Panthers pounce on semifinal berth

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tripoli needed a little reminder.

The Panthers have been here, they have done this and once that sunk in they did it again.

After dropping the opening set, the second-ranked Panthers handled No. 7 Grand View Christian, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-18, in the Class 1A quarterfinals of the state volleyball tournament Wednesday night at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Panthers will play the winner between Janesville and Holy Trinity in Thursday's semifinal.

Tripoli (24-14) even trailed 6-1 in the second before going on a 12-2 run and pulling away.

'I just reminded the girls we have five seniors,” Tripoli Coach Tony Sneiderman said. 'This is the fourth time these seniors have been there. I told them to relax and calm down a little bit. They know how to play. They've been here before. I think that really reminded them they can do it.”

The Panthers did, getting three kills from Kennedy Drewis en route to a 9-3 lead in the third. Drewis finished the game with a game-high 17 kills and three aces. They found their rhythm in the second and third sets.

'I think these girls need to get in sync,” Sneiderman said, 'and just need to be reminded they can be successful and they know how to play.”

Drewis led the way but the Panthers had a balanced attack. Heather Heine had 10 kills, including one as the Panthers took a 21-11 lead in the final set. Keely Heller and Nikki Dettmer added seven and six kills, respectively, for Tripoli. Miranda Quigley had 36 assists for the Panthers.

'We've got a lot of girls we can rely on,” Sneiderman said. 'We talked a lot as a team that it's going to take all six of us. It's going to take the subs that come in. Everyone's got a role to play.

'We definitely don't get to the success and get that win with just six girls or one girl.”

The Panthers have been fueled by team unity and unselfishness. It's the trademark of this year's squad as they look to make their mark with 11 other championship teams in school history.

'This year, I feel we really glue well together,” Quigley said. 'We don't really have too many people that stand out individually. We work well together as a team.”

Grand View Christian (30-13) received 10 kills from Abby Booth and 26 assists from Ashlan Thompson. The Thunder had started slow in the past but Tripoli's adjustments kept that from happening again.

'We have commonly come from behind all season,” Thunder Coach Arlie Brandmeyer said. 'It's not that uncommon for us. We get to find our groove throughout the match. That didn't bother me so much, but in a match like that with that level of an opponent it's tougher to get back into it.”

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