-7, 21-18. On Saturday, they beat North Cedar 25-13, 25-20, and Edgewood-Colesburg 25-17, 25-14, before the championship.
Kamaus said a big key in all the matches was the Lions serve receiving.
“We were only aced three times,” Kamaus said. “That really allowed us to dictate the tempo of our matches. Our passing has been spot-on, lately.”
The coach said the fall has been filled with a lot of practices where the Lions do a lot of passing drills.
“We hammer into the kids this is the most important thing that we do,” Kamaus said. “We will always pass, no matter what.”
Lisbon has now won the Tri-Rivers Tournament in 2024, 2022 and 2020. The Lions also made the finals in 2023 and 2021.
But now attention shifts to the Class 2A postseason. Lisbon (30-7) opened against Durant (14-12) in Region 3 play on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The Wildcats play in the deeper River Valley Conference, and bring a pair of tall problems with 6-foot-2 sisters Katelynn and Allison Toft.
“Durant is a tough nut, right away,” Kamaus said. “I watched them last week. They have tall players that are good volleyball players.”
Win that, and Lisbon would have to travel to No. 14 West Burlington (35-6) on Monday, Oct. 28. The regional final is Wednesday, Oct. 30 at neutral site. No. 3 Dyersville Beckman (32-6) looms large in the top half of the bracket.