West Burlington overcomes slow start to knock off crosstown rival Notre Dame
Crosstown rivals Notre Dame and West Burlington had split their first two volleyball matches this season.
The rubber match, which likely will determine the winner of the SEI Superconference South Division, turned into yet another donnybrook Tuesday night at a packed Father Minett Gymnasium.
When the dust had settled, Class 2A's 11th-ranked West Burlington came away with a hard-fought 26-28, 25-15, 26-24, 25-17 over Class 1A's third-ranked Notre Dame.
When push came to shove, the Falcons simply had too much balance for the Nikes to overcome.
"We were on our game and we were working very well together, which really helped us get this win," said West Burlington junior outside hitter Isabelle Ritter, who had 13 kills. "It's just really nice because we know everybody on our team can step up when we have to and do whatever it takes to win."
"It's just incredible. I know I can trust any of my girls at any given time. It makes my job pretty easy," said West Burlington senior setter Abbey Bence, who put up 38 assists.
"Both of our outsides have to be really flexible because sets go to them quite often," West Burlington senior middle hitter Sophia Armstrong said after putting down 18 kills and six blocks. "They take advantage of that. They're smart. They put the ball where people aren't and they definitely see the defense."
Ritter has been stepping up her game late in the season and has become a reliable option, giving Bence a bevy of hitters to go to in different situations.
"I was just trying to switch it up and throw them off-guard and just do my part," Ritter said. "It felt so good because most of them came after I had an error. To be able to pick it up and get that kill was a really awesome feeling."
"She plays amazing. She's one of my closest friends and she's such a good teammate," Bence said of Ritter. "She put in so much work in the offseason to get where she is today. She does such a great job of handling balls, whether it's a perfect set, off the net, low. She just adjusts great and gives them something hard to bring back."
"She's been having some big matches and that's great," West Burlington head coach Maureen Heath said of Ritter. "She's opposite of Kenna (Marlow), so we've always got one of them in the front row. She looks strong. She's highly motivated and she's a smart kid."
Teamwork makes the dream work
Bence has been working with Armstrong the last few weeks to improve her blocking. Armstrong, one of the state's top blockers, has helped Bence become proficient at the net.
Bence came up with a big block near the end of the first set. While Notre Dame went on to win the set, the momentum began to swing in the Falcons' favor on that play, which have West Burlington a set point at 24-23.
Bence had another block late in the second set which helped the Falcons even the match.
"It was huge. I got the big one in the first set before I went back and served. We ended up losing, which stung, but it was a big moment and kind of turned the momentum our way," Bence said. "(Armstrong) has really helped me with my footwork. I've never really swung blocked before. I don't really get the chance to work on it because I am always setting and in the back row. But at practice the other day we kind of sat down and made that a big point to focus on."
"We have been working on our blocking a lot in practice. It has definitely improved. She has been a major part of our defense now. It has really helped," Armstrong said.
Falcons' serving take effect
West Burlington, which leads the state in serve efficiency, missed three serves in the first-set loss. The Falcons didn't miss a serve in the final three sets, serving up 10 aces along the way.
The Falcons' aggressive serving kept Notre Dame out of system and allowed the Falcons to get plenty of free balls to feast on.
"I stress serving every second of practice and the match. The kids have bought into it and they've done a nice job," Heath said. "Our serving in the first game, I think we missed like three. I don't know if we were too cautious or too amped up. One or the other. Our serving really worked well for us as we got later in the match."
"That first game we were passing like we hadn't passed all year long," Notre Dame coach Mike Davis said. "Then we got a little out of fundamentals. We have to get back in the gym. If we pass like that it's going to be an early season for us."
Pivotal third set
Tied at one set apiece, the match figured to hinge on the pivotal third set.
Notre Dame built an early five-point lead, but the Falcons battled back.
West Burlington knotted it at 13 on a Notre Dame hitting error, then took the lead on another Nike error.
The set would be tied five more times before a kill by Ritter and a spike of a quick set by Armstrong put West Burlington in the diver's seat.
"They got that third game. We didn't come out that fourth game very well. We got down and we couldn't battle. Hat's off. They played great," Davis said. "Overall I think we did well. We have some things we need to work on. Hat's off to them. They did a great job. They beat us tonight."
"It's huge. I've wanted this forever," Bence said. "Notre Dame being such big rivals for us and watching them win back-to-back state championships, beating us every year, beating us at the SCC tournament. This is huge for us."
"It's just incredible and we knew from the beginning of the season we needed to get this win. It's incredible actually pulling it off and beating them," Ritter said.
"This is a huge win for us. I am so proud of the girls. They just worked so hard for it," Heath said.
A pair of all-stars
Both Notre Dame's Deery and West Burlington's Armstrong were selected to play in the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games Nov. 12 in Johnston.
"I really can't be any more excited. I have a great team who has helped me get to where I am. It's a reflection of them," Armstrong said.
"I feel super excited and honored to be invited! I am looking forward to play with some of the top seniors in Iowa as well as some of my teammates from club, the Iowa Rockets," Deery said.
On the horizon
Notre Dame plays in the Cedar Rapids Jefferson Tournament at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
West Burlington hosts South Division rival Van Buren County at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
By the numbers
WEST BURLINGTON
Kills — Sophia Armstrong 18, Isabelle Ritter 13, McKenna Marlow 11, Brenna Beggs 3, Abbey Bence 2
Assists — Bence 38, Armstrong 2
Serving aces — Marlow 4, Bence 3, Armstrong 1, Carli Cline 1, Lauren Summers 1
Blocks — Armstrong 6, Beggs 4, Bence 2, Marlow 2, Lauren Glasgow 2
Digs — Marlow 26, Cline 14, Summers 12, Ale Kellen 8, Beggs 5, Bence 4, Armstrong 3, Ritter 3
NOTRE DAME
Kills — Gabby Deery 22, Aviana West 8, Abby Korschgen 5, Madalyn Knapp 4, Taryn Stephens 3
Assists — Maddy Mosena 38, Ava Parkins 1
Serving aces — Deery 5, Stephens 2
Blocks — Korschgen 4, Deery 2, Stephens 1, Knapp 1, Mosena 1
Digs — Knapp 17, Deery 16, Parkins 13, Emily Stutsman 10, Mosena 7, West 3
Records — West Burlington 32-6 overall (5-0 SEI Superconference South Division)
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: West Burlington overcomes slow start to knock off crosstown rival Notre Dame
