Crusaders' motivation comes from substate loss

FORT MADISON - Olivia Bendlage felt like a year was squandered last season.
Holy Trinity’s volleyball team fell one match short of making it to the Class 1A state tournament, and it was something that Bendlage, now a junior, has thought about ever since that five-set regional final loss to Dunkerton.
“Honestly, from last year, I have a bad taste in my mouth,” Bendlage said. “The other day I was thinking about it. I was like, you have four years to go to state, and that loss just really left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Senior Adalyn Kruse, who had played in the state tournament in her first two seasons, including being part of the 2023 team that reached the championship match, felt the same way.
“I think this year we have a lot more motivation, because we don't want to let down people who come and watch us,” Kruse said. “We don’t want to let ourselves down.”
It’s an attitude that coach Melissa Freesmeier appreciates.
“I know it was a lot (of motivation) for our coaching staff,” she said. “We waited for the day to come back so we can start a new season.
“I know these kids. They have a different mindset, I think. I think sometimes we take things for granted, and when we take things for granted and things don't happen, then you’ve got to figure out how you're going to get what you want. It's good to lose sometimes if you learn from it. So we're going to use that as motivation this year to keep pushing.”
The Crusaders, who went 36-7 last season, lost senior middle hitter Presley Myers, who led the team with 79 blocks and was second on the team with 334 kills, and outside hitter Emma Mohrfeld, who had 70 kills.

But Kruse, the team leader with 391 kills, is back, along with Bendlage, who had 215. Freesmeier will run a 6-2 offense with senior Elizabeth Griffin (69 kills, 549 assists) and junior Calli Kruse (22 kills, 442 assists).
After that, there is still a battle to fill the rest of the spots in the rotation.
“We’re got a lot of young kids that I think will surprise some people who have really worked hard over the summer and they love the game,” Freesmeier said. “We're getting pushed every day in practice, and I think that's going to be huge.”
The loss of Myers in the middle is something Freesmeier knows her team will have to compensate for with different looks.
“We don’t have 6-2 up there anymore,” Freesmeier said, referring to Myers’ height. “But we’ve got some kids with hops.”
Freesmeier said the Crusaders’ passing needed to be better after last season.
“If we can pass the ball, and if we can keep our middles moving, I think we're just going to be a quicker team, because they've done the work this summer with agility training and things like that to make them quicker,” she said.
“Out of this team, I’m seeing a lot more commitment,” Adalyn Kruse said. “We’re a lot stronger this year. I think our skill level, all around, is pretty good.”
“I feel the key to this group is to not be selfish, and I think we’ve talked about that a lot,” Bendlage said. “There’s a lot of talent on this team.”