Class 1A: Foecke fires Crusaders into state final against Janesville

CEDAR RAPIDS – The story isn't a new one with Fort Madison Holy Trinity.

The Crusaders have a team full of capable and talented players that work together wonderfully, but one towers above the rest – both in stature and production.

And Thursday night in the Class 1A state semifinal, Mikaela Foecke put forth a performance that was remarkable and expected all at the same time.

'You know, she plays at a totally different level,' said Holy Trinity Coach Melissa Freesmeier after her team beat LeMars Gehlen, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-21. 'She brings an intensity that's unreal. The kids respect her and they step up to the task (when playing with her).'

To her credit, Foecke – who had 35 kills, 12 digs and four aces – gave praise to her passers and fellow hitters for the job they do in the plays where she doesn't get the ball.

In fact, the final point of the match was a beautiful dump shot from senior Frankie Schlicher, and sophomore Madlyn Orton had several key kills while Foecke was in the back row.

And the junior seemed very sincere when saying her final stats didn't matter all that much – even if she was proud of herself.

'It feels good, it always makes me feels good (to play well),' Foecke said. 'But winning is so much better. It doesn't matter how you perform. You could play the worst and win and it's still a boost.'

Foecke's positioning on the court is crucial as well.When the 6-foot-4 Nebraska commit is in her natural position at middle hitter, the gameplan is clear. But when she's shifted in the rotation to the back, both Holy Trinity's and its opponents' strategies shift.

Gehlen attacked harder and was able to recover much quicker defensively without the immediate threat of Foecke in the front row.

When that happens, Freesmeier said it takes critical thinking and execution from the other players.

'(I tell them to) just do the little things,' Freesmeier said. 'You know, stay aggressive at the net. Do your job, do the little things, that's what we stress. And we did that (tonight).'

The Crusaders didn't get off to the greatest start to the match, with a different lineup to start than normal.

The result was a 16-9 deficit midway through the opening set. Holy Trinity came all the way back from that to force set point at 24-22, but a 4-0 run from Gehlen ended the first set, 26-24. That left a hole for the Crusaders to dig themselves out of.

Freesmeier said even Foecke started out of her normal position by design, so the original comeback served as a salve for the eventual set loss.

'Actually, what was going through my head (after the set) was, 'We stayed in this with a whole different lineup than we had last night,'' Freesmeier said. 'We had a great comeback, so we knew we were in it.

'You look in the girls' eyes in between games, and they're focused and they're ready. They weren't going to let this one drop.'

Foecke said she was relieved more than anything after working in the new lineup. She said there were few communication errors, which led to the success in the later sets, propelling them to the final.

Holy Trinity is now set to face a red-hot Janesville team that has swept its way through the tournament. Foecke said she expects long rallies and constant back-and-forth play, so that communication will be paramount on Friday night.

'I expect a dogfight,' Freesmeier said. '(Janesville is) a great team that's had a great season. They've got some great athletes. I know they want it as bad as we do, so we're just going to go out and play (hard) tomorrow night.'