AUBURN HILLS -- Romeo sat and watched as MAC Red rival Utica Eisenhower punched its ticket to the championship in the first of Wednesday's D1 district semifinals at Avondale.

But if at any point the Bulldogs let thoughts of getting revenge on the Eagles for last year's postseason exit creep into their minds when they took the floor afterward, Stoney Creek provided a reminder that Romeo's maximum attention was required in the present.

All five sets ended up being necessary for the Bulldogs to advance past the Cougars, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14.

"The girls knew (Stoney Creek), they were worthy of everything they did tonight," Bulldogs head coach Stacy Williams said. "I mean, they played phenomenal. That was a brutal match for both teams. One team wins, and it's be two points in almost every single game. Good job to them, good job to us. It's what you want in a volleyball game, but happy we were on the winning side of it."

Things began well for the Bulldogs, who fought off a mini-run by Stoney to close out the first set in their favor, however, when senior Abby Ivezaj switched the point of attack and allowed sophomore hitter Lauren Sheldon to bury the second game for the Cougars, it was a statement that Romeo would have to work for its chance to face Ike for a third time this year.

"We were thinking about the Ike game a lot, that we've got to get to that game, but we did realize that we had to focus on this game, because they're a great team," Romeo senior Emma Rosenow said. "We could not look past them. I'd say that we did at the beginning, and then as time went on, we realized (we couldn't)."

The third and fourth sets were more evidence that if the teams played to 10, it could have easily been an even split. Junior Bianca Micakovic had the last of the Cougars' three consecutive points to capture the third, then Rosenow finished off the fourth with one of her team-high 17 kills to force a fifth, which was tied at 10-10, and eventually 14-all before the Bulldogs pulled it out.

"We all have so much love for each other, and we just didn't want it to be over," Rosenow said. "I think that was the main thing. Coming into this game, we all were like, 'Do not let this be the last one.' We wanted it so bad. They're a very good team, and it was very competitive, but overall, I think we just wanted it more than them."

Between Rosenow and Stoney Creek's assortment of 6-foot (or taller) hitters that includes Micakovic, Brooklyn Rummler, and especially sophomore Lauren Sheldon (464 kills this season), setting up the blocks -- Romeo got some timely ones deep into that fourth set it won -- was a key factor.

"It was so, so important," Rosenow said. "All of their hitters are good, and they all can jump and hit over our block, so that was crucial."

"It was real critical," confirmed Cougars head coach Jason Gambone. "I thought we struggled a little bit. We hadn't seen a lot of teams that run different routes. They did that, and we struggled. But at the end of the day, we had opportunities. Defensively, we played well, it was just a few points here or there."

Since back-to-back defeats to St. Mary's and Bloomfield Hills, Stoney Creek (27-10) had won 11 in a row entering Wednesday, including a five-set victory over Clarkston on Oct. 14.

Photo gallery of Romeo vs. Stoney Creek in D1 volleyball district semifinal action

"This is probably the deepest team that I've ever coached, and if kids were out, kids were sick, other girls stepped up," Gambone said. "If girls were struggling, kids on the bench stepped up, which was helpful on that run.

"We're gonna miss the kids that are seniors for sure, but I love the squad that's coming back. We'll see what the freshman class brings, but I think we'll be solid going into next year."

Romeo graduated just one senior from last year's team that lost a five-set battle in regional finals with Eisenhower, so despite losing both games against Ike during the regular season, it wasn't unexpected that the Bulldogs would be in a position to face them at this stage.

"We brought back 13 players, but we're playing it different," Williams said. "We started off the season up until October with kind of the same lineup as last year, and then kids work hard and we had a setter really step up, and Kylie Freeman's done a great job in practice, so we put her into the rotation and were able to move some things and get more offense out of Eleanor (Williams) from the back row. It's not the same look as if you watched that team at the end of last season, but it's the same people."

Eleanor Williams provided 15 kills in Wednesday's victory, and Christina Rosenow added nine.

The winner of Thursday's district championship at Avondale will take on either Dakota or L'Anse Creuse North in regionals on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in Clarkston.