HTC girls sweep Notre Dame

FORT MADISON - The pieces to Holy Trinity’s rotation seem like perfect fits.
The Crusaders extended their winning streak to 15 matches with Thursday’s 25-17, 25-16, 25-11 win over Notre Dame at Shottenkirk Gym.
Holy Trinity (20-3 overall, 5-0 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division), which dropped to fifth in the IGHSAU Class 1A rankings earlier in the day despite not losing a set during this current winning streak, has been a mix of veteran players and newcomers since the beginning of the season.
“We’ve just got a lot of options out there and it’s hard to keep up with them,” coach Melissa Freesmeier said. “Notre Dame’s been playing great, but our kids seem to get better and better.”
Senior Adalyn Kruse, who was honored after the match for topping the 1,000-kill mark for her career, led the Crusaders with 17 kills in this match, and junior Olivia Bendlage had 15. But freshman Kate Pieper had six kills and two blocks and freshman Kymber Jones had four kills.
It’s a sign of what the Crusaders have for the future, but the present has been just as impressive.
“It's been kind of crazy, to be honest,” Jones said. “Being a freshman, being young, sometimes there's a lot of pressure, but sometimes there's not. I played club (volleyball) for a long time, so I've had so much experience already.”
“They look comfortable out there,” Freesmeier said. “Anybody I put in there, they feel comfortable and they get the job done. You don’t see deer in the headlights. They’re out there playing volleyball. They love the game, and the game loves them.”
Pieper has already topped the 100-kill mark for the season, and Jones is closing in on that milestone.
It’s required some adjustment — Jones is playing a new position as a middle hitter.
“I was kind of nervous at the start of the season,” she said. “I’ve learned how to adapt to it.”

It helps, Jones said, to be surrounded by experience. Kruse has been at the varsity level for her entire career, as has Bendlage.
“They're very supportive, and they just help me grow,” Jones said. “They're talking to us throughout the game. They know what to do in situations, and they tell us what to do. And if I'm struggling, they always bring me up.”
“We see the competitiveness in practice every day,” Freesmeier said. “These kids are hungry.”
Holy Trinity controlled the Nikes (14-11, 2-3) in all three sets. The Crusaders led 13-3 in the first set, 8-2 in the second set, then opened the third set with 12 consecutive points.
The Crusaders are off until Tuesday’s match against South Division co-leader West Burlington.
“It’s another tough, tough matchup, and we just have to keep the gas on and just work hard and see what the season brings us,” Freesmeier said, “But, so far, so good.”
HOLY TRINITY STATISTICS
Kills — Adalyn Kruse 17, Olivia Bendlage 15, Kate Pieper 6, Elizabeth Griffin 4, Kymber Jones 4, Makayla Simpson 2.
Assists — Griffin 33, Calli Kruse 4.
Serving — Bendlage 19-20 (1 ace), Griffin 11-11 (3), A.Kruse 9-11 (2), Brynn Denning 8-9 (1), Layne Schmitt 7-8 (2), C.Kruse 5-6, Pieper 4-4, Faith Ward 1-1, Jones 1-2.
Digs — Bendlage 24, Denning 23, Brooklyn Scheetz 11, Griffin 9, A.Kruse 8, C.Kruse 7, Pieper 6, Jones 3, Simpson 1.
Blocks — Pieper 2, Griffin 1.