Energetic Rebels charge past Crusaders, into 1A semis

CORALVILLE – Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball’s one-and-done at last season’s state tournament left a bitter taste for the Rebels.

The Rebels, steered by a group of seniors determined to return to the 1A state title game for the second time in the last three years, started that trek with a four-set victory over Holy Trinity on Tuesday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

G-R won 25-20, 14-25, 25-14, 25-22. The Rebels (33-9) play AGWSR (19-23) in an NICL West rematch at 6 p.m. in the 1A semifinals back in Coralville.

Rebel seniors led the way - 24 kills for Ava Wyatt, eight kills and 12 digs for Megan Cooley, and 44 assists and 15 digs for setter Emma McClintock.

“They really wanted to come back strong,” G-R head coach Paula Kelley said. “That’s been the driving force all season long, and we’re peaking at the right time.”

After fighting to a first set victory, Holy Trinity kept the Rebels out of system in set two, cruising to a tie matchup.

“We didn’t have our passing there, we weren’t getting the passes up to the net so we could get some good swings.”

The Crusaders (29-16) struggled in set three, with errors helping to push G-R to a slim 11-10 lead, giving way to a deluge of a 14-4 finish, capped by two kills from freshman Kennedy Brant, who also had eight kills along with Lily Dripps.

“This team has helped me so much,” said Brant. “Megan Cooley is like my big sister and helps me so much in the middle. … This was a really important season for us to get the seniors back to state.”

The fourth set was more back and forth - G-R jumped ahead 17-14, then made errors to help Holy Trinity back ahead 18-17.

In the end, Wyatt would not be denied, hammering four kills for the final four points the Rebels needed to move on to the semifinals.

“Emma spread it around, which we liked, but we also had to give it to our hot hand,” Kelley said. “And when Ava’s got the hot hand, you give it to her.”

McClintock added: “I was so proud of her. … She was able to hit around blockers all night and hit line. Our positivity and energy was high the whole night, especially in that last set, and Ava kept the energy high with her swings.”

The Rebels had seen what AGWSR had done against a higher-seeded North Tama team the match before they played, and G-R wanted to avoid that same fate and close it out in four.

“We wanted it more,” Cooley said. “We were high intensity, showing our emotions. We fell apart in that second set but came back in the third set and gave it our all.”

G-R understands what the rest of the state may not have known about AGWSR - overlook the Cougars at your own peril.

“They’re underrated, honestly,” McClintock said. “We won when we faecd them before, but we’re not going to overlook them. They have great defense and you have to expect a lot from them.”