Central Lee has been a team that has tested Holy Trinity in volleyball the last two seasons.
The Hawks have won the last two SEI Superconference South Division regular-season matches against the Crusaders.
Holy Trinity made sure that didn’t happen this season.
The Crusaders controlled the net, sweeping the Hawks 25-10, 25-19, 25-16 on Senior Night at Shottenkirk Gym.
Holy Trinity (18-8 overall, 3-3 division), ranked 10th in Class 1A, has won 11 of its last 12 matches heading into the final weeks of the season.
“The kids came out with authority,” Holy Trinity coach Melissa Freesmeier said. “They came out with a lot of energy, and got the job done. I thought, as a whole, we played really, really well.”
Holy Trinity had just nine hitting errors in the three games, a nearly flawless performance that kept the Hawks (10-15, 3-4) from getting anything going.
“We were struggling big-time,” Central Lee coach Amy Cook said. “We were struggling on our blocks getting there. Our energy was up and down, something we’ve been struggling with quite a bit. “
Senior nights can get emotional, and this one certainly was for the Crusaders. But they put that aside in a hurry, racing to a 13-3 lead in the first game.
The Hawks challenged Holy Trinity in the second game, leading 8-4 at one point before the Crusaders rallied.
“Central Lee’s gotten us the last couple of years,” Freesmeier said. “And we didn’t want that to happen tonight. It was a big night for our seniors, it was big night for our kids.
“Central Lee’s got a team that doesn’t give up. They’ve taken some sets from great teams this year. They’re young, but they’ve challenged a lot of teams.”
Mary Kate Bendlage, who led Holy Trinity with 14 kills, was 30-of-33 hitting. Presley Myers, who had 13 kills, was 16-of-17. Brooke Mueller, who had five kills, was 12-of-14. Kayla Box, with three kills, was 7-of-7.
“Our hitters mixed things up, kept them guessing,” Freesmeier said.
“I don’t feel like we were executing much,” Cook said. “We’re still struggling with that team chemistry. They’ll get there.
“We’ve got to get our mental toughness. I feel like we’ve got great athletes, and I feel like I’ve got them in the right spots for the most part. We just need to build that chemistry up, and that trust in each other.”
Anna Bendlage led Holy Trinity with 33 assists. She also was 9-of-9 serving and added four digs and three blocks. Mary Kate Bendlage was 7-of-8 serving with two aces and added 11 digs. Box had three blocks. Alexa Dingman was 18-of-18 serving with one ace. Laura Mehmert was 8-of-8 serving and had two digs. Teagan Snaadt had eight digs.
Mueller, playing for the first time in more than week, was 10-of-13 serving with an ace. She had eight digs and one block, and was honored after the match for reaching the 600-kill mark for her career.
Taegan Denning was 7-of-9 serving with four digs and a block. Myers was 7-of-7 serving, adding three blocks and a dig.
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