Bangor’s double dual losses throw curveball in Scenic Bluffs volleyball title race

The Bangor Cardinals appeared to be well on their way to a Scenic Bluffs volleyball championship when they sat at 11-0 in conference play and held a 2.5-game lead in the standings with three matches left.

The remaining bit of intrigue in the title race came via a conference double dual in Hillsboro Tuesday, October 12, where the Cardinals would be playing the only other two teams within shouting distance of them: Hillsboro and Wonewoc-Center.

A clean sweep in those two matches Tuesday night would have locked up the outright conference title for Bangor. One win would have ensured a share of it with a chance to clinch it outright in the regular-season finale. A pair of losses would open the door to a whole host of possibilities in this final week of the regular season.

The Cardinals wound up dropping both matches Tuesday evening, turning the Scenic Bluffs title race on its head.

In the first round of matches at the double dual, Wonewoc-Center outlasted Bangor in a tight, five-set affair 25-22, 23-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-9 to hand the Cardinals their first conference loss on the season.

Bangor stat leaders in the match included Madisyn Herman with 22 kills, Aliyah Langrehr with 43 assists and Taylor Jacobson with 44 digs.

To cap off the evening, Hillsboro toppled the Cardinals in four sets 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 26-24. Stat leaders for Bangor in the loss included Herman with 15 kills, Langrehr with 25 assists and Jacobson with 32 digs.

In the night’s other matches, Hillsboro swept Necedah 25-14, 25-10, 25-22 and Wonewoc-Center swept Necedah 25-16, 25-8, 25-7. After Tuesday, Bangor still sat alone in first at 11-2, with the Wolves and Tigers nipping at their heels at 10-2.

One of the most pivotal matches of the entire Scenic Bluffs schedule took place the following night between Wonewoc-Center and Hillsboro in Hillsboro. The Wolves emerged victorious in four after dropping the first set 22-25, 25-22, 25-11, 25-19 to tie the Cardinals atop the Scenic Bluffs standings.

Now, both Bangor and Wonewoc-Center control their own destiny to a share of the conference title with one regular-season match remaining.

Several scenarios remain on the table heading into Thursday: Bangor and Wonewoc-Center could share the title if they both win, either team could clinch it outright if one wins and the other loses or there could be a three-way tie involving those two and Hillsboro if the Cardinals and Wolves each lose and the Tigers win.

On the final day of Scenic Bluffs play Thursday, October 14, Bangor hosts New Lisbon, Wonewoc-Center travels to Brookwood and Hillsboro hosts Cashton. All matches are set to start at 7:15 p.m.

Prior to the double dual, the Cardinals had last played a conference match against Necedah Thursday, October 7, where they swept the opposing Cardinals 25-16, 25-21, 25-8.

Two days later, Bangor participated in a tournament at Logan High School in La Crosse. At the tournament last Saturday — featuring both Wisconsin and Minnesota teams — the Cardinals defeated North Crawford (25-15, 25-19) and St. Charles (25-16, 25-17) and lost to Prairie du Chien (21-25, 12-25) and Lewison-Altura (23-25, 25-16, 15-11).