The #14 (2A) Grundy Center volleyball team will look to take another step in the right direction when they travel to #12 (1A) Gladbrook-Reinbeck for a conference match Tuesday.
The Spartans (13-7, 1-1 NICL-W) are coming off a 5-0 outing at a tournament at #5 (1A) Janesville Saturday, where they only dropped two sets on their way to the tournament title. Head Coach Lori Willis says a team with several first-year starters is starting to find its stride.
“I feel like they’re definitely growing in the communication even though I feel like they can do it three times better,” Willis says. “We are growing in our service game. We started really rocky in the beginning. We’re getting better at it. Again, we can still get a lot better. We’re getting quieter feet in our defense. That’s a big growth area for us. And then just to set our hitter connections.”
Middle hitter Ryanne Brubaker leads the West with 149 kills and 42 blocks, and the team leads the division in service aces.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck (12-10, 1-2 NICL-W) will play their final conference match of the season. Kennedy Brant has been a mainstay for the program, with 114 kills, the second-most in the West.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck won 2-1 when the teams met at a tournament at North Tama earlier in the season, which was the first win by the Rebels in the series since 2009. The first serve will be at 7:30 p.m.
