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MAHOMET – The Mahomet-Seymour volleyball team has reached a point where it is making history with every game.

The Bulldogs won their first sectional championship in 2024 with their 25-12, 25-20 win over Taylorville in the Class 3A MS Sectional semifinals on Tuesday. It also brought their total number of wins in a single season to 35.

“They've been playing so well the last few weeks that they've found a really good rhythm,” MS coach Stan Bergman said. “They really trust each other and it looks like they're just having a lot of fun.”

The Bulldogs (35-3) have been working toward this opportunity for a long time, especially since Bergman took over the program in 2019. They have won at least 30 games in each of the last six seasons — except for the COVID-affected 2020 season, in which they finished 14-2 — but this is their first attempt at winning two postseason plaques in the same year.

In the final on Thursday there will be a familiar opponent in Normal U-High. The Pioneers (35-3) have sent the Bulldogs home in each of the last four postseasons. In 2019, U-High defeated MS in the sectional semifinals and the last three years it beat the Bulldogs in the regional championship.

“They have a little higher goals,” Bergman said of his players. “We achieved all of our goals. After having to compete against U-High for so many years in a row, I was like, ‘Ugh, let’s just get a regional.’ It was a bear. They are a super solid team and very solid from the ground up. It will be a lot of fun on Thursday.”

One of the main reasons MS is on this stage was the breakthrough performance of junior outside hitter Ava Yeakel. She had nine kills, including the decisive win, and seven digs in Tuesday's win, just days after posting a team-high 11 kills in the regional final last week.

“It was really fun,” Yeakel said. “Last season wasn’t really my season, so the opportunity to come to junior level, develop as a player and learn to be confident is what set me apart from others.”

Yeakel had the tall task of replacing two-time News-Gazette All-Area Player of the Year and current Boise State beach volleyball player Avery Allen. The original plan called for her to thrive in the shadow of senior Butler commit Ellie Barker, who led the way Tuesday with 12 kills, and junior Michigan State commit Lily Bosworth, who had six kills and three blocks, but the secret is now out. Yeakel played so well down the stretch that Bergman can't afford to take her off the field.

“She’s a stud,” Bergman said. “She’s an athlete, she’s a competitor and she finds space. She has a competitive advantage where she hates to lose. She will do anything to improve her work and the best part is that she really tries to do it for her teammates.”

The icing on the cake for Yeakel was that Tuesday was her 17th birthday.

The Bulldogs' list of outstanding players on Tuesday included Addi Eisenmann with seven digs, Erin Dallas with 14 assists and Ellie Dallas with 10 assists and three aces.

The semifinal victory was MS's third victory over Taylorville (30-8) this season. The Bulldogs defeated their Apollo Conference opponent 2-1 on September 17th and again on October 10th 2-0. The Tornadoes have provided a solid test all season, but their biggest test yet comes on Thursday. MS got the regional monkey off its back last week. Now the Bulldogs are ready to give U-High everything they can and hopefully continue to make history in the process.

“With every win, our energy continues to rise and we continue to get better,” Yeakel said. “From now on everything is a blessing. We just have to work as hard as we can to get as far as we can.”