The Bombers (25-13) produced the only upset in the first round of the regional tournament Monday, and did so in rather convincing fashion by beating Bottineau (24-10) by set scores of 25-15, 25-10, 25-16.

“We hadn’t seen Bottineau this season, so we had to come in ready to play knowing that they had beaten some teams that we have played against,” L&C coach Brooke Storro said. “I knew tonight would be a good competitive match for us. We prepared for it and I thought our girls played a strong game.”

That said, things didn’t go as planned for the Bombers right away, as they gave away free points for being in the wrong rotation — a blunder Storro took responsibility for. It was rather smooth sailing from there.

The serving from L&C gave the Stars fits throughout the match. Junior Corina Pabian racked up seven aces, followed by senior Lyvia Roark (four) and senior Grace Simons (three).

Alex Eisen/MDN Lewis & Clark senior libero Cody Ryan (1) and Lyvia Roark (6) exchange a high-five after a point scored against Bottineau in the first round of the Region 6 tournament. The Bombers won 3-0 by set scores of 25-15, 25-10, 25-16.

“A little bigger stage than what some of these girls have been on,” Bottineau coach Steve Dunrud said. “Give (L&C) Berthold credit, they served the ball well at us. They were in-system a lot more than we were in-system… I don’t think we played with a lot of confidence from the very beginning.”

The Bombers quickly took care of Bottineau in the second set, 25-10. L&C sophomore Toni Hamilton and Pabian each had a match-high nine kills. Senior setter Laura Vangsness dished out 21 assists.

In the third set, the Auditorium went silent when Stars senior Alexis Gullett went down awkwardly in pain.

“She had an ACL (injury) last year and missed all of last year,” Dunrud said. “So, a little scary there for a second and I’m sure she was more scared than anything. She missed her whole junior year playing with all of her sports. I’m thinking she will be OK and I’m hoping that she is, so she can move forward with the rest of her senior year.”

Gullett didn’t return to the match, but she at least tried to.

“She came over, said she was fine and could go back in,” Dunrud said. “She gave every ounce of effort she had for the whole match. We appreciate her efforts. She is our leader.”

Attack errors piled up for Bottineau at the end of the third set and Pabian finished the match off with a tip over the net, 25-16.

The Stars were led by Gullett with six kills and eight digs, while junior London Andel had a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs.

Next up, the Bombers take on three-time defending regional champions Our Redeemer’s in the semifinals. The match will take place following the other semifinal between Rugby and Des Lacs-Burlington at 6 p.m. today in the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

“We need to be ready for Our Redeemer’s,” Storro said. “They are solid and don’t make errors. They have strong hitters and play excellent defense. We need to come prepared to swing aggressively on the ball and make sure our serves are consistent. Be ready on the back row as well because we know we are facing a very competitive team.”

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.