Albany’s quest for a Section 6AA three-peat just cleared its first huge hurdle, but holy smokes, it was a battle. The No. 7 Huskies clawed their way past No. 10 Cathedral with a competitive 3-1 victory (25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21) in the Quarterfinals. They got the win, but they had to fight back in *every single set* to get it done, making this opening playoff round feel like a heavyweight slugfest.
This Squad Proves They Can Handle the Playoff Pressure
Listen, we know the regular season is one thing, but win-or-go-home pressure? That’s a whole different beast. The student sections are louder, the bench celebrations are way more intense, and that thought of a senior playing their last set ever hangs heavy. Albany went down early, trailing 8-2 in the first set, staring at a 20-17 deficit in the third, and even finding themselves behind 21-20 in a crazy fourth set. Most teams would buckle, right? Not this Albany squad.
Head coach Brian Hines kept it simple in those critical timeout moments, telling his players to “believe in their training” and reaffirming what they could do. And guess what? It worked! The Huskies went on a scoring run after nearly every single timeout. The most critical one? Trailing 21-20 in the fourth, staring down a tiebreaking fifth set, Albany rattled off five consecutive points to seal the deal. Hines put it best: “I think we were attacking really smartly. We were attacking certain zones, and I thought we blocked really well. Our girls in the back row made some huge plays when it really counted. It was a good night for us.” A couple different bounces, and this could have gone to a fifth, but the Huskies just refused to quit. That’s pure grit, people!
Schulte’s All-Around Dominance and Gaebel’s Power Shots
You gotta hand it to the individual brilliance on display. Junior setter Lucy Schulte was an absolute maestro out there. She dished out a whopping 42 assists, anchored the back row with nine digs, added three blocks and two aces, and get this: she was absolutely perfect with a 15-for-15 serving performance. Talk about an all-around effort!
And the hitters? They were straight up thriving. Junior right side hitter Indianna Gaebel led the attack with 15 kills, adding six digs and two blocks of her own. Junior libero Brooke Boecker was a defensive rockstar, digging up 28 balls. Junior outside hitter Layla Wenderski chipped in 11 kills, and even freshman Brooklyn Austin showed up big with 10 kills. Hines knows what he’s got: “If we can consistently pass well, we know we have great hitters in the front row all over. Layla and Brooklyn have played well; Indianna had a huge night on the right side and our middles have been playing well. It was nice to see all of our hitters thrive.”
So, what’s next for Albany, now 16-12 on the season? They’re heading to the Section 6AA Semifinals at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 29, to take on No. 2 Milaca. This team just showed some serious mental toughness and grit in the Quarterfinals. Can they keep that three-peat dream alive against another top squad on the road? You bet we’ll be watching every single point!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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