Photo by Rick Thompson: Claire Dieleman of Humboldt concentrates on the ball during their regional championship on Tuesday night.

HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt volleyball squad wanted to protect their house.

On Tuesday in their home gym, the fifth-ranked Wildcats (31-6 overall) did exactly that, punching only their second state tournament berth in school history.

It was a showdown with No. 12 Roland-Story (34-8), a familiar opponent, in a Class 3A regional final. The Wildcats prevailed to earn their first state tournament appearance since 2020.

Humboldt took the first set, 25-20, then squeaked out a 25-23 win in set 2. The Norsemen extended the match with a 25-23 win to force Game 4.

In the final set, the Wildcats imposed their will on R-S to clinch the regional title with a 25-18 victory.

“This means a lot to our team,” senior Claire Dieleman said during an on-air post-match interview with KHBT-FM. “We have grown closer together this year, and we didn’t want to be done.

“This is our house. We didn’t want anyone to come and walk over us…we took care of business.”

Now, the Wildcats will open their state tournament experience on Tuesday in Coralville. Humboldt earned the fifth seed, and will face No. 4 Cherokee (29-7) at noon.

Senior Alivia Goodell got the final point of the match to seal the victory for the Wildcats.

“This was so fun and something you dream about,” Goodell said during an on-air interview with KHBT-FM. “You never think you are going to accomplish it, but that final kill was insane on the sideline and we came out to congratulate each other.

“Making it as a senior is so amazing. We have become so close to each other.”

Senior Mia Schluter had 18 kills for the Wildcats, while Adelynn Goodell had 14.

“Since this summer, we have been preparing for this,” said sophomore Addie Waldorf during an on-air interview with KHBT-FM. “Our goal was beating the teams in our conference and playing really good (opponents) to prepare for matches like this.

“This was either going to be our last time out together, or we were going to Xtream (Arena).”

With a big lead in the fourth set, the Wildcats felt they had it wrapped up.

“The feeling after that last point was crazy,” said HHS head coach Kara Waldorf during an on-air interview with KHBT-FM. “It was such a fun night. I knew they could do it.

“This has been a dream of ours. I’ve coached pretty much everyone on this team in some capacity through the years. They put in the work. They earned this.”

Waldorf, who is in her second stint for the Wildcats, was also head coach the first time Humboldt qualified for state.

“In that fourth set, I felt weirdly calm,” Waldorf said. “Our offense is on fire, and that has been the nice thing. At the beginning of the year, it wasn’t quite there.

“Right now, there isn’t anyone who isn’t connecting and on the same page.”

The last time the Wildcats and Norsemen met was Sept. 20 in the championship bracket of the Dike-New Hartford tournament. Roland-Story came out with a two-set victory, winning 26-24 and 25-18.

“For sure we remembered losing to them,” said Addie Waldorf. “We wanted to have that revenge. They are an awesome team that beat us once before, and that made us want it more.”