Carly Spies regaining form, helps Linn-Mar return to state volleyball

MARION - It's been a slow, steady climb back to health for Linn-Mar's Carly Spies this volleyball season.

The 6-foot-2 senior underwent foot surgery over the summer and has been working her way back week-by-week.

Judging by her performance in Monday night's Class 5A regional final against Waukee, Spies is closing in on 100 percent. The Northern Iowa recruit made her presence felt both at the net and behind the service line, leading the No. 5 Lions to an impressive 25-11, 25-19, 25-22 win over the visiting Warriors in the Linn-Mar gym.

Coach Teresa Bair's Lions (30-10) advance to the state tournament for the second staight season where they will meet Mississippi Valley Conference rival Jefferson on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the US Cellular Center in a state quarterfinal at 2 p.m. No. 4 Jefferson (39-6) advanced with a 25-16, 25-19, 25-16 win over Johnston.

No. 13 Waukee retires at 26-21.

'She's almost all the way back,” Bair said when asked about Spies. 'We're doing some different things with her to get her the ball more and I thought she had some really great swings tonight.”

Spies doesn't think she is back to where she was at the end of last season when she helped the Lions to state.

'I still feel a little slow,” she admitted. 'Every day is getting better and I'm just glad I have one more week to keep getting better.”

The Lions opened with a bang, racing out to a 21-5 in the opening game before Waukee made a brief run.

'You always hope you don't come out with too many jitters,” Bair said. 'Tonight, we came out with confidence and made the plays we needed to make.”

It wasn't just Spies doing damage for Linn-Mar. Juniors Megan Renner, Tori Niemeyer, Ellie VonLehmden and Anna Gorsich, along with sophomore Emily Strauss all had their moments at the net. That balance was lauded by Bair.

'I really thought a lot of different people stepped up at different times,” said the fifth-year Linn-Mar coach. 'We were able to answer with something different. If something wasn't going well, we found a different way to score.”

The Lions built a 16-10 lead in Game 2 only to see Waukee rattle off a four-point run. An off-speed shot from Gorsich and a pair of kills from Spies put the Lions back in control.

The Warriors made a spirited charge in Game 3. Down 19-12 at one point, Coach Molly Turk's team, behind the serving of junior Haley Bush, closed the gap to 23-22. But they would get no closer as a pair of kills from Gorsich sent the Lions back to state.

Senior libero Isabel Schminke and Spies have been four-year regulars for the Lions. Each year the team has gone one step farther up to this point.

'There's more work to do,” Schminke said. 'When I was a freshman, we didn't even make it to the regional final. As a sophomore we only made it to the regional final and last year we only made it to the quarterfinal round at state.

'I'm not ready to quit at the quarterfinals this year,” she added. 'I think we can go all the way and take anybody there. We're ready to go.”

Spies said the Lions' tough five-game loss to Ankeny at state will be a motivator.

'We want more and we want to make it further,” she said. 'We're excited to get back there and show what kind of team we are.