John Bohnenkamp for Pen City Current Sports
WEST LIBERTY — Holy Trinity’s 64-minute master class of volleyball ended with the kill Natalie Randolph has wanted for more than a year.
The 25-17, 25-16, 25-7 win over No. 13 Edgewood-Colesburg in Wednesday’s Class 1A Region 8 final was a quick, yet thorough, dismantling by the third-ranked Crusaders, who advance to the 16th state tournament appearance in program history
Holy Trinity (31-10), the third seed in the 1A state tournament, will play sixth seed Don Bosco (24-16) in next Tuesday’s 8:25 p.m quarterfinal match at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
The Crusaders controlled the regional bracket, losing just one set. This win, though, felt to coach Melissa Freesmeier as the best performance of all of the four victories.
“Ed-Co was a good team, we knew that coming in,” Freesmeier said. “But we also knew if we were on all cylinders, we would be tough to beat, and I think we were.”
Randolph, a senior who missed all of last season with a knee injury that has still bothered her at times this season, concurred.
“I think it was our best,” she said. “We had a few lapses here and there. But we played so well tonight.”
“We knew coming into it, they were a good team,” senior Mary Kate Bendlage said. “Any team we’re going to run into here on out, they’re going to be good. But coming in, doing what we do, focusing on our side of the net, that’s what really helped us.”
Holy Trinity never trailed in the match, a pressure that would eventually wilt the Vikings.
“We knew if we played hard on our side, if we didn’t worry about them and we had that energy, we would be fine,” said senior Taegan Denning, an efficient hitter all season who has come up with big points throughout the postseason.
“We come into every game having a goal,” said sophomore middle hitter Presley Myers, who controlled the net with a 9-kill, 7-block effort. “Tonight it was just to have a smooth run, keep the energy up the whole time. I think we really did that.
“In the end, our energy was perfect.”
Holy Trinity’s offense was a combination of power and deception that Edgewood-Colesburg could not answer.
“We didn’t want to hit the same shot twice,” Freesmeier said.
The third set by the Crusaders was crushing. They built a 10-3 lead, then went on a 10-point run that included three kills by Bendlage, who finished the match with nine kills.
“It took her a little while to get going, but she really took over in that third set,” Freesmeier said.
The final point was the kill by Randolph, who injured her knee last season and spent the rest of the season as a spectator as the Crusaders made it to the state tournament.
“It was definitely amazing,” Randolph said. “Teagan (Snaadt) gave me a great ball, and I killed it.”
Her smile got bigger as she talked.
“Amazing,” Randolph repeated.
Denning’s smile described the moment as well.
“Huge,” she said of that last point. “Especially since Natalie couldn’t play last year. The whole team was so excited for her.”
“She’s been so excited for this,” Myers said. “She’s been such a huge factor all season. Her energy is unreal on the court. It’s unreal in practice. Her work ethic is amazing. I’m so happy for her to get this chance.”
Randolph’s teammates raced to her after the kill, but after swarming her they made sure to keep her upright and safe.
“I know my mom was worried,” Randolph said, laughing.
Randolph’s right knee has been wrapped in a knee brace all season, and Freesmeier was concerned after she limped off the court after Holy Trinity’s win over Danville on Senior Night.
“After Senior Night, we didn’t know if we would get her back,” Freesmeier said. “But she worked hard to get back from the injury last year, and she’s worked hard all year to keep playing. She means so much to this team.”
“Natalie has worked so hard, and she’s done so much to get ready for this season,” Bendlage said. “For her to get that last point, it means so much to us, it means so much to her.
“She does so much recovery stuff before and after every game, because she’s still in a lot of pain. But she doesn’t show it on the court. She gives us her all every night.”
“It was hard to be on the sidelines last year,” Randolph said. “To be here, to be able to go back to state, to see how far we’ve come as a team, it’s just the best.”
The Crusaders now want more of that best as they head back to the state tournament for the third consecutive season.
“This senior class is special,” Freesmeier said. “They’ve got something about them. And it’s really that way with everyone.”
“To do this again, in my senior year, it means a ton,” Bendlage said. “This team, we came out and played our best. We’ve worked for this.”
“It definitely means everything,” Denning said. “To do it with the other seniors, the ones I’ve played with for so long, it’s so special. It means everything. Obviously we’re not done.
“We have one goal for this season. And we still have to get it.”
KILLS
Mary Kate Bendlage 9, Presley Myers 9, Natalie Randolph 7, Taegan Denning 4, Anna Bendlage 4, Teagan Snaadt 1, Adalyn Kruse 1.
ASSISTS
Randolph 12, A.Bendlage 9, Snaadt 5, Denning 4, MK Bendlage 2
DIGS
Randolph 13, A. Bendlage 10, MK Bendlage 10, Denning 10, Snaadt 8, Kruse 2, Myers 1
BLOCKS
Myers 7, A.Bendlage 3, MK Bendlage 2, Kruse 2, Denning 1, Randolph 1
SERVING
Denning 17-17 (3 aces) Randolph 17-17 (2 aces), Myers 15-16 (3 aces), MK Bendlage 7-7, A.Bendlage 5-5, Kruse 7-10
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