The MFL MarMac volleyball team enters postseason play on a three-game winning streak after defeating Waukon and Crestwood last week to close out the regular season.

The Bulldogs defeated Waukon 3-1 on Oct. 13, rebounding from a 25-23 opening set loss to take the next three 26-24, 25-15 and 25-23.

“This was our fourth match with Waukon this season, so our girls knew what was at stake in this conference matchup,” said MFL MarMac head coach Becky Johnson. “We had beaten them for the first time since 2017 at their home tournament earlier this season, then lost to them in the championship match and again when we met at Starmont. Our Bulldogs knew they had another opportunity in front of them, and they never backed down.”

Even after dropping the first set, the girls stayed optimistic and believed they could turn things around, according to Johnson.

“We had a good understanding of Waukon’s strengths and weaknesses, and we did a nice job capitalizing on opportunities while playing disciplined defense. We knew we needed to limit the impact of their offensive threats and get them out of the front row as quickly as possible,” she explained.

Lily Johnson was relentless at the net, smashing 18 kills on 46 attempts. Teammates Blair Winter and Kambry Keehner each added seven kills, while Macy McGeough netted five. Addison Corlett supported the offense with 36 assists.

Three players recorded double-digit digs for the defense, led by Kensey Ball with 26—a total that helped her reach 500 in her career. Johnson had 17 digs and Winter 14. Johnson and Corlett each had solo blocks, and Johnson and Keehner teamed up for another.

Serving was another strong suit, as the Bulldogs hit 96.9% of attempts. Ball was an outstanding 31-of-31 with five aces, and Gracyn Welch connected on 14 of 15 attempts with four aces.

“Offensively, we were the better team that night, even with the blocking pressure Waukon put on us,” Johnson said. “Two things really stood out: our serving and our passing. We served aggressively and effectively, and our passing allowed us to stay in system and run the offense we wanted to run.”

Overall, it was a fun night of volleyball, shared the coach.

“I’m proud of how our team competed, stayed confident and executed the game plan. It’s the kind of performance I hope these players carry with them because it shows what we’re capable of when we trust our preparation and play together,” she said.

MFL MarMac continued to roll Oct. 15, sweeping Crestwood to improve their Upper Iowa Conference record to 2-3. The scores were 25-23, 25-18 and 25-12.

“We were excited to finish our regular season at home with a win over Crestwood. The first set had me a little nervous, as I didn’t feel we were playing as aggressively as we needed to, and our defense at the net needed to be better. After that first set, the girls reset, made the adjustments we talked about and never looked back,” Johnson said.

She called the win a great team effort from start to finish.

“Our bench was engaged, communicative, supportive and brought a lot of positive energy. Offensively, everyone contributed, and we finished with a .248 hitting efficiency. I was especially pleased to see that against a taller Crestwood team that statistically puts up a strong block. Our hitters did a nice job finding ways to score and making our attacks count,” Johnson explained.

Johnson continued to lead the offense with 13 kills, followed by Winter with eight and Nora Rasmussen six. Corlett put up 34 of the team’s 36 assists.

Ball added another 16 digs to her career total, while Johnson wrangled 11 and Corlett eight. Johnson also contributed a solo block and assist. Winter assisted on one block and Keehner on two.

The Bulldogs again served well, at 91.9 percent. McGeough had the hottest hand, completing 16 of 17 with three aces. Corlett made all three of her attempts, including one ace, and Ball was successful on 12 of 13 serves with two aces.

The Bulldogs finished not only 2-3 in the Upper Iowa Conference Big Division but 19-11 overall.

“It has been a great season of MFL MarMac volleyball, and this team has a lot to be proud of. With this win, we finished the regular season with the most wins in a single season in Bulldog volleyball history. I’m incredibly proud of the work they’ve put in to get here,” Johnson said.

She hopes the team can carry the confidence and momentum into the postseason, which began Oct. 21 at Osage (17-13) in a Class 2A - Region 3 quarterfinal.

“We know the competition gets tougher, but I believe in what this team can do when we play together, trust our preparation and compete the way we’re capable of competing,” Johnson shared.