Springville sweeps its way to TRC West lead

SPRINGVILLE - The Springville Orioles had more diversity, more balance.

Just more.

Class 1A sixth-ranked Springville gained sole possession of the Tri-Rivers Conference West Division volleyball lead with an authoritative sweep of Alburnett, 25-13, 25-12, 25-17, Thursday night at Machovec Gymnasium.

'We're a really dynamic team. We don't have a weakness at any position,” said senior Megan Wagaman. 'We have a lot of solid rotations.”

The Orioles (20-7 overall, 4-0 TRC West) were as dominant as the scores would indicate. Alburnett (10-15, 3-1) had the kill leader in Taylor Huber - she had 16 of the Pirates' 19 kills - but Springville was able to attack from all angles.

That meant a 46-19 advantage in kills. And it meant a quick match.

'We really committed to (Huber),” said Orioles Coach Claude Howard. 'Our game plan was pretty simple. We committed two blockers to her.

'She was going to get her swings, but when she was in the back row, we were going to open up the offense and get as many points as possible.”

Wagaman paced the Orioles with 14 kills. Alyssa Jaeger added 12, Jordyn Johnson seven, Mikayla Nachazel six.

No weak links. No soft rotations.

Springville grabbed command early, rattling off seven straight points in the opener to snag a 12-5 lead. The Orioles followed with another seven-point run (led by three Jaeger kills) to close out the set.

The Orioles constructed three different four-point runs in Game 2 to build a 17-7 lead, then blew open the third set with seven straight tallies for a 14-7 advantage.

Many of Springville's key pieces were part of a state runner-up team in basketball last winter. Now, the aim is to delay basketball with a deep postseason run in volleyball.

'I think we're capable of getting it all done,” Wagaman said. 'We're excited.”

Madi Wagaman collected 19 assists, Olivia Dlouhy 17 for the winners. Springville served seven aces, three by Jaeger.

Kassidy Rose distributed 15 assists for Alburnett.

SPRINGVILLE 3, ALBURNETT 0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-17)

At Springville

Serving: Alburnett 38-43 (.884), Springville 67-74 (.905); Aces: Alburnett 2 (Kassidy Rose, Lexi Washburn), Springville 7 (Alyssa Jaeger 3); Kills: Alburnett 19 (Taylor Huber 16), Springville 46 (Megan Wagaman 14); Assists: Alburnett 18 (Rose 15), Springville 43 (Madi Wagaman 19); Blocks: Alburnett 2 (Huber, Maddy Schuchmann), Springville 4 (four with 1).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com