Ryan Ladika/MDN The Lakers celebrate after earning a point in the first set of their 3-1 win over Ryan Thursday night.

For the first time in seven years, Region 6 has a new volleyball champion. For the first time in 20, the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers can stake their name to that claim.

Des Lacs-Burlington was expecting a fight from Bishop Ryan, who two nights before had come back from down 2-0 to Our Redeemer’s, and finished the Lions off in four sets, 25-20, 25-18, 15-25, 25-21, earning the first Lakers’ region title since 2001 and a trip to the state tournament.

“I’m honestly speechless,” senior Emily DeGree said. “I’ve been part of this program since my sisters were in high school and seeing them play. It’s just so unreal having this opportunity for us, and us finishing our journey that we trained for this whole season.”

The Lakers earned the early upper hand in the evening’s match, working around a trio of Sydney Upton kills to take a 9-3 lead with help from Krysta Berard, Emily DeGree and Paige Berard, as well as an Ava Feist ace.

Ryan struck right back with a 10-5 stretch to climb back into the affairs, led by none other than Upton. Chinelo Udekwe notched two of her 13 total kills to begin the run and Upton closed it out with an ace and three more kills. Berkley Lundeen also recorded a pair of kills in that span for the Lions.

The first frame remained close with Ryan now trailing just 14-13. Des Lacs-Burlington rattled off a 4-1 stretch, answered directly by the Lions’ 5-2 run. The Lakers faithful erupted when Krysta Berard registered two more kills to ignite a set-clinching 5-1 stretch, finished off by another Degree kill.

Upton, who finished with a game-high 24 kills, earned another kill as part of two straight Lions points to begin the second set, and the Lakers roared right back with six unanswered on the strength of two more Feist aces. Upton and Udekwe would trade kills with DeGree and aces from Rachel Ralph and Paige Berard until Des Lacs-Burlington led 11-9.

Led by five more kills from Krysta Berard, who earned 17 kills on the night, the Lakers authored a 9-3 stretch that opened up a 20-12 advantage. Another kill and ace from Upton and a point from Udekwe kept it close down the stretch, but Des Lacs-Burlington clinched the set by another slim score, 25-18, on a Kaelyn Bachmeier kill.

Two nights removed from their incredible comeback against the Knights in the semifinals, the Lions made their bid for another to begin the third frame. Ryan overcame a quick 4-2 deficit and was carried early by Upton and Udekwe to a 10-6 lead that forced a Lakers timeout by head coach Erica Moen.

The Lions kept coming, cranking out a 6-2 run out of the break to take a 16-9 lead, and weathered five combined kills from Krysta Berard and DeGree, who notched 16 total kills, to force another Des Lacs-Burlington timeout with a 20-14 lead. Lundeen notched two more kills following the pause to help force the fourth set by a 25-15 score.

Ryan carried its momentum to the new frame, utilizing another Upton kill in its quick 3-1 lead, and the Des Lacs-Burlington regained its traction, penciling in seven straight points to force a Lions timeout. With its back against the wall once more, Ryan did not panic, climbing its way back into the game with an 8-1 run that tied the set at 11 and forced a Lakers timeout.

“We knew that they were going to be on cloud nine,” Krysta Berard said. “They were going to come into that with high energy, and we knew that we had to come with even more energy.”

Amid dueling “LET’S GO LI-ONS” and “D-L-B” chants from each team’s crowd, the Lakers authored a 14-10 stretch to clinch the final set, capped off by another DeGree kill.

Laney Wahus and Paige Berard each recorded 17 assists, and Feist totaled five aces. Magee Rovig racked up a game-high 38 assists for Ryan, and Upton also collected five aces.

“I’m just so proud of these girls, and they worked so hard in that last set to finish it out,” said head coach Erica Moen. “They all are such good friends on and off the court, and they really know how to work together. I can’t be more proud of them.”