Pirates Advance to First Regional Final Since 2019

By Dani McCulley & Siri Olsen

For the first time in seven years, the Hudson Pirates are headed to a regional volleyball final.

No. 10 Hudson secured its first Class 2A regional final appearance since 2019 with a hard-fought, five-set victory over Lisbon on Monday, Oct. 26, keeping its postseason run alive.

The Pirates opened the match with 25-15 and 25-19 victories, putting themselves one set away from advancing. But Lisbon wasn’t finished.

The Lions battled back to claim the next two sets, both 25-23, erasing Hudson’s early advantage and forcing a decisive fifth set.

With a trip to the regional final on the line, Hudson responded, taking the final set 15-10 to secure the 3-2 victory.

The win improved the Pirates’ overall record to 35-8, marking another milestone in an impressive season.

Hudson’s balanced offensive attack and defensive effort played key roles in the victory.

Briar Bowers and Paige Davis led the Pirates with 14 kills apiece, while Natalie Rausch added 13. Together, the three accounted for 41 of Hudson’s 54 kills.

Brinn Olsen directed the offense with 47 assists, while Davis led the defensive effort with 27 digs. Siri Olsen added 21 digs, and Kaleigh Leary and Rausch contributed 20 each.

Bowers also recorded four service aces and five block assists as Hudson finished with 104 digs and 11 aces.

After earning a first-round bye, Hudson opened postseason play with a 3-0 victory over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows before advancing to face Lisbon.

Now, the Pirates are one victory away from a trip to the state tournament.

No. 10 Hudson will face No. 6 Woodward-Granger in the Class 2A Region 7 final at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Roundhouse in Marshalltown.

Both teams enter the matchup with identical 35-8 records, with a state tournament berth awaiting the winner.

Results from Wednesday’s regional final will be featured in next week’s Hudson Herald.