Mediapolis Regional Preview

Mediapolis volleyball team seeks school's third state tournament trip.

By Matt Levins

The Hawk Eye

MUSCATINE -- The Mediapolis High School volleyball team stands on the brink of accomplishing something only two other teams have done in school history -- reaching the state tournament.

The Bullettes, who won the SEI Superconference Tournament and the North Division title, have added a district title to their growing resumé in the postseason. The Bullettes set three team records and two individual records this season.

Sixth-ranked Mediapolis (30-4-5) will seek to add a regional title and return to the state tournament for the first time since 1992 when it plays Bellevue Marquette (22-7-2) in a Class 1A regional final at 7 p.m. today at Muscatine High School.

After countless hours of practice, a grueling two-month season and 2 1/2 weeks of postseason play, the volleyball season boils down to one match, winner take all.

"The kids are excited," said Mediapolis coach Dennis Jandrey, who sports a glossy 386-108-49 record in 16 years at the school. "Any time you get to a regional final, you are excited about playing in it."

"The girls are pretty pumped up," said Bellevue Marquette coach Lisa Schroeder, whose Mohawks are playing in their first regional final. "We have just got to stay focused. We have been a good road team all year. We have been able to stay focused on the road. It's a three-game season now. That's how we think about it. This is a new season."

Both teams have been on a roll in the postseason. Mediapolis comes in with an eight-match winning streak. The Bullettes are coming off a 15-11, 9-15, 15-8, 15-11 victory over eighth-ranked Fort Madison Aquinas. The loss to Aquinas in the second game was the first game the Bullettes have lost in the postseason. The Bullettes are 15-1 in games in the postseason.

Bellevue Marquette is coming off a 15-9, 15-7, 12-15, 16-14 road win over Northeast Goose Lake, a team which beat the Mohawks for the district title a week earlier. The Mohawks -- whose postseason game record is 14-7 -- have won two matches since then. They knocked off 14th-ranked Miles East Central in the district semifinals.

"I am really happy with the way we have been playing," Schroeder said. "We are getting back to basics this week, working on fundamentals, getting them fine-tuned."

Bellevue Marquette is one of the tallest teams Mediapolis has faced all season. The Mohawks feature four starters who stand 5-foot-10 or taller.

Leading the way for the Mohawks are left-side hitter Cassie Kettmann, a 5-11 junior; sophomore middle hitters Abbey Herrig and Alison Huss, both of whom stand 5-10; and right-side hitter Tiffany Richman, a 5-10 senior. Rounding out the lineup are 5-8 senior left-side Jenni Bies and 5-7 senior setter Kelly Neubert.

Kettman leads the team in kills, averaging 2.5 per game. Huss averages 2.4 kills and 1.1 blocks, while Herrig averages 2.2 kills and a team-leading 1.2 blocks. Bies leads the team in digs, averaging 3.2 per game. Neubert is dishing up 6.4 assists per game.

Bellevue Marquette is averaging 6.7 kills and 4.1 aces per game as a team. The Mohawks are an aggressive team from the service line. They are serving at 88 percent as a team.

"Huss has really come on strong in the middle," Schroeder said. "Neubert has done a great job at setter. We lost our other setter to an ankle injury, so we switched from a 6-2 to a 5-1 and she is really coming on strong."

"On videotape, it looks like they use their outsides a lot. They don't mix it up a lot in the middle and they don't run a lot of quicks," Jandrey said of Bellevue Marquette. "We are obviously concerned about their size. We have to get our passing back to where it needs to be. Their setter doesn't look very big. That is something maybe we can attack a little bit, especially with our smaller outsides."

The Bullettes counter with an all-senior starting rotation. Middle hitter Jo Kester, a two-time all-state selection, leads the team in kills (3.9 per game) and blocks (2.5 bpg).

Setter Ashlei Jandrey, a two-time special mention all-state performer, is averaging 9.5 assists per game, to go along with 1.3 blocks and 1.2 kills.

Rounding out the Mediapolis lineup are outside hitters Ashlee Baker (2.5 kpg) and Margaret Kuenzler (1.9 kpg), middle hitter Brenna Nelson (1.8 kpg, 1.6 bpg) and right-side Krista Wirt (1.4 bpg). Junior Meta Kramer and seniors Sarah Schulte and Laura Spanhut will rotate into the back row for the Bullettes.

Mediapolis is averaging 11.7 kills and 5.3 blocks per game and is serving at a 94.2 percent clip.

"We don't know much about Mediapolis," Schroeder said. "I know they are one of the biggest schools in 1A. Sometimes, for the girls at least, the less they know the better they play. I'm sure they will be an awesome team. Any time you play in a regional final, you expect a difficult time with whoever you are playing."

Both coaches agree that once the teams get over the early jitters, the match will come down to whichever team best takes care of its side of the net.

"We are looking forward to it," Schroeder said. "If we play a good game and give it all we have, I will be happy with whatever we come up with."

"Taking care of your side of the net is what this game is all about," Jandrey said. "It all boils down to taking care of your side of the net. If you do that, good things are going to happen."