Wolfpack ends Spartan season in semis

CEDAR RAPIDS – In the history books, Thursday's Class 2A state volleyball semifinal will go down as a Western Christian three-set sweep over Grundy Center, the same result as 2016's quarterfinal.
 
But both teams know deep down that the match was much more different than the final scores appeared.
 
"We were much more relaxed this year," Spartan senior Landry Luhring said. "We wanted to keep firing at them and there were times where we gained momentum, the crowd was into it, we were into it."
 
The Wolfpack is a hard team to close out, though, and Western Christian rallied for wins in the second and third set to advance to Friday's 2A championship against Dike-New Hartford.
 
Western Christian won 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 and will play for a third-consecutive 2A title against the Wolverines on Friday.
 
"What made me nervous about Grundy Center is that they're very balanced," Western Christian coach Tammi Verbeek said. "I like to play a team with two great hitters that we can focus on but they have a very balanced attack. … The only way we were going to win is to dig the ball like crazy and stay the aggressor at the net. … We had to fight through some ugly volleyball on our part to win those second and third sets."
 
Hailey Wallis led Grundy Center's attack with nine kills, with Kylie Willis contributing seven kills, Emerson Kracht hitting six kills and Landry Luhring putting down five kills.
 
The first set was pivotal for the Wolfpack as they were able to jump on the Spartans early with a more indirect offense than what Grundy Center had expected.
 
Western Christian built a commanding 14-4 lead on the strength of tipped attacks from top hitters Jessi De Jager and Ashtyn Veerbeek.
 
De Jager finished with 15 kills and Verbeek accounted for 13 kills.
 
"We were expecting (De Jager) to tip but not (Verbeek)," Grundy Center head coach Lori Willis said of the Wolfpack's dual six-foot-plus attackers. "That put us on our heels a bit and we were able to compete with them and serve more aggressively to get them out of system."
 
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The early outlook for next season is bright for the Spartans – no team in 2A's final four brings back as many starters (6) as Grundy Center.
 
"We worked hard from June on to get to this spot," Kylie Willis said. "One of our goals was to get through the first round, and we wanted to get through the second round too, but next year we'll be working to overcome this little slump in the semis."
 
As excited as Lori Willis is to get this group of girls back in the gym for next season, it brings her no pleasure talking about it at the expense of the Spartan seniors who played their final game on Thursday.
 
Landry Luhring, Hannah Stahl, Emily Ehrig and Sabrina Mast all made their own marks on the Spartans' 37-7 campaign.
 
"It is tough saying goodbye to these seniors," Willis said. "But the best part for me is being able to maintain those relationships after they graduate and only saying goodbye from a coach-player role. … They gave their hearts and souls to work hard in practice and on the court."
 
Read more about Grundy Center's state tournament run in the Nov. 16 Grundy Register.
 
Western Christian 25-25-25
Grundy Center 16-21-21
 
Kills: GC (Hailey Wallis 9, Kylie Willis 7, Emerson Kracht 6, Landry Luhring 5, Brooke Flater, Claire Verly); WC (Jessi De Jager 15, Ashtyn Verbeek 13).
Assists: GC (Sydney Mathews 14, Kracht 8, Kyah Luhring 2, L. Luhring); WC (Olivia Granstra 21).
Digs: GC (K. Luhring 14, L. Luhring 12, Willis 11, Mathews 9, Kracht 5, Wallis 2, Verly, Flater); WC (Granstra 10).
Blocks: GC (Verly 3, Flater 3, Willis 3, Kracht 1, Wallis 1, L. Luhring 1); WC (Veerbeek 3).
Aces: GC (L. Luhring, Mathews, Wallis); WC (Granstra 3).