|
Tested Bullettes Sweep No. 17 Mediapolis shows strength from difficult schedule. By Kerry Kahl The Hawk Eye
All four of Mediapolis' losses have come in Saturday tournaments against formidable opponents — No. 6 (Class 3A) Davenport North, No. 10 (3A) Bettendorf, No. 4 (1A) Grandview Park Baptist and Dubuque Senior. The competition has served the Bullettes well against the rest of southeast Iowa this season. Winfield–Mount Union became the latest victim Tuesday night at Bud McLearn Court. The 17th–ranked (Class 1A) Bullettes blitzed past their guests in a convincing 15–2, 15–7, 15–0 SEI Superconference West Division sweep. Mediapolis raised its record to 11–4–3 overall and 4–0 in the division. W–MU dropped to 5–9–2 and 2–2. "It was good for us to go up there," said Mediapolis coach Dennis Jandrey, referring to his team's tournaments the past three weekends. "The thing it does, is it stretches us. The girls understand what we need to do when they get back in the gym. It's going to take some time, but we're right where we want to be." The Bullettes caught W–MU off stride from start to finish. Mediapolis scored the first 12 points of the first game and reeled off 21 unanswered points to end the match. W–MU coach David Pieart was impressed with Mediapolis' fast–paced offensive game. "They run a quick offense, the first we've seen this season," said Pieart. "We're not used to that. They can hit quick, slow and tip effectively all at once. There were stretches where we played with them. They were more consistent. They certainly are the best team we've played so far." Both teams will compete in the 22–team SEI Superconference Tournament Saturday at Danville. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the finals at Southeastern Community College Oct. 1. Mediapolis' Meta Kramer set the tone in the first game from the service line, scoring half of the points in the team's 12–0 spurt. Jo Kester slammed eight of her match–high 13 kills in the opening game. "The kids came out and played with emotion," said Jandrey. "We took care of the ball at the net and ran our offense back at them." "About 11–0 was when we started playing," said Pieart. "We let their offense and crowd take us out of the game. This is not an easy place to play." The Bullettes appeared headed to another rout in the second game as Ashlee Baker's attack put Mediapolis ahead 3–0. The Lady Wolves then staged their best run of the night, tying the game at 5 and trailing just 8–7 after consecutive kills from Kiley Finke and Melanie Carlson. Margaret Kuenzler tallied three attacks and halted the game with a service ace off a W–MU defender. Kramer, who was perfect in 16 serve attempts, started the third game just as the first. Kramer served six consecutive points to open the game, capped off by Kester's kill. Kester and Sarah Schulte fired aces to extend the lead to 13–0. Brenna Nelson nailed down a service return to seal the victory. Match Statistics Winfield–Mount Union Kills — Melanie Carlson 5, Kiley Finke 3 Assists — Raelynn Huff 6, Danielle Mullen 5 Service aces — Huff, Mullen, Carlson Digs — Samantha Edwards 8, Carlson 6 Mediapolis Kills — Jo Kester 13, Ashlee Baker 9, Margaret Kuenzler 5, Ashlei Jandrey 5, Brenna Nelson 4 Assists — Jandrey 29, Krista Wirt 2 Serving — Meta Kramer 16–16, Sarah Schulte 14–14 (3 aces), Jandrey 10–10 (4 aces), Baker 7–7 Blocks — Kester 3, Nelson 2, Wirt, Jandrey Digs — Baker 8, Kuenzler 5, Kramer 4, Schulte 4 |
MEDIAPOLIS —
The Mediapolis High School volleyball team does its work on the
weekends. The Bullettes earn their pay on weeknights.