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Bullettes Dominate Again No. 8 Mediapolis sweeps past Marquette By Matt
Levins
WEST POINT — Hurricane Lili blew ashore Thursday morning, wrecking havoc on the Louisiana shoreline. Another hurricane blew through Marquette High School Thursday night, this one in the form of Class 1A's eighth–ranked Mediapolis volleyball team. The Bullettes, fresh off winning the SEI Superconference Volleyball Tournament Tuesday night, were not about to have a letdown. Not with a team loaded with seniors. Mediapolis stormed into one of the toughest gyms to play in in southeast Iowa and blew away one of the most tradition–rich teams around. From the opening game, when they scored eighth straight points on the serve of Meta Kramer, to the final point, an ace by Kramer, the Bullettes dominated. Mediapolis rolled from start to finish, posting an overwhelming 15–0, 15–4, 15–4 victory. "This was really big for us, especially after such an emotional night Tuesday night," said Mediapolis senior co–captain Jo Kester, who pounded down nine kills, had six blocks and a team–leading six digs. "It was important for us to pull that back up again so we can get ready for the tournament. We weren't really worried about (a letdown). We've been in these situations before. We just have to keep doing what we need to do." "We did a really good job of keeping our intensity up," said Mediapolis senior co–captain Margaret Kuenzler, who finished with four kills and four digs in the Bullettes balanced and potent offense. "We have been working really hard in practice. We were ready for this." "One of our concerns, and we talked about it Tuesday night, Wednesday and again on the way down here, was to stay emotionally high," Mediapolis coach Dennis Jandrey said. "I knew what it's like to come down here. The crowd really gets into it and before you know it they have all the momentum. You've got to be ready to play and take the crowd out of it. I think I heard their cheer 'Let's go Hoochies' one time and then we never heard it again. I am proud of the way the kids recovered after Tuesday night." Not even Marquette coach Melissa Freesmeier, who led the Warriorettes to the Class 1A state championship in 1996, could remember the last time a Marquette team was so thoroughly manhandled on its home court. "Mediapolis is a great team," Freesmeier said. "They really put the ball down and they run a nice offense. They don't let anything drop. They dig everything right back. I think we got caught back on our heels a little bit. The kids were a little timid and you can't have that against a good team like Mediapolis. They got off to a good start and they never let us in the game." Mediapolis (18–4–4) got a sideout to start the match when Ashlee Baker crushed a spike to the back row. The Bullettes then reeled off eight straight points off the serve of Kramer to blow open the first game. Kester had two huge spikes in the rally and combined with senior setter Ashlei Jandrey on a block. Baker added another spike and a tip in the run. Kramer was 18–of–18 serving with one ace on the night. "Meta always does a really good job of serving," Kester said. "We always get off to a good start when Meta is serving." Mediapolis finished it off, getting an ace from Jandrey before scoring the final five points on Kester's serve, including two aces to close out the game. Marquette (12–6–1) responded early in the second game. A spike by Kaci Stuekerjuergen and a Mediapolis hitting error gave the Warriorettes a 2–1 lead. "We came out a little better in the second game," Freesmeier said. "Mediapolis just has such a quick offense. They were really cranking." But the lead would be short–lived. Mediapolis took the lead for good on a block by Krista Wirt. .Marquette got within 4–3 on an ace serve by Kim Fedler, but Kester squelched the rally with a tip over the front row. Mediapolis scored 11 of the next 12 points to win the second game. Brenna Nelson sparked the rally with back–to–back blocks, followed by a Wirt spike off a quick set from Ashlei Jandrey. The Bullettes scored two points on the serve of Sarah Schulte and three on the serve of Laura Spanhut. Kester closed it out with a block. Mediapolis did not let up in the third game. Marquette closed within 3–2 on a tip by Fedler before Mediapolis reeled off seven straight points, five on Kester's serve. The Bullettes finished in style, ending the match on an ace by Kramer. "Our kids will regroup," Freesmeier said. "We have a lot more to work on, but not a lot of time to do it." "There have been a lot of nights I have come down here and we have been on the other end of that," Coach Jandrey said. "Marquette is not a bad volleyball team." Match Stats Mediapolis (18–4–4) Kills — Jo Kester 9, Ashlee Baker 5, Maragaret Kuenzler 4, Krista Wirt 4, Ashlei Jandrey 4, Brenna Nelson 3 Assists — Jandrey 24 Serving — Meta Kramer 18–18 (1 ace), Kester 15–15 (2), Jandrey 10–10 (2), Laura Spanhut 5–5 (1), Sarah Schulte 4–4, Baker 3–4 Blocks — Nelson 9, Kester 6, Jandrey 5, Wirt 4 Digs — Kester 6, Baker 5, Kuenzler 4, Kramer 3, Jandrey 3, Schulte 2 Marquette (12–6–1) Kills — Lindsay Winnike 6, Kaci Stuekerjuergen 3, Kim Fedler 2, Dana Gragory 2 Assists — Tara Kalteflieter 13 Serving — Stuekerjuergen 5–5, Fedler 3–3, Gregory 1–1, Kalteflieter 2–3, Marcy Thompson 2–3 Blocks — Fedler 3, Winnike 2, Kelly Sanders 2, Kalteflieter 1 Digs — Gregory 6, Stuekerjuergen 5, Kim Sanders 4, Fedler 3, Thompson 3, Kelly Sanders 2 |
