The regular season is a prelude; the postseason is the true test of a team’s mettle. Every point carries extra weight, every decision comes with glory or consequence, and the margin for error evaporates in win-or-go-home volleyball.
Just two nights after outlasting Glencoe-Silver Lake in a five-set thriller, the No. 7-seeded St. Clair Cyclones returned to the hardwood on Thursday, Oct. 29. Traveling into hostile territory to face the No. 2-seeded Belle Plaine (BP) Tigers in the Section 2AA quarterfinals, St. Clair knew the assignment: overcome a formidable opponent boasting a 19-8 record and just dominated their opening round matchup.
In pregame warmups, the Tigers showed off their heavy artillery, led by outside hitter Alaina Johnston and the terrifying front-row presence of Ariana Selly and Kylie Linquist.
“These practices focused a lot on defensive positioning and anticipating their attack,” St. Clair head coach Ashley Sander noted prior to the match. “Belle Plaine has a very strong outside in Alaina, and anything we can do to limit her keeps us in the fight.”
Set 1: Tigers Strike First in Red-on-Red Clash
Dressed in matching crimson jerseys, both teams took the floor in an intense environment backed by an angsty Tigers student section. Belle Plaine drew first blood on a thunderous rolling kill by Maya Selly, but St. Clair responded quickly. Haddie Jobe broke an early three-point skid with a jab down the right corner, and Stella Brekke tip-set over a defender to stay within striking distance.
Payton “Bazooka” Blount blasted a kill to keep the score close early, but Belle Plaine’s balanced net attack began to pull away. Johnston annihilated an attack to extend the Tigers’ lead, though Ashlyn DeMartini countered with a finesse strike and a fastball down the back row to trim the deficit to 8-6.
St. Clair’s net defense fought hard against the onslaught. S. Brekke recorded a single stuff, and later joined forces with sister Hannah for back-to-back double blocks to bring the score to 17-13. Kills from H. Brekke and Madison Winkler kept the Cyclones close, but BP’s offensive depth proved overwhelming down the stretch.
Despite a late solo block from DeMartini and a clutch strike by Blount to stave off set point, the Tigers pounced on the final possession to take Set 1, 25-19.
Set 2: Belle Plaine Assumes Control
Blount opened the second frame with a kill, sparking a brief back-and-forth rally through 4-4. However, relentless serving and aggressive frontline swings by the Tigers triggered a game-changing six-point run, forcing a St. Clair timeout down 10-4.
Serving errors and miscommunication on returns continued to plague the Cyclones as Belle Plaine stretched the lead to 16-8. Jobe injected brief life into the offense with an outside kill, followed by a back-right corner strike from Blount and an ace by DeMartini.
Yet, Johnston was simply too strong up front. Capitalizing on unforced St. Clair errors, the Tigers closed out the frame comfortably with a 25-14 win to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Set 3: Cyclones Refuse to Fold
Facing elimination, St. Clair showed the grit that defined their postseason run. After Johnston opened the set with a blistering swing, the Cyclones executed stingy net play to take an early 3-1 lead.
The third frame turned into an absolute dogfight. The Brekke sisters teamed up for another block to tie it at 5-5, and Charlotte Dauk served up an ace to briefly put St. Clair ahead. DeMartini and Blount traded clutch kills to keep pace, matching the Tigers point-for-point through 13-13.
Subbing into the rotation, Leah Bowe provided an immediate defensive spark at the net. Moments later, Blount rattled a kill down the line to put St. Clair up 15-13, forcing Belle Plaine to call its first timeout of the match.
The Tigers rallied to tie the set at 18-18, but the Cyclones refused to yield. Cheyenne Wallin delivered a clutch service ace, and DeMartini teamed up with Jobe for a textbook joint block to pull ahead 21-19. Following a wild play where a deflected ball pinballed off the ceiling and landed in St. Clair’s favor, Jobe shoved a strike through a pair of Tiger paws. DeMartini capped the late performance with a set-ending stuff block, securing a remarkable 25-20 victory to extend the match.
Set 4: Tigers Close Out the Series
Riding the momentum of their home crowd, Belle Plaine came out aggressive in the fourth set, setting a fast tempo to construct a quick 4-0 run. Blount picked up her 9th and 10th kills of the night to put St. Clair on the board, but Johnston answered by hammering three consecutive kills to stretch the lead to 10-4.
St. Clair staged one final, valiant comeback. Digs by Wallin set up a series of transition attacks for Blount, while a quick set by Dauk fueled a six-point Cyclone run to trim the lead to 17-12. DeMartini demolished a strike over the hands of the Tiger block, but Johnston answered with her 23rd kill of the match to halt the momentum.
Unforced errors late in the frame ultimately sealed St. Clair’s fate. A net-rattling ace brought up match point at 24-15, and a final Selly slam ended the Cyclones’ postseason run with a 25-15 fourth-set victory.
- Payton Blount: 17 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks
- Ashlyn DeMartini: 7 kills, 2 aces, 14 digs, 11 blocks
- Haddie Jobe: 5 kills, 6 digs, 10 set assists, 2 blocks
- Charlotte Dauk: 18 set assists
- Stella Brekke: 11 blocks
- Hannah Brekke: 7 blocks
- Cheyenne Wallin: 1 ace, 8 digs
- Aleya Loeslie: 1 ace, 6 digs
- Madison Winkler: 4 digs, 2 blocks
- Leah Bowe: 2 blocks
Postgame Reflection & Senior Farewells
After the match, Coach Sander praised her squad’s fight at the net against one of the top offensive setups in the section.
“I’ve got to give it to our girls tonight. They came out and got blocks on so many hits from their outsides,” Sander said. “Belle Plaine is a good team and has many options to choose from defensively. Thank you to our seniors who showed up tonight and left it out on the court and truly represented what it meant to be a Cyclone.”
For the team’s seven graduating seniors, walking off the court brought an emotional end to a memorable journey.
“You don’t really realize the journey ends until you near the end, and then you just embrace the moment and your team,” senior Haddie Jobe reflected after the match. “This team was such a family. The third set tonight… we locked in and played hard as a team. My advice to next year’s squad is don’t take the moment for granted. Give it everything you have and embrace the little moments.”
Senior Ashlyn DeMartini shared similar sentiments regarding her final high school season: “It was definitely life-changing. This team has been so supportive. My advice to the younger players is to keep believing in yourself and trust your teammates.”
Senior libero Cheyenne Wallin, who worked her way into a starting role mid-season, emphasized the importance of perseverance. “I started a little late into the season but earned my spot,” she said. “My best performance was that first match against LCWM. Moving forward, take it one point at a time and keep working as a team.”
Looking Ahead to 2027
Though the 2026 campaign ended in postseason heartbreak, the Lady Cyclones’ third-set victory over a formidable Belle Plaine squad is a testament to the resilience this group displayed all season.
After losing a decorated senior class the previous year, a relatively inexperienced core accepted the challenge: proving that success is defined by the ability to replicate it. Hard work, grit, and sweat on the hardwood sharpened psyches and hardened defensive resolve against elite competition.
St. Clair will say goodbye to seven impactful seniors this offseason, signaling another period of transition. However, with Payton Blount returning alongside the net presence of the Brekke sisters, the foundation remains strong. The Cyclones now know the climb required to reach the top of Section 2AA.
This is Jay Carrillo of the Janesville Journal signing off on the 2026 volleyball season.
