BENTON — Potosi gave Six Rivers West co-champion Benton its best shot.

In the end, it wasn’t quite enough as the third-seeded Zephyrs ended the sixth-seeded Chieftains season with a hard-fought four-set victory in a WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal volleyball match Thursday night.

Potosi took game two to even the match at a set a piece, but Benton won a close third set and pulled away in the fourth to close out a 25–19, 22–25, 25–22, 25–17 victory.

Senior Emma Lawrence 22 kills, four blocks and 15 digs, while classmate Kelsie Goffinet added 36 assists and 13 digs for the Zephyrs.

Senior outside hitter Abby Kaiser finished her final match for the Chieftains with a team-high 20 kills, 13 digs and two aces. She finished her four-year varsity career as Potosi’s all-time leader with 1,223 kills.

Senior Grace Morgan added five kills and two blocks. Junior Jaydn Noonan had four kills and a team-high 16 digs. Senior Sophie Langkamp passed out 15 assists and had a team-high seven blocks.

Senior Hannah Udelhoven had a team-best 17 assists and freshman Lily Post had five blocks.

“The Potosi girls came to play and made every game very tough,” said Potosi head coach Ric Walsh. “There wasn’t a game that was guaranteed by either team. The Potosi girls left everything on the court. The seniors brought the team together and helped the underclassmen to understand how to play inspired ball. Potosi had a great season, and kept improving in every game.”

Benton (25–2) went on to sweep fellow SRW co-champion and second-seeded River Ridge 28–26, 25–23, 25–14 in Saturday’s regional final. The Zephyrs advance to face Seneca in a D4 sectional semifinal Thursday night at Belmont.

Meanwhile, the Chieftains finished the season 18–9 overall, with three of their losses coming to Benton.

Kaiser floored 22 kills and had 18 digs and three aces to lead Potosi to a 25–10, 25–19, 25–19 sweep over visiting Cassville in the first round of the playoffs last Tuesday night. 

Udelhoven had 17 assists and three assists in the win.

The Comets were led by senior Madelyn Nix, who finished the match with a team-high nine kills, 11 digs and one block, while fellow senior Paige Johll added 12 assists, eight digs and three service aces in the loss.

Nix and Johll are two of Cassville’s four seniors that played in their final match last Tuesday night, along with Christal Bean and abi Borcherding.

Potosi will lose the services of six seniors, Kaiser, Udelhoven, Morgan, Langkamp, Wayne Wolfe and Kalynn Vosberg.

Potosi 3, Cassville 0

(D4 regional quarterfinal from Tuesday, Oct. 17)

Cassville 10 19 19

Potosi 25 25 25

Cassville leaders

Kills - Maddie Nix 9. Digs - Nix 11, Paige Johll 8. Aces - Johll 3. Assists - Johll 12. Blocks - Nix 1, Lydia Reynolds 1.

Potosi leaders

Kills - Abby Kaiser 22, Grace Morgan 6, Sophie Langkamp 4, Rayne Wolfe 3. Digs - Kaiser 19, Jadyn Noonan 18, Langkamp 10. Justice Udelhofen 8. Aces - Hannah Udelhoven 3, Kaiser 3, Noonan 2, J. Udelhofen 2. Assists - H. Udelhoven 17, Langkamp 16. Blocks - Langkamp 6, Kaiser 3, Lily Post 3.

Benton 3, Potosi 1

(D4 regional semifinal from Thursday, Oct. 19)

Potosi 19 25 22 17

Benton 25 21 25 25

Potosi leaders

Kills - Abby Kaiser 20, Grace Morgan 5. Digs - Kaiser 16, Jadyn Noonan 13. Aces - Hannah Udelhoven 2, Kaiser 2, Noonan 2. Assists - H. Udelhoven 15, Sophie Langkamp 14. Blocks - Langkamp 4, Lily Post 3.