New Glarus will begin its WIAA Division 3 girls volleyball tournament run Thursday, Oct. 22, as the No. 5 seed, traveling to fourth-seeded Richland Center for a 7 p.m. regional semifinal. The Glarner Knights will need a road victory to keep their season alive.

The opening matchup puts New Glarus against a Richland Center team that finished 21-14 overall and 6-4 in the Southwest Wisconsin Conference, placing third. The Hornets won their final two reported regular-season matches, sweeping Lancaster and Prairie du Chien.

There is an intriguing measuring stick between these teams: Belleville. Richland Center lost to the Wildcats 2-1 at a tournament Oct. 3, while New Glarus closed its Capitol South schedule by beating its Highway 69 rival in five sets Oct. 15. Results against a common opponent offer no guarantees, but they provide a reason for the Glarner girls to believe an upset is within reach.

The Glarner Knights finished fourth in the six-team Capitol South standings at 3-7, tied with Wisconsin Heights in conference record but listed ahead of the Vanguards, and posted a 17-11 overall record in the supplied final standings. The conference was top-heavy: Cambridge, Waterloo and Marshall each finished 8-2.