Bullettes Begin State Quest

Mediapolis among several area hopefuls in Class 1A district volleyball tournament.

Ten years ago, the Mediapolis High School team played in the state tournament. It seemed it would be the start of a long string of state appearances for the Bullettes.

In the time since then, Mediapolis has had one of the best programs in southeast Iowa, a perennial power in the SEI Superconference and beyond. Yet the Bullettes have not been back to state, always running into tough competition along the way.

This year, with a senior dominated team, the Bullettes are taking aim at their third trip to state. Once again, the path to the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids is a rugged one.

Sixth–ranked Mediapolis (25–4–5) will be among the teams beginning a trek to the state tournament when Class 1A district play gets under way Monday across the state.

Mediapolis coach Dennis Jandrey knows his team must focus on each match along the way if they are to achieve their objective.

"We're playing all right. We are playing some decent volleyball right now," said Jandrey, whose teams have won eight conference titles, two conference tournament championships and nine district crowns in his 16 years at the helm. "I think this group of kids have been through this before and have been playing a lot of years together. They have set their goals high and want to get something more out of this season."

Mediapolis did not receive any favors for its No. 6 ranking. The Bullettes face North Division foe Columbus (20–8–3) in a quarterfinal match in Region 7. That match is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Mediapolis.

The Bullettes beat Columbus in three games Tuesday night, but were pushed in the second game before prevailing, 16–14. The prospect of facing Columbus middle blocker Ann Mincks again is not one Jandrey relishes.

"It's not good to play someone Tuesday and then have to play them again on Monday," Jandrey said. "I really don't like to do that. This gives them an opportunity to go home and prepare for us a little bit more. It has got to be a concern when somebody has a week to prepare for you."

The Bullettes feature a well–balanced lineup with perhaps the quickest offense in the district. Setter Ashlei Jandrey is averaging 8.8 assists per game, and hitters Jo Kester, Ashlee Baker, Margaret Kuenzler and Brenna Nelson, along with Jandrey, are averaging over a kill per game.

Mincks is averaging 2.8 kills and 2.8 digs per game to lead the Wildcats.

Jandrey said his team must concentrate on its own game if it is to advance.

"The No. 1 thing is who makes mistakes on their side of the net," said Jandrey, who has a 381–110–49 career record. "You have an opportunity on your side of the net not to make mistakes. If you take care of your side of the net, you will be OK."

Other District 7 quarterfinal matches Monday include Louisa–Muscatine (1–15–1) at Wapello (7–14–4) and Harmony (1–20) at Keokuk Cardinal Stritch (19–10–3).

Cardinal Stritch may be considered a darkhorse in the district. The Lionettes feature one of the top players in the area in senior Jennifer Goetz. Goetz is averaging 5.3 kills, 2.1 blocks and 3.3 digs per game while serving at a 95.5–percent clip.

Tuesday's quarterfinal matches include Danville (0–25) at 13th–ranked New London (32–6–4), WACO (24–10–1) at Winfield–Mount Union (9–14–6) and West Burlington (3–13–3) at eighth–ranked Fort Madison Aquinas (31–2–2).

Marquette (18–10–1) and Notre Dame (11–15–4) drew byes and will host semifinal matches Wednesday.

The other half of Region 7 includes 14th–ranked East Central Miles, along with traditional power Camanche.

New London has a rich volleyball tradition and is looking to make its second trip to state in three years. The Tigers finished second behind Aquinas in the South Division. Setter Megan Alden is averaging 7.7 assists per game, while Rylee Olsen, Stephanie Fischer and Courtney Pilch are each averaging over 2.4 kills per game.

"The thing that helped us improve was the meat of the season, playing in the Aquinas tournament, and the Superconference tournament. That helped us get ready for where we are now," New London coach Maureen Heath said. "We know we have a tough challenge. Besides the three ranked teams, there are other tough teams. The girls believe, but it's going to be a tough challenge."

WACO may be considered a sleeper team. The Warriors are enjoying their best season in school history. The Warriors grabbed a share of the West Division title and gave Aquinas and Marquette all they could handle in recent matches.

The Warriors will face a W–MU team which has been a solid defensively all season.

Wapello, a young team, showed it can compete with the best when it qualified for the finals of the SEI Superconference Tournament last month.

Marquette has three players averaging over two kills per game and has tradition on its side. The Warriorettes won state championships in 1991 and 1996.

Notre Dame is in the midst of its best season in quite some time. The Nikes face a possible rematch with Aquinas. The Lady Dons beat the Nikes Thursday night to clinch the South Division title.

Aquinas made a strong postseason run last year, advancing to a regional final before falling to Iowa Mennonite School. The senior–laden Lady Dons are poised to make another run, led by senior setter Katie Rung and hitters Jenn Ping, Jill Helling, Jill Braden and Allison Meierotto.

"We're playing our best volleyball right now. It's been a steady improvement for us," Aquinas coach Mike Helling said. "(Getting out of the district) is going to take a little luck, but it will also take a lot of determination. People talk about Mediapolis and New London and us, but there are a lot of other good teams. There are some land mines out there."

Come Monday, rankings, records and history can be thrown out the window.

"As far as I'm concerned, the rankings don't mean anything," Jandrey said. "All the records, all the history, it all means nothing at this point. Nobody cares how you did in the regular season. We are all starting on an even keel. I've seen a lot of strange things happen when districts start."