The Substitution: Stahl spurs Spartans back to state

Grundy Center to play Sidney in state quarterfinal Wednesday
 
 
GRINNELL – Lori Willis called for a substitution.
 
The Grundy Center volleyball head coach wasn't just moving her girls through the normal rotations: The Spartans needed something extra.
 
Pella Christian led 7-4 in the fourth set and looked to have the momentum to take Tuesday's Class 2A regional final to a fifth set.
 
Looking for some fire, Willis turned to Hannah Stahl.
 
The Spartan student section cheered as Hannah left her seat on the bench. Stahl had played in 70 sets this season before Tuesday night, but not in a situation with such high stakes.
 
Stahl said a few words to her teammates on the floor before the next serve.
 
"I was super nervous," Stahl said.
 
But with Stahl on the floor, Grundy Center's aggression that had led to costly fouls and hitting errors now had a pin-point focus.
 
The Spartans tied the Eagles. Then they opened up a big lead. After 14 consecutive points, Grundy Center was back in the driver's seat.
 
The furious rally helped put Grundy Center back in the state tournament for the second-consecutive season, the seventh appearance in eight years, with a four-set victory over the Eagles at Grinnell High School.
 
Grundy Center won 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 25-16. The Spartans (35-6) will play 2A No. 6 Sidney (31-5) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.
 
"I was on the bench, bringing the energy and doing my best, so out on the court I knew I had to tune the girls up and make sure they were getting their job done and making sure I was covering them to help them succeed," Stahl said. "As a senior who didn't have as much playing time before, to come out and lead the team was very exciting."
 
Read more about Tuesday's game in next week's Grundy Register.
 

The Grundy Center student section celebrates with the volleyball team after the Spartans clinched a return to the 2A state volleyball tournament with a win in Grinnell on Tuesday against Pella Christian. (Jake Ryder/The Grundy Register photo)