HTC girls keep passing the test

BURLINGTON — Rallying to win the first set of Thursday’s match against Notre Dame was a good lesson for the postseason for Holy Trinity’s volleyball team.
The response after the struggles and mistakes of the third set was just as important.
The 27-25, 25-16, 14-25, 25-16 win over the Nikes put the No. 2 (Class 1A) Crusaders a big step closer to clinching the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division title, but also provided them yet another look at what they might see in the postseason.
“They’re a good ballclub,” Holy Trinity coach Melissa Freesmeier said. “They do great things. So we have to be ready when we play teams like this. We saw some things we needed to work on, and that’s what we’ll do, starting tomorrow.”
The Crusaders (28-2 overall, 5-0 South Division) have seen the Nikes (22-6, 4-1) three times this year, sweeping them in the Wapello Tournament to open the season and again in last Saturday’s Super Conference Tournament championship match. This one was a matchup pitting the co-leaders of the division, and Holy Trinity left with sole possession of the lead.
It wasn’t easy, though, and it started right away, when Holy Trinity led 22-19 in the first set, only to have Notre Dame score the next five points to reach set point. But the Crusaders rallied back for a 25-24 lead and after the Nikes tied it, two Adalyn Kruse kills gave Holy Trinity the set.
“I think that we didn't get rattled,” Freesmeier said. “They just trusted each other. They got the job done. Adalyn had some big kills in that game, I think she took a little bit on her back and said, ‘Give me the ball and we'll get back into this.’ So I thought we stayed aggressive.”
Holy Trinity controlled the second set, but the Nikes dominated in the third. They scored six consecutive points after the set was tied at 7, and led 19-9 before the Crusaders tried to rally. They scored three consecutive points before Notre Dame pulled away to force a fourth set.
“I thought we looked a little shaky in the third set — made a lot of mistakes, didn't look real comfortable, thought we were out of position,” Freesmeier said. “But we talked going into the  fourth set, saying that the previous set was over, let’s regroup, let’s play the way we can, let’s start trusting our teammates and get the job done. And I thought we did that. I thought they settled in.”

The fourth set was all about the Crusaders. They steadily pulled away, leading 23-11 before the Nikes posted a short rally. They were within 24-16 before Holy Trinity closed out the match.
“We learned that a bad set is something you can’t dwell on,” Freesmeier said. “There’s nothing more you can do about it, so just flush it and move on to the next set, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Holy Trinity closes divisional play next week, with a home match against Van Buren on Tuesday and a road match against Central Lee on Thursday.
HOLY TRINITY STATISTICS
Kills — Presley Myers 13, Adalyn Kruse 12, Olivia Bendlage 6, Elizabeth Griffin 4, Makayla Simpson 1, Calli Kruse 1, Emma Mohrfeld 1
Serving — C.Kruse 19-20 (1 ace), Bendlage 17-19 (2), A.Kruse 14-15 (2), Alivia Holmes 13-15 (2), Griffin 10-12, Myers 7-8.
Digs — Bendlage 18, Griffin 18, A.Kruse 14, Myers 9, Holmes 8, C.Kruse 7, Mohrfeld 4, Simpson 1.
Blocks — A.Kruse 3, Simpson 3, Bendlage 2, Myers 2, Mohrfeld 1
Assists — C.Kruse 24, Griffin 10