SOLON — The varsity volleyball team knocked off the Albia Blue Demons 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-18) in a Class 3A Regional semifinal match Wednesday, October 19 at home, and advanced to the Region 7 Championship, which was held Tuesday, October 25 in West Liberty.
Delaney Bombei produced the first and last kills in the first set for a 1-1 tie and 24-18 lead. An Aly Stahle kill tied the set 5-5, a Brynn Deike ace serve made it 12-7, while a kill and ace by Bombei put Solon up 14-8. Deike slammed the ball down over the net making it 23-16.
The Lady Spartans raced to a 9-3 lead in the second set. A Grace Erwin block made it 11-3, and Solon led 20-9 at one point after a Yasmine Sell kill, made while the ladies were short one player for a brief time.
“We had a miscommunication error on who was serving, and our libero (Kennedey Whitford) came out. We couldn’t put another player back in, so we had to end up playing with five players on the court for that play,” explained Coach Mikala Siddell. As for Sell’s point, she said with a laugh, “That was probably the highlight of their season!” The Blue Demons were not as amused as they took a time out.
Sophia Hoeper made a pair of kills in the third set making it 4-3 and 6-7 as an early back-and-forth battle broke out with Albia fighting to extend their season. An Erwin kill with an assist from Deike made it 11-9. Bombei tipped the ball over for a 14-12 lead, Hoeper did the same making it 15-12 while a Bombei ace made it 19-13. Hoeper rocketed a kill shot through the Demons for a 20-15 advantage.
It was a short turn-around for Solon after a 3-0 sweep of Williamsburg in a 3A quarterfinal Monday evening. “We had a lot of studying to do in about 48 hours, but I feel like we pulled it together as a coaching staff and we came prepared for practice the next day, the girls were ready to work hard, and I think that it showed tonight,” Coach Siddell said.
Bombei led the attack with nine kills, Stahle produced seven, Erwin and Sophia Hoeper made six each with five from Yasmine Sell and four by Brynn Deike. Deike made 30 assists, Kylee Flynn had five, and Izzy Frees produced two. Erwin made two solo blocks with one apiece by Stahle and Bombei. Bombei and Deike had two ace serves each with one apiece by Sell and Flynn.
The win improved No. 9 (in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s final rankings) Solon to 26-12 and set up a clash with No. 5 West Liberty (28-7). The winner advanced to the State Tournament. Looking at what her Lady Spartans had accomplished already in the season, Coach Siddell said, “I’m excited for our seniors, I’m happy for all their success and I think if we just keep pushing, just keep taking care of what our side does, then I think we have a real shot at making it.”
A State Tournament appearance would be the first since Solon since 2014 when Siddell (then Long) was on the floor as a player. Solon took the Championship with 3-0 wins over Iowa Falls-Alden, Nevada, and archrival Mount Vernon.
“So, it will be really sentimental and really awesome to see these girls get there. They have all the talent, and we just have to keep building their confidence and making sure that they know that they have it in them. They’re a great team and they have a lot of energy. I just want them to believe in themselves.”
The 2022 State Tournament runs Monday, October 31 through Thursday, Nov. 3 at Coralville’s Xtream Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at https://xtreamarena.com/events/ or in person at Xtream Arena.
Lady Spartans sweep Blue Demons
October 27, 2022
About the Contributor
Chris Umscheid, Editor
Chris Umscheid is the editor of the Solon Economist.