PLUM CITY — It was no secret that sparks were going to fly when Spring Valley and Elmwood/Plum City met for a late season rivalry matchup. The Cardinals, now 6-0 and knocking on the door of an outright Dunn-St. Croix Conference championship, and the Wolves, now 3-3 in conference and holding onto a spot in the top half, are both having excellent seasons. Spring Valley and EPC split the first two sets, but the Cardinals walked away with the final two for a 3-1 win (25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 25-12).

“It means a lot. This is a big rivalry, obviously. We’ve done pretty good so far in conference, and I think this is just one step closer to our big goal,” Spring Valley sophomore setter Kemri Schlegel said. “It definitely helps us a lot with our confidence.”

Both sides were swinging big early and often. EPC’s Aurora Sampair got the Wolves out to a 9-5 lead after crushing a perfect set-up over the middle. That lead was brought to 12-8 before a rally led by the serving of Spring Valley junior Katie Matthys completely changed the set to a 14-12 Spring Valley lead. EPC would tie the set score multiple times, but the Cardinals had enough in the tank to win 25-23. EPC was actually down 11-9 in the second set; however, they completely changed things from there, cruising to a 25-17 set to tie the match at a set a piece.

After the first two sets, something was awoken in the hearts and minds of the Cardinals. Spring Valley won set four 25-19 and set five 25-12 to remain unbeaten in conference play.

“We’re nearing the end of the season,” Spring Valley Head Coach Kelly Schlegel said. “EPC brings it from both sides of the floor and they don’t give up on the ball. We knew that coming in, and being able to just come in and play our game is what we needed.”

This Spring Valley team is a cohesive unit. Both Kelly and Kemri Schlegel mentioned how well the team gets along, which shows on the court.

“Our bond is what makes it special. We’re all friends on and off the court, which is really helpful. Just makes us play all together,” Kemri Schlegel said.

“We need to make this fun. Volleyball is the most fun game to play. We just have to continue to smile. If we hit the ball out, smile. Who cares? Move on to the next one and play for each other,” Kelly Schlegel said. “They want to win for each other and they want to play for each other. They’ve got big goals.”

Matthys led the Cardinals with nine kills and sophomore Riley Zimmerman followed with eight. Taylor Glaus led the team in digs with 19, followed by Matthys with 16 and Zimmerman with 12. Schlegel had 34 assists. For EPC, Abby Krings led the way with 12 kills, followed by Sampair with nine and Allison Sauve with six. Polly Webb had 26 assists and five Wolves had double-digit digs.

Despite the loss, EPC is also in a good spot as the postseason draws nearer. The squad went 3-0 at the Somerset Tournament over the weekend to bring home the title and the plaque.