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NEW ULM - Judy Radke usually abstains from calling timeouts in favor of allowing her spikers to work through adversity on the prep volleyball court.

The Nicollet mentor, however, opted for a rare short break and the strategy paid immediate dividends during Thursday night's Section 2A, South Sub-Section championship match in New Ulm.

Kasslin Swenson converted one of setter Taylor Meurer's match-best 41 assists for a clutch sideout kill before Swenson rotated to the service area.

Swenson served out the final six points, with outside hitter Kayla Wenner pounding out three kills, to cap the No. 2-seeded Raiders' Game 4 comeback and 25-15, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21 triumph over top-seeded and 2008 Section 2A champion Martin County West.

Nicollet (28-3) advances to face North Sub-Section champion Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop at 6 p.m. Saturday night for the Section 2 crown at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

The Thunderbirds defeated Lester Prairie, 25-17, 25-8, 25-17, to advance to the sectional finals.

The Mavericks, who had defeated the Raiders via regular-season game scores of 27-25, 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 15-13 on Sept. 22, ended their season with a 22-7 record.

"I don't know exactly, but it's been at least 20 years since a team from here has even reached the section finals," said the fourth-year Nicollet head coach.

In fact, the Raiders' only state volleyball appearance dates back 34 seasons to 1975.

"We haven't made it that far (state) yet, but it feels great to win the (South) sub-section title tonight," said Radke.

Holding a 2-to-1 games lead in the match and trailing 9-1 in Game 4 on the heels of Maverick freshman Morgan Williamson's seven-point service run, Radke resisted using a second timeout after calling one at 7-1.

"I figure that the girls would rather play through it on the court than listen to me yell at them during a timeout," Radke said with a smile.

Swenson, who connected on 19 of 19 serves, delivered three of her match-high 13 points to reduce Nicollet's deficit to 11-9. Wenner, who shared top hitting honors with teammate Jenna Mettler by drilling 17 kills each, engineered the Raiders' comeback bid by jackhammering three cross-court winners via her left-handed spiking touch.

Middle hitter Maggie Prunty, who battled back from illness to produce nine kills, countered by nailing back-to-back winners off two of Taylor Saxen's 34 set assists to keep the Mavericks in front by three.

Martin County West outside spiker Paige Breneman and Alyssa Taylor traded frontline blasts with Nicollet's Mettler and Erin Radke to 18-all before Taylor rotated to the line.

Taylor, who paced the Maverick charts with 16 kills and four ace blocks, displayed her serving prowess by reeling off three pivotal points to stake her lineup to a 21-18 edge.

Nicollet, however, called time and stormed out of the short recess with renewed energy.

Swenson batted down her ninth and most important kill of the match for a sideout before literally putting her service touch on the line.

Wenner cashed in a Meurer set to later knot Game 4 at 21 before an errant pass caused Maverick mentor Travis Anderson to use a timeout.

Erin Radke delivered a pivotal tip off a Meurer set before Wenner found the floor with a sizzling spike and long-distance push shot to close out the 25-21 comeback win.

Nicollet claimed the opening game by a 10-point differential as libero Anna Skrien delivered a momentum-turning six-point service stint to put the Raiders ahead 21-13.

Mettler cranked home four kills, including the key sideout spike and the game-winner, with Wenner at the service stripe.

Taylor then blasted her way to seven kills, including the final two points, off Saxen assists to muscle the Mavericks to a 25-22 hard-fought win in Game 2.

Taylor and Prunty combined for eight kills and three ace blocks during Game 3, but Radke's timely block fended off Martin County West's late comeback at 24-20.

Radke then rotated to the line and served up the game-winner as Wenner scorched a down-the-line ace kill off a Meurer set assist to stake the Raiders to a 2-1 lead in the match.

Breneman contributed 10 kills to the Mavericks' statistical charts. Radke connected on 16 of 16 serves for eight points to complement nine kills and four ace blocks, while Wenner added nine points behind 18 of 18 serving to her 17-kill total.