NICL-West volleyball teams will collide with a trip to the state tournament on the line when #10 (2A) Grundy Center takes on #6 (2A) South Hardin in the 2A Region 6 Final Wednesday at Union.
The Spartans (25-15) will play in their ninth regional final in 10 seasons under Head Coach Lori Willis, and will look to advance to their second straight state tournament. Grundy Center has been dominant in the postseason so far with 3-0 sweeps of Panorama and Emmetsburg in the quarterfinal and semifinal. With a mostly different lineup than last year’s state tournament team, Willis says the team has vastly improved since a 3-0 loss to the Tigers in early September.
“I feel like you really can’t compare our team back then to now, because we have improved so much and we look different too,” Willis says. “We have girls in different positions now that really have strengthened our team and our ability to play great defense. What it’s going to take is ball control. If we win the serve and pass, I am confident that we can play defense and put up a great offense to match up with them well. We’ve just got to go out there and play free, play like we have nothing to lose because we don’t. We can play spoiler and we can play the underdog role, and if we embrace that and we just go out there and play like we did against Emmetsburg, then I tell you what, anything can happen.”
The team has hit well in the postseason, including 19 kills by Ryanne Brubaker, her career-high in a three-set match.
South Hardin (25-8) has swept their way through the postseason with 3-0 wins over Manson-NW Webster and Ridge View. Despite hitting just .161, the Tigers pulled away with seven service aces and only four errors in Monday’s semifinal. Alli Sheldahl has been a key attacker in postseason play with 16 kills in the quarterfinal and 17 in the semifinal. The Tigers will go for their third state tournament appearance in five seasons, having last qualified in 2021.
The first serve will be at 7:00 p.m.
Lori Willis interview:
