A volleyball Regional Championship Title is on the line when the Minooka Indians (19-15) play host to the Iron Thursday at 6 p.m.

The second-seed Iron opened the postseason win, defeating the seven-seed Pekin Dragons in straight sets (25-17, 25-10) and improving to 25-11 on the season.

Head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek attributed the close first set to nerves during the first postseason game, but she said the team settled in by the second set.

“We came out and were a little bit shaky in the first set,” Konopasek said. “By the time we got into the second set,” she said, the team got to work.

Three-seed Minooka enters Thursday’s match following a 2-0 win over Rock Island High School, eliminating the six-seed Rocks 25-15, 25-15.

A trio of sisters, Konopasek expects, will lead Minooka’s gameplay: senior twins Kennedi and Makenzie Brass and Brooklynne, a 5-foot-10 sophomore.

“Those three are probably [Minooka’s] best three,” the coach said. “At the same time, it’s only three, and they’re not on [the court] all the time.”

In contrast, the Iron will rely on a more balanced offense attack.

Against Pekin, Sydney Janssen recorded eight kills, with Alana Whitfield and Erin Brandt each adding six.

Whitfield tallied three service aces against the Dragons, with four other Ironmen each with one: Addie Snoeyink, Adie Bushie, Maggie Michaels and Brandt.

Defensively, the team, Konopasek said, aims “to dig 15 attacks a set.” They surpassed that goal, recording 32 total digs against the Dragons.

Michaels led the Iron with 12, with three teammates recording four or more.

On Thursday against the Indians, Konopasek said, “if we play how we can play, then we should be able to dictate their game in some ways.”

However, one thing the Iron won’t be able to dictate is Minooka’s fans.

Brooklynne Brass, Konopasek said, “is a momentum changer. If she puts a ball down, the crowd is going to be loud. Their student section is a strength.”

While the teams shared eight common opponents, the results of those matches don’t reveal much. While both teams came away with four wins against the familiar foes, a lack of a consistent pattern prevents any meaningful conclusions about how the team’s stack up overall.

“I think that [it’s] gonna be a good game,” Konopasek said.

The winner of the match will move on to IHSA Sectional play, taking on the winner of the Normal West/Bradley.-Bourbonnais contest on Monday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in Pekin.