PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – The Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball team scrabbled but ultimately failed to topple No. 3 North Tama during this past Monday’s Class 1A Region 6 semifinal in Traer with the Redhawks sweeping the Rebels in three riveting sets.

After dropping the first set, 25-15, swiftly to their in-county rivals, G-R battled back in the second set, tying the score at 3-3 and then 5-5 before pulling ahead briefly twice. North Tama tied it up again at 10-10 and then remained ahead by one to two points for much of the rest of the set.

In the final stretch, the Rebels evened the score at 19-19, 21-21, 22-22 and 23-23 before the Redhawks proved their dominance this season, winning 25-23 on a block by Kahlia Even and Alaney Sienknecht.

The third set began with a 3-0 Rebel lead, but that was the last time the Redhawks trailed. North Tama began to build a commanding cushion, eventually extending their advantage to 24-10.

At match point, Sienknecht – recently named the Iowa Star-South Division’s Co-Player of the Year – sent a kill past the Rebel defense, landing under the net in the process. Both the Redhawks and much of the gymnasium began to celebrate in response before the revelry was cut short when a center line fault was called on Sienknecht, awarding the point to G-R.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

The Rebels then scored five unanswered points against the Redhawks before North Tama laid down the hammer, winning the set 25-16 to earn a return trip to the regional championship.

Outside hitter Lily Sell led the North Tama offense with 18 kills, while Sienknecht tallied 16 strikes. Even had five kills. Gropper, Jessica Morrison, and Eva Williams all had two kills apiece. Kaeler Ewoldt had one. Gropper was on fire in the S spot, totaling 40 assists while also providing a steady hand when her teammates got jittery, particularly in the second set.

Ewoldt and Grace Dvorak led the Redhawks defense with 10 digs apiece. Gropper had nine digs, Sienknecht eight, and Harper Rausch six. North Tama totaled 10 blocks against the Rebels – Even and Sienknecht both had three apiece; Morrison two; Gropper and Sell each tallied one. At the line of service, Sienknecht ruled, going 11-for-11 with three aces. Williams had two aces. Rausch was 16-for-16 with one ace.

G-R’s statistics were not available in time for publication.

In a post-game interview with the newspaper, North Tama head coach Channing Halstead praised the Rebels, particularly for their determination in the second set.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“G-R forced us into some mistakes that we haven’t made in a while,” she said. “They kind of changed the tempo on us. We had one too many errors.”

She also praised Rebel senior setter Kailey Larsen for her playmaking that evening.

“Their setter makes their whole team better. She puts the set on the money and lets her outsides be more effective.”

“She trusted her hitters 100%,” assistant coach Karisa Kladivo added of Larsen.

Following the match, the Redhawks (29-13) were set to face No. 13 West Monona (24-8) at Webster City High School tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 28, for the Class 1A Region 6 championship and a trip to the state tournament. The match begins at 7 p.m.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

After shaking G-R head coach Paula Kelley’s hand Monday evening, Halstead ran through her team’s high-five chain while telling her players, “One more! One more!”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Kahlia Even and Alaney Sienknecht lay down the final block of Gladbrook-Reinbeck to win the third set and match plus score a return trip to the regional championship. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER