Laconia Spartans girls' volleyball gets its revenge with victory over St. Mary's Springs

ROSENDALE - It's commonly said that 'revenge is a dish best served cold' and Thursday night, just 18 days short of a full calendar year, the Laconia Spartans volleyball team finally got its payback.

With a 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-16, 25-10, 25-18) over their Flyway Conference rival, St. Mary's Springs (10-12 overall, 3-2) - the team that shockingly ended Laconia's 32-0 perfect season in a WIAA regional final last year - the Spartans (16-2, 5-0) both earned their redemption and, in the meantime, kept pace with Campbellsport (11-9, 5-0) for first place.

"We've been looking forward to this game since last season when we lost," said Laconia senior Tierney Madigan, who led the Spartans with 14 kills and four blocks.

"We knew we wanted revenge, and we were just really hoping to keep pushing out there. We didn't want to drop the first set, but we pushed back and kept telling each other to keep our heads up. I think that was big in order to get the win. We knew that if we just went out there soft, and hit tips, that it wasn't as easy to get the ball down; so, we just had to keep playing our hardest. After this game, I think we're going to realize that we can battle back into games when we're down, and that'll be important for bigger games, like in the playoffs."

With two conference games left in the regular season, this year's Flyway championship could very well come down to the final matchup, Thursday, Oct. 17, between Laconia and Campbellsport on the Cougars' home court.

Ergo, let the drama over this next fortnight ensue.

As for this meeting, the Ledgers came out firing on all cylinders, taking the first set in an intense back-and-forth battle. Spartans coach Kaitlyn Wiese said the team might have been overly anxious, just needing to clear their minds in order to settle in and handle business.

"We (Laconia and Springs) could be the bottom two teams in the conference and our kids are still going to play each other with that same intensity, every time, just because it's such a fun, friendly rivalry for the most part," Wiese said.

Wiese said she even had a deja vu feeling with how things were going towards the end, but the girls' grit and determination helped carry the Spartans through to seal their victory while avoiding a potential drag-it-out fifth set.

"When we were up 18-10 in set four, I looked down at my assistant coaches and said: 'We were here last year and blew it; We aren't done yet! We've still got to play!' and my nerves and anxiety were up, then; but I'm glad that they were able to pull through, break the (Springs' points) streak, and finish the set, not have to go five."

In addition to Madigan's admirable performance, Wiese also mentioned how proud she was of fellow senior Payton Morgan for following through with the direction of her coaching strategy.

"In my last timeout that I used, I told Payton, '(Lexi) Coon is the best passer they have; you keep swinging at her every time. We have to cut it or tip it right over the block because she knows you're going to go line,' and Payton got the next two sets and did exactly what I said. I think that was a huge momentum-changer for us, and it's just great that she listened to us and followed the gameplan to help us win that set."

Speaking of Coon, the Ledgers' senior earned a round of applause from the Springs' faithful in acknowledgment when she eclipsed the 1000 digs mark for her career in the game's final set.

After the thrill of a big rivalry victory, and a huge chip on their shoulder settled, Wiese said she hopes the girls will continue to ride this current wave of momentum throughout the rest of the season - starting with two key matchups against ranked opponents this weekend.

"This weekend we have a really big tournament," Wiese said. We're playing ( No. 8 in Division 2 ) Waupaca, who's ranked, and ( No. 4 in Division 5 ) Green Bay NEW Lutheran, so I'm glad we got this big win and hopefully we can keep riding that into a big weekend."

To contact Lance LeQue, email him at LLeQue@gannett.com , or follow him on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, @LanceLeQue .

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This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Laconia Spartans girls' volleyball gets its revenge with victory over St. Mary's Springs