Rams headed back to state

A year after making its first state volleyball tournament in school history, Glenwood is returning to Cedar Rapids.

The Rams swept Council Bluffs Lewis Central 25-14, 25-21, 25-17 in the Class 4A, Region 2 finals tonight to punch their ticket to state.

The Rams (32-2) will open state play Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids against No. 6 seeded West Delaware (27-11).

Glenwood didn’t open the match like the Class 4A, No. 4 ranked team they are. They looked a step slow and out-of-synch  as the Titans – who handed the Rams just their second loss of the season in a sweep back on Oct. 17 – jumped out a 6-1 lead. The lead would swell to 12-7 before Glenwood began to claw back.

With Coryl Matheny on the service line the Rams first went on a 6-0 run to get their first lead at 13-12 and then rattled off 11 more to take a commanding 24-12 lead. Before the Titans knew what hit them, Glenwood had a 1-0 set lead.“We fought back,” she said. “We’ve always been a comeback team and that’s what we did.”

Elle Scarborough was a weapon for the Rams in the first set and all match long. The senior smacked down seven kills in the 17-0 run and 10 total in the first. She finished with a game-high 19 kills.

“Elle is our go to,” Hirt said. “We knew they were going to try and block her so mixed her around and she was our primary hitter all night.”

In set two, Glenwood got out to an early 8-4 lead and the Titans never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

Set three was a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by more than three points through the early going. Glenwood finally seemed to take control when up 16-15 they rattled off four straight points to go up 20-15.

Following the run, the Titans called their final timeout. Hirt didn’t hesitate to remind her team of the stakes.

“I told them, ‘You have five points to get for state,’” she said. “We had to beat them before they do. We knew they’d come back and battle just like we do.”

The Rams came out and scored the next three points and five of the final seven to win it.

“We knew it was going to be a fight,” she said. “The last time we saw them they completely swept us so we were ready to fight and battle. We thought for sure it’d go four or five (sets) but our girls were consistent on that front row and our defense. Our serving was also very good.”

A year ago, the Rams drew top seeded and eventual state champion Sergeant Bluff-Luton in their state opener and went home in the quarterfinals. Hirt said her team has higher aims this time around.

“Our goal is to get past that quarterfinal,” she said. “We’re feeling a bit more positive and with where we’re ranked we play someone more in the middle (of the seeds) and not the No. 1  seed right away. Even coming  in last year as the No. 8 seed and playing the No. 1 seed I think we played really well. I’m curious to see how far this team can go.”

The Opinion-Tribune

116 S Walnut St Glenwood, IA 51534-1665
P.O. Box 377, Red Oak, IA 51566
Phone: 712-527-3191
Phone: 712-623-2566
Fax: 712-527-3193

Comment Here