NORTON SHORES – The only question remaining is whether there’s a team out there that can knock down the Western Michigan Christian Warriors – then keep them down.

Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian was the latest to try and the latest to fail.

The WMC volleyball team came out a little flat in the Division 3 regional finals on their home court on Thursday and lost the first set to NorthPointe Christian 25-19.

But like in other recent matches, the Warriors bounced back like it was as easy as pushing a button, winning the next three sets 25-18, 25-10 and 25-14 to seal up a regional title and earn a berth in the state quarterfinals.

Maddie Wiersema hits a soft shot for WMC.

The Warriors have now won 20 straight matches and are 48-5 on the season. They will play Watervliet on Tuesday in a Division 3 quarterfinal match at Hamilton High School.

WMC played Watervliet earlier in the season at the Bronson Invitational and won in two straight sets, with most of its bench playing for most of the contest.

“These girls don’t get rattled, they just play,” said WMC coach Trent Smillie. “I am excited to see how far we can go into next week.

“Nobody has been able to find what our weakness is during the last 20 matches. I think the biggest weakness in our losses was ourselves, and as long as we play to win, I think we have a team that can play with anybody.”

What’s particularly interesting about the Warriors is their diverse style of play. They are known as a power team with several big girls who can slam the ball, but they also employ their share of finesse when it’s called for.

Kyla Wiersema (14) and Kendal Young (5) work to keep the ball in play.

On Tuesday they scored numerous points with soft tip shots, or by finding a hole in the defense with soft lobs. Those shots clearly surprise opponents, and sometimes freeze them in their tracks.

“Our opponents expect us to hit it hard,” said Kyla Wiersema, a senior who leads the team in kills. “When you tip it or hit it to a smart spot softly, then they think that we can do everything.”

Coach Smillie said he teaches the philosophy of hitting the ball the right way, depending on the situation.

“If we have a good ball to swing at, I want them to swing at it,” Smillie said. “But if we don’t have a good ball to swing at because the set is too tight, I want them to tip it. I tell them to rip it or tip it.”

The Warriors led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 early in the opening set, but NorthPoint Christian answered with a 10-3 run and grabbed a 12-6 lead. WMC cut the deficit to 14-10 before losing the set.

The Warriors hoist the regional trophy.

NorthPointe Christian also led in the second set by a 3-2 margin, but then the Warriors went to work with a 13-6 run, powered by multiple service points from Kyla Wiersema and Kendal Young.

The Warriors then allowed five straight points and had a slim 15-14 lead, but closed the set with a 10-4 run.

WMC took a commanding 11-0 lead in the third set. NorthPointe Christian could only cut its deficit to 10 points before the Warriors went up 2-1.

The Warriors allowed the first two points of the fourth set, then took the lead for good and cruised to the regional title.

“We were not all in early in the match,” Young said. “We decided to stop doing impressive stuff and just get the ball over the net to clean up our mistakes.

“It’s amazing, and we feel like this is our year.”

Kyla Wiersema led WMC with 23 kills while Young chipped in with 46 assists.

The Warriors were led defensively by Breuker with 25 digs while Maddie Wiersema added 12 digs and eight blocks.