GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Grantsburg repaved Cuba City’s golden road silver Saturday.

Rendering the Cubans’ electric middle block powerless, the Pirates stormed to the WIAA Division 3 state championship with a shocking 25-14, 25-21, 25-11, 63-minute sweep at the Resch Center.

“We gave it our all. We just ran into the best team in the state,” Cubans coach Keri Lawson said. “Grantsburg’s been planning this for 365 days.”

The Pirates’ immense planning showed. An unstoppable Kortney Morrin, swinging .356, enforced her will in a marvelous 20-kill, 18-dig performance that catapulted Grantsburg to gold after the Pirates finished second to Wisconsin Heights in 2008.

“We started planning this at 12:01 a.m. the first day we were allowed to practice,” Morrin said. “We all wanted it so bad.”

Grantsburg (36-1) did its homework on Cuba City. The Pirates stayed up late Friday night studying the game film of Cuba City’s semifinal demolition of Auburndale and looking vulnerable spots in the Cubans’ block, which had been impregnable during its run to the title match. They found a route of attack and massive holes in a usually airtight Cuban defense by attacking center net.

“We knew they had a big block and did a lot of tipping,” senior outside hitter Annie Palmquist said. “We worked on reading and the block and working around them.”

When Cuba City’s block shifted left on Morrin, she hooked the ball right. When the Cubans moved right, she went left. Sometimes she just went airborne, using a wicked vertical jump to hit over the 5-foot-11 wall of Emily Kaiser and Katie Langmeier.

“I’m shocked we weren’t able to put up the block,” Lawson said.

Morrin pumped five kills and two aces through the Cuba defense in the opening set and the Cubans could never get a read on her. Setter Emily Cole (25 assists) choreographed Morrin’s symphony of domination.

“I didn’t want to let them get back into the match,” Morrin said.

She wouldn't. The Cubans finished 35-4.

Read in-depth coverage on the match in Sunday's Telegraph Herald.