Lady Hounds have building blocks for future

HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION

We had thirteen wins. That’s the most I’ve had since I’ve been a coach here. Obviously, this isn’t the outcome we wanted, but I chalk it up to a pretty successful season. There’s little things that don’t show in the win and loss column that I find myself thinking about that makes me believe we’re headed in the right direction.”

Kelly Knustrom, FM Head Volleyball coach

BURLINGTON — The Fort Madison Bloodhound girls' volleyball team closed out their 2024 campaign Tuesday night in a hard-fought Region 6, Class 4A matchup at Burlington High School. Though the Lady Hounds fell to the Burlington Grayhounds in four sets (11-25, 25-22, 18-25, 14-25), the contest was a showcase of determination, growth, and the promise of a bright future for Head Coach Kelly Knustrom’s squad.
The match opened with Burlington setting a blistering pace, surging ahead by double digits in the first set. The Grayhounds capitalized on Fort Madison’s early errors, quickly building an insurmountable lead and closing out the set 25-11. But the Lady Hounds refused to let the tone of the opener define their night.
“They weren’t happy with game one, obviously,” said Knustrom. “We came out and played hard, so I hope that it was a little bit of determination, a little bit of pride. We weren’t going down like that. That wasn’t what we had worked on, wasn’t what we talked about. I think they could feel that.”
In the second set, Fort Madison regrouped, trading points and ties with Burlington at 8, 13, and 16. The Lady Hounds found their rhythm, with junior Jaycee Fullenkamp delivering a crucial kill to give her team a four-point cushion at 22-18. Burlington rallied to tie the set at 22, but Knustrom’s strategic timeout helped her team regain composure. The Lady Hounds responded with three straight points, including another Fullenkamp kill, clinching the set 25-22, and tying the match at one set apiece.
The third set saw Burlington jump out to a 6-3 lead, but Fort Madison fought back with kills from Fullenkamp and Sydney McEntee, narrowing the gap to 14-10. Burlington’s offense, however, proved too strong, as they finished the set 25-18, highlighted by an ace serve from Ava Brandenburg that trickled over the net for game point.
In the fourth and final set, Fort Madison showed their fighting spirit once again. Senior Jordyn Grisham sparked the team with two straight aces, helping the Lady Hounds to an early 5-1 lead on four consecutive service points. Burlington responded with a run of their own, tying the set at 5 and taking the lead when libero Kylie Lumino got caught on a kill in the front row. The Grayhounds never looked back, extending their advantage to 19-12 before closing out the match 25-14.
Knustrom was quick to highlight the progress her team made throughout the season, especially in terms of adaptability and willingness to try new strategies.
"We did talk about trying to spread out the defense a little bit more. Syd has tried to run slides but isn’t super comfortable and I said, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Our backs were up against the wall and she ran it a couple of times. It wasn’t always a hard hit, but it hit the floor. A kill’s a kill and a point’s a point,” Knustrom said.
She also praised junior Kylie Lumino’s development and competitive spirit: “She’s super fun to coach and she’s just a junior. She’s got that killer mentality.”
Despite the season ending sooner than hoped, Knustrom expressed pride in her squad’s achievements and growth.
“We had thirteen wins. That’s the most I’ve had since I’ve been a coach here. Obviously, this isn’t the outcome we wanted, but I chalk it up to a pretty successful season. There’s little things that don’t show in the win and loss column that I find myself thinking about that makes me believe we’re headed in the right direction. It’s little things that I noticed that I’m like, ‘Oh, we’re doing OK'. So, it’s right there."
Dayonna Davis had six kills and eight digs on the night. McEntee had five kills. Grisham had 17 assists and four aces. Lumino had 17 digs and was a perfect 14-of-14 serviing.
The Lady Hounds wrap up the season with a 13-21 record, marking their highest win total under Knustrom’s tenure.
Burlington, meanwhile, improves to 31-12 with the win and advances to the semifinals in Region 6, where they will travel to face No. 5 North Scott on Thursday.