Coming off their best regular season record since 2011, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL volleyball team will enter the postseason Tuesday with a trip to Union for a 3A Region 3 quarterfinal. The match will air on 104.9 KLMJ.
The Bulldogs (17-11) have put together a resilient season behind the leadership of several key players. Senior outside hitter Aubryee Showalter has proven to be tough to stop, with 3.1 kills per set. Setter Aubree Gronewold’s 5.3 assists per set is also among the best in the North Central Conference, along with Abby Drier’s 4.6 digs per set.
Union, a state tournament qualifier in four of the last five years, enters 34-11, and coming off a 3-0 outing at Saturday’s tournament at Knoxville. Hampton-Dumont-CAL coach Sarah Miller says the Knights have some key weapons, and they’ll need to adjust to the speed of Union’s play.
“They have that experience, but we’re ready and we’re ready to do the things that we do and execute,” Miller says. “They’re obviously coached very, very well. They have a lot of great experience. They have a lot of good leaders. Their setter, she’s fun to watch, from the film that I have watched on them. She has a really great quick tip and she plays offense well. So not only is she setting, but she’s doing a lot of great things for them on the offensive side as well. Sometimes you’ll see her set from the middle and that gives a different look for her hitter. So we have got to be prepared. Also their number 10, she has an amazing back slide that really puts it down. So our blocks, we’ve got to be quick, we’ve got to be ready to go and be able to anticipate where they’re going to go at for their execution, because they really do a little bit of everything.”
The winner will advance to Thursday’s regional semifinal against either #13 (3A) Roland-Story or Clear Lake. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:40 p.m., followed by the first serve at 7:00.
Sarah Miller interview:
