Columbus Catholic's girls volleyball team is headed back to the WIAA state tournament at the Resch Center, two years after its first trip in school history ended just short of a title.
The Dons followed that 2024 breakthrough with a regional final loss last season. This year they put together a run that included a 10th straight Cloverbelt East Conference championship and wins in three of their four playoff matches by sweep.
The return did not start smoothly. Columbus Catholic opened the season with back-to-back losses to Athens and Stanley-Boyd, two teams that also reached state, and head coach Katrina Egle said the early setbacks against strong competition became the team's learning curve for the rest of the season.
Seniors Abby Kibbel and Sophie Wilczek are the only Dons who played at state two years ago, and they have spent this run preparing their teammates for the size and noise of the Resch Center. Egle has coached in the program for 14 seasons and has known Wilczek since she attended the program's first-grade camps.
Columbus Catholic faces Heritage Christian in the Division 4 state semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 5. Heritage won its first state title last season, in its first state appearance.
The Dons go into the semifinal with a question at libero, after losing theirs to a badly sprained ankle in Saturday's match. Sydney Willman stepped into the spot in that match, and Egle said she is confident any player on the bench can step in and contribute.
