Crusaders make quick work of New London

FORT MADISON - Alivia Holmes started it.
Calli Kruse finished it.
The third set of one of Holy Trinity’s fastest wins of the season belonged to two of the Crusaders’ newcomers on Thursday night.
Holmes and Kruse combined to serve on 24 of the Crusaders’ points in the final set in the 25-10, 25-5, 25-1 win over New London at Shottenkirk Gym.
The No. 1 (Class 1A) Crusaders (12-1 overall, 4-0 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division) needed just 45 minutes to defeat the Tigers (1-10, 0-4), and no set has been as easy this season as the last one of this match.
Holmes served the first 10 points before hitting her 11th serve long. A service error by the Tigers gave the ball back to the Crusaders, then Kruse served out the set.
“It did feel pretty good,” Kruse said.
“It was really exciting,” Holmes said. “It’s fun serving. I like it.”
It was the 10th consecutive win for the Crusaders, who were taken to four sets in their first four South Division matches of the season.
“I feel like this really boosted our confidence, just winning in three really quickly,” Holmes said.
“It feels good to have an early night,” Kruse said. “We have a morning practice tomorrow, then rest up and get ready for the weekend (when the Crusaders play at the Lisbon Tournament).”
Holy Trinity coach Melissa Freesmeier also appreciated the quick work.
“It was good to see us stay focused, and get the job done,” Freesmeier said.
The Crusaders shook off some early mistakes to win the first set. All but one of the Tigers’ points came on Holy Trinity errors.
The last two sets were much cleaner, Freesmeier said.

“We had a lot of errors in that first set,” she said. “It’s just been kind of how things have gone for us and we need to eliminate that. But I thought we stayed focused and played better.”
Holmes, a junior who is in her first season with the Crusaders after transferring from Fort Madison, has settled in at libero.
“Everything is different when you’re joining a new team,” said Holmes, who was 15 of 17 serving with five aces, and led the Crusaders with six digs. “You always have to communicate really well, and that’s what I’ve learned from Melissa and my teammates, just how to communicate.”
“Her serve alone has been getting us a lot of points the last few matches,” Freesmeier said. “But she’s also been a big part of our serve-receiving. Nobody sees that stat, but the serve receives, she's putting the ball in the setter’s hands. And I think they're starting to get a little more comfortable with her out there.”
Kruse, a sophomore setter/outside hitter, has also grown into her starting role. Kruse led the Crusaders with 16 assists, and was 22 of 23 serving with seven aces.
“I've been struggling with serving a little bit at the beginning of the season, and the coaches and I talked, and they said for me to stay down when serving,” she said. “And it's really improved a lot. It's just exciting to be able to do that.”
“She’s coming along nicely,” Freesmeier said. “She always remembers the negative things, so we make sure to point out the positives, because she’s doing a lot of good things out there.”
It’s going to be a busy week for the Crusaders. After the Lisbon Tournament, Holy Trinity hosts its own tournament on Monday, then plays in the Super Conference Tournament with pool play next Thursday and the final rounds next Saturday.
“There’s a lot coming up, so we have to be ready,” Freesmeier said.
HOLY TRINITY STATISTICS
Kills — Olivia Bendlage 10, Presley Myers 9, Adalyn Kruse 7, Elizabeth Griffin 4, Mikayla Simpson 2, Alivia Holmes 1, Calli Kruse 1, Emma Mohrfeld 1.
Serving — C.Kruse 22-23 (7 aces), Alivia Holmes 15-17 (5), Bendlage 11-11 (1), Griffin 8-8 (3), A.Kruse 7-7 (1), Myers 6-7 (2)
Assists — C.Kruse 16, Griffin 9, Myers 3.
Digs — Holmes 6, A.Kruse 5, Griffin 3, C.Kruse 3, Bendlage 2, Simpson 1.
Blocks — Myers 2, Griffin 1.