Spartans switch up offense, sweep Cowgirls at state

By: 
Jake Ryder

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Grundy Center volleyball team is in the semifinals for the first time since 2012 and the Spartans are fired up.
 
Grundy Center swept Sidney in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the U.S. Cellular Center on Wednesday, 25-12, 25-17, 25-18.
 
The third-seeded Spartans now get a crack at one of the state's all-time best programs, second-seeded Western Christian, at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Wolfpack swept the Spartans in last year's quarterfinals.
 
Spartan head coach Lori Willis jumped for joy as she entered the media interview room after the match, feeding off the energy of a Grundy Center team chomping at the bit for this rematch with the Wolfpack.
 
"This win means a lot, it means they know they can do it," Willis said. "It speaks to all the hard work they put in and it means even more for them to experience it together."
 
Grundy Center's varied attack lived up to the hype with Kylie Willis pounding out 13 kills, Brooke Flater slamming 12 kills and Hailey Wallis contributing 11 kills.
 
But the Spartans generated those typical offensive numbers with a switch to an atypical "zero-tempo" system that Lori Willis had yet to unleash in a game scenario.
 
The offense relies on a lightning-quick connection between setter and hitter that took the Cowgirls out of any traditional blocking scheme early on.
 
"We've been practicing it for a solid five weeks," she said. "We have to have ball control and in the second and third set we needed to be better. … We have to make sure we're moving and getting those 1-on-1 matchups."
 
...
 
Western Christian will present a major challenge for the Spartans, one that Grundy Center is all too familiar with – the Wolfpack have ended Grundy Center's run at state in four of Grundy Center's last six appearances.
 
"It's redemption day," Wallis said. "We're ready to go out with all we have, give them our best shot and hopefully get the W."
 
Read more about Grundy Center's state tournament run in the Nov. 16 Grundy Register.
 
Grundy Center 25-25-25
Sidney 12-17-18
 
Kills: GC (Kylie Willis 13, Brooke Flater 12, Hailey Wallis 11, Landry Luhring 7, Emerson Kracht 5); Sid (Camryn McClintock 8).
Assists: GC (Kracht 23, Sydney Mathews 10, Claire Verly 4, Willis 3, Kyah Luhring 3, Flater 2, L. Luhring); Sid (Olivia Larsen 16).
Digs: GC (K. Luhring 15, L. Luhring 9, Kracht 9, Mathews 8, Wallis 4, Willis 3); Sid (McClintock 10).
Blocks: GC (Willis 3, Flater 3, Kracht 2, L. Luhring 2, Wallis 2); Sid (Kelsey Hobbie).
Aces: GC (Kracht 2, Wallis); Sid (Hobbie 2).

The Grundy Register

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