Displayed dominance at the net and from the service line, Moline swept the day's first two matches at Saturday's Western Big 6 triangular, beating Geneseo and Alleman to remain undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the conference.
“We hit the floor with tunnel vision and with the goal of eliminating mistakes while perfecting the three-pass offensive play in order to provide our hitters with maximum opportunities,” said Moline coach Sarah Fetter after the Maroons' victory over Geneseo. “Our setters were able to find Ella Ramsey in all types of offensive situations against both Alleman and Geneseo, but it was a true team effort today where we served extremely well, especially in big points, and just as importantly, our defensive transitions kept the ball in play.”
With the two wins, Moline improves to 15-2 on the season, and 8-0 in the WB6. Geneseo, which beat Alleman to gain a split, sits in the top tier of the conference with a record of 7-3, 15-8 overall.
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Alleman gave Geneseo all it could handle in the second set of their match, leading 13-6 and 15-8 before faltering under the exceptional work from the service line by Geneseo sophomore Alysia Perez. The two losses drop Alleman’s season record to 1-10, and conference record to 1-8.
Behind the play of senior libero Colleen Kenney, the Pioneers remained competitive in the early stages of both sets against the Maroons before Moline pulled away to the 25-12, 25-7 victory.
“We have definitely improved, and against both Moline and Geneseo, two of the best teams in our conference, we are showing that we can compete and keep the ball in play for some great points,” Alleman senior Anne VanDeHeede said. “It is also fun to be a part of a team that is working together, developing new skills, and supporting each other.”
Ultimately, however, seniors Ella Ramsey, Carly Rouse and company proved too much for the Pioneers. Ramsey led the Maroons on the day with 16 kills, 4 aces, 5 digs and 4 blocks and Rouse tallied 6 aces, 14 assists, 6 kills and 9 digs.
“I’m just very grateful that we are able to play a full season this fall, and it has been fun to be a part of a team that is playing with more and more confidence with each match,” said senior Mackenzie Wiemers, who had eight assists, six digs and two aces on the day. “We are definitely starting to feel that our goals of winning the Western Big Six, and making a strong run in the state tournament are within our reach if we continue to improve and play as a united team.”
The Maroons carried their momentum into the second match, racing out to a 16-1 lead in the first set against Geneseo, before cruising to a 25-9 win.
The Leafs responded, though, leading in the early stages of the second set and remaining within reach for much of the set. With the Maroons leading 16-15, the point of the day resulted in great digs by both teams that ignited the crowd and culminated in a kill by Moline senior Rylie Frazelle, sparking a 9-1 run as the Maroons finished off the Leafs 25-16.
“Against Moline, we struggled to implement our plan on offense, which is to concentrate on ball control and positioning, and we also struggled to get into position to receive serves against the excellent service game that Coach Fetter has implemented,” said Geneseo coach Casey Komel. “In the second set, we had a few unforced errors in tight points, but we are definitely looking forward to meeting Moline again this season.”
Three Kammie Ludwig aces sparked Geneseo to a 25-15 win in the first set of the day's final match against Alleman. The Pioneers, however, didn't back down.
To start the second set, a totally re-focused Alleman team hit the floor, pulling out to a 10-4 lead on aces from Claire Hulke and Kenney, and a powerful dig in the corner by Kenney that landed across the net for an Alleman score.
The patient Maple Leafs kept their composure, and crawled back behind the net work of Ludwig and Hannah Copeland, who led the Leafs with 12 kills and added five digs, five assists and three blocks, to gain their first lead at 19-18. Three late aces from Perez, a push shot from Lauren Johnsen, and an ace by senior Triston Highton sealed the 25-21 win for Geneseo.
“When we were down in the second set against Alleman, I heard Hannah Copeland tell her teammates to do the easy things first, and the rest will follow, and we focused on what Hannah said during a timeout to get the team channeled and reset to pull out the win,” said Komel. “It’s great to have team leaders who can stay in the moment and bring their teammates along.”
Ludwig added nine assists, five kills and six aces and Johnsen 12 digs, 10 assists and two kills on the day for the Leafs.
Alleman was led by Kenney with 24 digs, six kills, two aces and six assists and VanDeHeede with 19 assists, four digs and two kills.
“We really appreciate the competitiveness and kind words from both the Moline and Geneseo teams and coaches as we are working to build our program here at Alleman,” said Alleman Coach Morgan DeBruine. “It is not always reflected in the score, but our players are working extremely hard and beginning to experience the benefit of that work with much more competitive play and explosive points. I could not ask for a better team leader and role model than Colleen Kenney for example, and Clair Hulke, just a sophomore, is emerging as a force in our conference with unlimited potential.”