No. 6 Wilton sweeps West Branch

By Gregory R. Nor eet gregory.nor eet@ westbranchtimes.com

WEST BRANCH — West Branch could not take a set from the undefeated No. 6 Wil- ton, but it twice came close, including in the third set where the Bears overcame a large de - cit to catch up and take a temporary lead.

Wilton won 25-20, 25-13, 25-13. The Beavers only gave up one set all season up until facing the Bears in a hot West Branch gymnasium.

“We have so many kids playing new spots, we’ve added so many di erent levels to our offense that it is important for us to win the long rally, try and get the block and then dig up or chase down the ball. And that’s been our philosophy,” she said. “I feel we did that achieve that at times tonight. At times we fell short, but it’s early and we’ll keep xing things.”

Grunder said the Bears brought a strong challenge.

“I thought that this is exactly what we needed,” she said. “West Branch did a really nice job overall. They swung hard, they put up a good block -- those are some things we have not seen a lot of yet this season, so this was an important match for us.”

Grunder said the Beavers’ serve-receive struggled. “We’ve been spending a lot of time on it, so that’s disappoint- ing,” she said. “But we’ll get better.”

Wilton led the third set, working up a 7-1 lead. West Branch started matching them point for point and trailed 14-9 when Wilton called a time-out. That’s where the Bears started to catch up, going on an 11-4 run to take a 20-18 lead when the Beavers called for another time-out.

When Wilton returned to the court, they outscored West Branch 7-3 to secure the win. Grunder said West Branch disrupted Wilton’s momentum.

“We talk a lot about momentum and capitalizing on momentum,” she said. “We talk about winning the big rally, the long rally, and we had to refocus a little bit.

She said both heat and fatigue and the team’s youth all factored into letting that third set get away from them for a short while.

“We need to battle through that stu , so I think West Branch got some momentum there, got some good swings and we needed to make some adjustments, and that’s my fault,” Grunder said.

The Bears coach said tough teams like Wilton show West Branch where it needs work.

West Branch hosted three other matches that evening, from junior high through junior varsity, and by the time varsity stepped onto the court, the gym had warmed up considerably. Despite a pair of four-foot-tall industrial fans, the crowd was sweating from the heat and players frequently stopped to mop the court after diving plays allowed skin to come into contact with the oor.

Wilton 3, West Branch 0 Thursday, September 12 West Branch, IA

Wilton 25 25 25 West Branch 20 13 23

Wilton Statistics:
Attacks (85-for-94 39 kills): Ella Caffery 35- for-37 22 kills, Kelsey Drake 24-for-26 12 kills, Taylor Garvin 14-for-15 3 kills, Alexa Garvin 7-for-10 2 kills, Mallory Lange 1-for-2, Olivia Oveson 2-for-2. Assists (39): Kelsey Drake 26, Ella Caffery 11, Alexa Garvin 1, Mallory Lange 1. Digs (58): Kelsey Drake 15, Mallory Lange 15, Alexa Garvin 7, Taylor Drayfahl 6, Ella Caffery 5, Taylor Garvin 4. Blocks (13): Kelsey Drake 6, Joann Martin 3, Olivia Oveson 3, Ella Caffery 1. Serving (66-for-74 3 INT’s): Kelsey Drake 16- for-17 1 ace, Peyton Souhrada 16-for-19 1 ace, Alexa Garvin 12-for-12, Taylor Garvin 9-for-12, Ella Caffery 7-for-8 1 ace, Mallory Lange 6-for-6.

West Branch Statistics:
Attacks (76-for-92 30 kills): Lexi Klinkhammer 25-for-26 8 kills, Kaiya Luneckas 18-for-24 11 kills, Jaclyn Bloem 9-for-13 4 kills, Iva Senio 6-for-10 3 kills, Delaynie Luneckas 6-for-8 3 kills, Chloe Pence 5-for-6, Nicki Henson 2-for-2, Lexie Peak 2-for-2, Alex Poppen 1-for-1 1 kill. Assists (27): Nicki Henson 26, Lexie Peak 1. Digs (44): Kaiya Luneckas 13, Lexie Peak 11, Nicki Henson 9, Jaclyn Bloem 3, Iva Senio 3, Lexi Klinkhammer 2, Chloe Pence 2, Alex Poppen 1. Blocks (4): Jaclyn Bloem 3, Kaiya Luneckas 1. Serving (49-for-58 7 aces): 11-for-11 1 ace, Lexi Klinkhammer 10-for-11 3 aces, Lexi Peak 7-for- 10, Alex Poppe 7-for-10 2 aces, Nicki Henson 9-for-9, Chloe Pence 5-for-7 1 ace.