Bobcats turn back Lincoln in 3
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown sophomore Brooklyn Smith (5) goes up for the block against Des Moines Lincoln’s Mya Garth (6) during the first set of Tuesday’s Iowa Alliance Conference match at the Roundhouse. Smith led MHS with 11 kills in a 25-19, 25-9, 25-13 victory over the visiting Railsplitters.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown senior Bella Avise (14) goes up for the attack against Raevyn Tyler (5) of Des Moines Lincoln during the first set of Tuesday’s volleyball match at the Roundhouse.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown sophomore Brooklyn Smith (5) goes up for the block against Des Moines Lincoln’s Mya Garth (6) during the first set of Tuesday’s Iowa Alliance Conference match at the Roundhouse. Smith led MHS with 11 kills in a 25-19, 25-9, 25-13 victory over the visiting Railsplitters.
T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Marshalltown senior Bella Avise (14) goes up for the attack against Raevyn Tyler (5) of Des Moines Lincoln during the first set of Tuesday’s volleyball match at the Roundhouse.
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It didn't take long for history to try to repeat itself, to the Marshalltown volleyball team quickly put that notion away.
With a five-point flurry to end the opening set, the Bobcats put their past behind them.
Marshalltown got out to a big lead in the early stages of Tuesday's home opener against Des Moines Lincoln, but the Railsplitters reversed course and tried to make a comeback. A brief timeout helped the Bobcats catch their collective breath and put Lincoln away, 25-19, 25-9, 25-13.
Five days after a potential season-opening victory at Des Moines Roosevelt slipped away in the form of a late lead disappearing, the Bobcats (1-1, 1-1) put the hammer down and pushed through the flashbacks. MHS led 20-16 late in the first set on Tuesday night at the Roundhouse, endured Lincoln's 3-0 run and closed out the opener with a five-point run of its own.
A pair of kills by Kendall Brummel during the run ruined the Railsplitters' comeback and helped Marshalltown get over a bump in the road. Once that was out of their system, the Bobcats could steam ahead at full speed.
MHS used an 11-point run served up by Morgan Hilderbrand to take command during the second set, and a competitive third set eventually became a blowout, too.
"It was really important," MHS head coach Jennifer O'Neal said of pulling out the first set. "It kind of sets the tone. Last Thursday we lost on a really tough five-set match, and I'm not sure we've had our best practices here of late, so we maybe have some mindset stuff that we're working on last night and tonight and I think that really helped.
"We had to get that first one just to boost our confidence and not dig ourselves in a deeper hole."
The Bobcats used a balanced attack to take down Lincoln on this night, led by sophomore Brooklyn Smith's 11 kills on just 13 swings. Morgan Hilderbrand had seven kills, Brummel finished with six kills on six attempts, Lorelai Holloway had four kills, Bella Avise three and Avery Polley two.
Setter Lauren O'Neal notched 30 assists at the center of it all, adding two kills to the mix.
"I think that's something we do a really good job of," coach O'Neal said of the varied attack. "Lauren makes really good decisions and really does try to balance it out and get the ball to diferent people.
"I thought Lorelai had an amazing game tonight, she really hit the ball well so I'm really proud of her. Morgan was another one. It's really hard to make a lineup without Morgan on the court. She's just a really vocal leader, she knows what's going on and she's really versatile.
"I felt like they did a really good job of coming together in the whole match, but especially digging out the first one."
Hilderbrand led the Bobcat defense with 20 kills, while Avise had nine, Holloway eight, Collins Grant seven and O'Neal six. Hilderbrand also served 18-for-18 with a team-high four aces. Smith had three aces and O'Neal two, while Grant, a freshman libero, served 14-for-14.
"We'd been prepping for several weeks now and so finally playing at home in front of our home crowd is always a good way to get a win," coach O'Neal said. "I think it felt really good and I think we can take a deep breath and say 'OK, yes, we can do this.' We have some good things going."
The Bobcats are back in action Thursday with the Apgar Volleyball Quad, hosting Class 5A No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes, 3A No. 14 Solon and 4A No. 6 Waverly-Shell Rock starting at 5 p.m.