Crusaders get a test from Lady Hawks

ADJUSTMENTS

We would make an adjustment, and then they would make an adjustment and move (the ball) around. We needed a little better reflexes at times, just had to be a little quicker.”

Amy Cook, Head Coach Central Lee

DONNELLSON — Holy Trinity finished another perfect run through the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division, but of course the final match wasn’t easy.
The No. 2 (Class 1A) Crusaders swept Central Lee 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 on Thursday night, but they were challenged throughout the match by the Hawks, something coach Melissa Freesmeier expected.
“The South is very talented,” Freesmeier said. “You’re going to get a fight every night, which is very good for us, because that’s just going to make us better in the postseason.”
The Crusaders (30-2) went 7-0 in division play for the third consecutive year, losing just four sets.
This one was a challenge from the beginning, and it was something Central Lee coach Amy Cook thought her team could build on heading into regional play.
“I’m proud of them,” Cook said. “I thought we hung in there with them. There were some good things that happened.”
Holy Trinity had to rally to win the second set, finishing it on a kill from Olivia Bendlage. The Crusaders led for a majority of the first and third sets, but still needed late runs to hold off the Hawks.
“I thought we got a little sloppy at times,” Freesmeier said. “But at the end of the night, we came back in some of the sets and did some great things. So I told the kids, let’s concentrate on the positives. We need to fix the communication gap we had — at times we just stopped communicating.”
Central Lee (11-12, 3-4) gave the Crusaders some problems up front at times with different blocking schemes.
“We would make an adjustment, and then they would make an adjustment and move (the ball) around,” Cook said. “We needed a little better reflexes at times, just had to be a little quicker.”
“We knew it was going to be tough — they’ve got great athletes there, and they do some great things,” Freesmeier said. “They were throwing a lot of junk at us, and we had to adapt. I thought it was a great match, and I thought we did the things we needed to do to win.”
Adalyn Kruse led Holy Trinity with 16 kills, while Presley Myers had 13.
“They have probably the two best hitters in the conference,” Cook said. “And I thought we hung in there with them.”
Holy Trinity plays in the Pella Invitational on Saturday in a field that includes No. 7 (Class 5A) West Des Moines Valley, No. 3 (Class 4A) Pella, Knoxville, Washington and Grinnell.
“It’s going to be a great test for us,” Freesmeier said. “It’s a great test for us to see where we’re at.”
Central Lee closes the regular season at the Davis County Invitational on Saturday, then opens Class 3A regional play at Mediapolis on October 21.
HOLY TRINITY STATISTICS
Kills — Adalyn Kruse 16, Presley Myers 13, Olivia Bendlage 7, Elizabeth Griffin 5, Calli Kruse 2, Emma Mohrfeld 2, Makayla Simpson 1.
Assists — C.Kruse 20, Griffin 14.
Serving — Myers 16-17 (1 ace), C.Kruse 15-17 (1), Griffin 12-12 (1), Bendlage 11-11, Alivia Holmes 9-10 (1), A.Kruse 6-8
Digs — Bendlage 18, Griffin 18, A.Kruse 14, Holmes 11, C.Kruse 8, Mohrfeld 7, Myers 7, Simpson 4, Claire Crabtree 1
Blocks — Myers 4, Simpson 2, Mohrfeld 2, Bendlage 1, C.Kruse 1.