GRUNDY CENTER – Even with three freshmen in the regular rotation, the Grundy Center volleyball team showed postseason levels of resiliency to win both games of a season-opening triangular against West Branch and Hudson at Grundy Center High School on Tuesday.
All three teams were ranked in Class 2A by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union coming into the contest: Hudson sixth, Grundy Center ninth, West Branch 13th.
Grundy Center defeated West Branch 21-15, 21-16 and battled Hudson for a 25-23, 16-21, 15-12 win. Hudson defeated West Branch, 21-16, 21-15, in the other match on Tuesday.
"In the heat of the moment, they picked each other up," Grundy Center head coach Lori Willis said. "They let things go, which is absolutely amazing. That will take this team so far down the road by just letting things go and going out to get that next point."
View more photos: Grundy Center volleyball triangular
The final match lived up to its billing between the two top-ten teams. In the first set, Hudson had set point twice only to be thwarted by monster kills from Abby Hamann, who knocked out 18 kills against the Pirates. The Pirates fought off two set points for Grundy Center, too, but freshman Ellery Luhring blocked back-to-back Hudson attacks to seal the first-set victory.
All three Spartan freshmen in the rotation on Tuesday were impressive; Carlie Willis combined for 16 kills and 11 digs across both matches, Luhring had 50 assists and four total blocks, while Lucy Lebo provided stability at the service line, including a 9-for-10 performance against Hudson with an ace serve.
"I think they brought their youth and energy, they brought aggressiveness," Lori Willis said. "They didn't back down at all and they were very determined, you could see it in their eyes."
Hudson built an 11-2 lead in the second set that Grundy Center couldn't dig out of, setting up a deciding third set. After a 3-1 start for the Pirates, neither team scored more than two points in a row the rest of the way.
Hamann broke an 11-11 tie with an off-block kill, and a Pirate hitting error made it 13-11. Ashlynn Kuhn got a point back for Hudson but Hamann dunked another kill, followed by an ace serve for the winner.
An honorable mention all-state pick last season, Hamann was a powerful force on the outside with 28 total kills on Tuesday, but also bolstered the Spartan defensive effort with 14 total digs.
"She can just really terminate that ball, she's lethal out there," Willis said. "She's jumping higher than she has every jumped, her arm's faster than it was last year, if that's even possible. … She's very fun to watch."
Willis also credited libero Jacque Kuester for her ability to take over the floor defensively. She contributed a team-high 12 digs in Grundy Center's straight-set victory against West Branch.
On a night where the Spartans could've easily been 0-2 instead of 2-0, it was an important first step for a group that needed confidence-boosting wins, even when things didn't always go their way on Tuesday.
"I'm so impressed by their demeanor," Willis said. "And with everything being so new this year, the fans wearing masks, sanitizing, the girls poking fun at each other for touching a ball they shouldn't, they adapted to this environment quickly."
Grundy Center 21-21
West Branch 15-16
(GC stats only)
Kills: Abby Hamann 10, Carlie Willis 7, Dahlia Gardiner 3, Lainy Thoren 3. Assists: Ellery Luhring 21. Digs: Jacque Kuester 12, Hamann 6, Willis 5, Thoren 5. Blocks: Thoren 1, Luhring 1, Ella Barragy 1. Serving: Willis 13-14, 3 aces; Thoren 9-10.
Grundy Center 25-16-15
Hudson 23-21-12
(GC stats only)
Kills: Abby Hamann 18, Carlie Willis 9, Lainy Thoren 3, Ellery Luhring 3. Assists: Luhring 29. Digs: Hamann 8, Willis 6, Jacque Kuester 5. Blocks: Luhring 3, Thoren 2. Serving: Hamann 9-11, 3 aces; Kuester 10-10, ace; Lucy Lebo 9-10, ace; Luhring 8-8, ace.
