Lady Crusaders roll past Central Lee

FORT MADISON - Adalyn Kruse wanted that kill to end the match.
The first pass on match point in Holy Trinity’s sweep of Central Lee went to the right side, so Kruse had to set up again on the left side.
The Hawks were able to return the ball and this time the pass came Kruse’s way. The senior slammed the ball to the deep right of Central Lee’s defense, and the ball caromed off two Hawks and went out of bounds for the last of Kruse’s 16 kills.
The 25-2, 25-12, 25-9 for the third-ranked (Class 1A) Crusaders was another dominant show for the Holy Trinity offense, with Kruse, a senior who has been a part of the rotation since her freshman year, playing another big role.
“She’s so good,” Holy Trinity coach Melissa Freesmeier said. “She can do a lot of things, and she leads her team to good things. I think she’s the leader this group needs.”
Kruse leads the Crusaders with 131 kills. At 5-foot-10, she brings power to go with her experience.
“I think I'm playing pretty good — just letting it all out on the floor this season,” said Kruse. “Since it's my last (season) and I’m not going to be playing in college, just knowing it’s my last season, I’m giving it my all.”
“This is second nature to her,” Freesmeier said. “She knows the court. She plays it well. She knows when to hit. She knows when to tip the ball. She's just got an eye for the game.”
It was the eighth consecutive win for the Crusaders (13-3 overall, 4-0 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division), who haven’t dropped a set during the winning streak. Ten of those set wins have been when they have limited their opponents to single digits.
“Everybody’s on right now,” Freesmeier said. “We just need to keep our foot on the gas.”
“We’re connecting so well right now,” Kruse said. “I think a lot of us have grown up together, we get along really well. We’re just really connecting.”
Kruse said the Crusaders’ motivation to get back to the state tournament after falling one step short last season has provided plenty of energy.
“I think there is something to prove with this group,” she said.
The first set of this match staggered the Hawks (4-11, 1-3).
“They are a very good team,” Central Lee coach Amy Cook said. “They're good. Our goal was to give them something to work for, and we did not deliver. We didn't do it. We came in and didn’t play well. Some of that is a choice, and that’s what we chose today.”

The Crusaders had 42 kills.
“They move the ball around there constantly,” Cook said. “They have multiple players that can hit, so you know they. It is hard to read it, but we also have to adapt to it. And when they're on and when we're being told to change things, we’ve got to change, and we didn’t do that today.”
Both teams will play in the Super Conference Tournament this weekend, beginning with Thursday’s pool play at four locations. Holy Trinity is at Wayland with host WACO, Louisa-Muscatine, and Pekin. Central Lee is at Columbus Junction with host Columbus, West Burlington and New London.
The top two teams in each pool advance to Saturday’s final rounds at Southeastern Community College.
HOLY TRINITY STATISTICS
Kills — Adalyn Kruse 16, Kate Pieper 11, Olivia Bendlage 6, Makayla Simpson 5, Kymber Jones 3, Elizabeth Griffin 1.
Serving — Griffin 25-26 (8 aces) Bendlage 23-25 (3), Layne Schmitt 8-8, Brynn Denning 3-3, Pieper 3-3, Kruse 3-5, Claire Crabtree 1-1.
Assists — Griffin 40, Denning 2.
Digs — Denning 12, Kruse 10, Brooklyn Scheetz 10, Bendlage 8, Griffin 7, Jones 3, Pieper 2, Schmitt 1.
Blocks — Pieper 3, Simpson 1, Griffin 1.
CENTRAL LEE STATISTICS
Kills - Carly Broadwell 2, Chloee Haigh 1, Madison Frueh 1.
Serving - Addy Dill 6-6.
Assists - Frueh 2
Digs - Frueh 6, Dill 5, Macie Doty, 2