ALGONA — Step one of Webster City’s Hail Mary plan to grab a piece of the North Central Conference volleyball title was accomplished here Monday night.

But there are still several other pieces that need to fall perfectly into place for the Lynx to celebrate.

WCHS hit .174 as a team and blasted 26 kills to roll by Algona in three sets, 25-15, 25-14, 25-14. The Lynx (19-9, 5-1 NCC) remained in second place — a spot they share with Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (17-13, 5-1 NCC) — in the league behind 14th-ranked (Class 4A) Humboldt (26-6, 6-0 NCC).

And so it all comes down to Thursday night. WCHS needs to win at Iowa Falls-Alden (6-16, 2-4 NCC), something it will be favored to do, and it also needs CGD to pull the upset when it visits Humboldt.

A CGD victory over Humboldt would give WCHS a chance for a shared title three ways with CGD and Humboldt. A Wildcat win would give them the title outright, while WCHS could finish all alone in second.

In other words, the Cowgirls will have a new group of fans Thursday night, and they’ll all reside in Webster City.

“We’re hoping,” WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. “That’s all we can do.”

Sierra Rattenborg laced 10 kills and four service aces for the Lynx in their sweep of Algona (10-21, 2-4 NCC). Livia Kasch, Reese Casey and Abby Gallentine provided five, four and three kills, respectively, in the middle, and setter Joslin Gourley finished with 21 assists. Gallentine was also a defensive wall, as she collected a season-high six blocks.

“The girls came out strong and played aggressive in all three sets,” Howard said. “They didn’t have any lulls throughout the game, so it was a really good offensive night.”

Alayna Finucan had 13 digs to lead the Lynx defense, while Alley Odland registered nine. Finucan currently sits second in 4A with 388 digs on the season.

Finucan also had one service ace, which pushed her career total to 134 and left her one shy of tying the school record of 135, held by Gianna Gourley. Finucan already holds the school record for career digs with 1,782 and counting.

Gourley and Kelly Stoakes added two aces each.

Following the Lynx match at Iowa Falls-Alden on Thursday, they will close out the regular season at the Winterset Invite on Saturday.

WCHS will host Waterloo East in a 4A Region 6 quarterfinal next Tuesday with the winner advancing to take on third-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock, in Waverly, next Thursday in the semifinal round.

“This year we go back to the north and we’re used to that situation,” Howard said. “We’re up to the task.”

WCHS 3, Algona 0

Monday at Algona

Attacks — Sierra Rattenborg 22-24, 10 kills; Livia Kasch 13-18, 5 kills; Reese Casey 9-13, 4 kills; Abby Gallentine 7-9, 3 kills; Joslin Gourley 2-2, 2 kills; Alley Odland 1-1, 1 kill; Delainey Bargfrede 1-2, 1 kill.

Blocks — Gallentine 6, Casey 2, Kasch 2, Gourley 1, Bargfrede 1.

Assists — Gourley 21, Alayna Finucan 2, Kelly Stoakes 1.

Digs — Finucan 13, Odland 9, Rattenborg 6, Gourley 5, Stoakes 5, Cloe Savitski 2, Casey 1, Gallentine 1, Bargfrede 1.

Serving — Rattenborg 9-11, 4 aces; Gourley 20-20, 2 aces; Stoakes 11-12, 2 aces; Finucan 14-14, 1 ace; Casey 7-8, 1 ace; Kasch 4-6.