The #6 (2A) South Hardin volleyball team will look to kickstart their stay at state volleyball tournament with a win over #3 (2A) Beckman Catholic in a 2A quarterfinal match on Tuesday. The match will air on 99 The Wave. This will be both the Tigers and Trailblazers first trip to state since 2021.
South Hardin (26-8) enters the tournament on a four-match win streak, including wins over Manson-NW Webster, Ridge View and #10 (2A) Grundy Center in regional play. The senior hitting duo of Ava Salvo and Alli Sheldahl have helped elevate the Tigers with 264 kills and 235 kills, at three per set respectively. The Tigers have been able to shift momentum in matches with success at the service line at a 92.3% efficiency.
South Hardin Head Coach John Teske on the value of the Tigers playing with freedom.
“Playing with a really high level of alertness, reading and reacting, not overthinking the ball. You’re so much quicker when you just react to it,” says Teske. “Playing with a freedom to fail puts you in a spot where you have that same freedom to swing away, to pass or to make an error. One error is not a big deal because you have the freedom to rebound and recover. That freedom that each individual athlete gives each other and that the coaching staff gives those athletes. If we can live in that freedom and play in that freedom that elevates our play, then things just start clicking and rolling.”
Beckman Catholic (35-6) enters the tournament on a nine-match win streak, including wins over Cascade, Northeast and West Burlington in regional play. The Trailblazers top attacker is Ava Burkle with 265 kills at 2.7 per set. The Trailblazers are sound defensively at the net with 344 blocks (second most in 2A), behind Miley Manternach with 85 (tied third in 2A) and Alli Scherbring with 82 blocks (fifth in 2A).
Teske on similarities to the Trailblazers and balancing momentum in the matchup.
“They’re very well coached team. They don’t have one dominant hitter. They hit across the entire net which is gonna make blocking challenging but also it’s kind of what we’re used to a little bit. They might be used to that too because they’re practicing against that. It’s gonna be a really interesting matchup. It’s not like a David versus a Goliath. It’s more of a David and a David. It’s gonna come down to executing the small things well and that whole mental part of the game. Where’s momentum gonna be? How long can you keep it there. We’re very similar so it should be some really exciting volleyball.”
This will be the first meeting between the programs in the Bound era.
State coverage on 99 The Wave begins with Meet the Tigers at 3:00 p.m. Pre-match coverage begins at 3:55 p.m. followed by the first serve at 4:25 p.m. at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The winner will advance to Wednesday’s state semifinal against either #2 (2A) Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont or #7 (2A) Regina Catholic.
