Vinton-Shellsburg volleyball plays faster, and better, this season

VINTON — They’re playing at a faster pace. They’re winning at higher rate.

Why?

Vinton-Shellsburg senior Abby Davis answered in one word.

“Coach,” she said.

Then she expounded.

“She wants us to play fast,” Davis said. “She has made a big difference.”

Davis was referring to first-year head coach Devin Kearns, who came home this year after coaching stints at Colo-Nesco and Mason City.

“My family lives here, and the volleyball job drew my attention,” said Kearns, a 2014 Vinton-Shellsburg graduate.

Now, the 15th-ranked Vikettes are earning some attention of their own. They swept Anamosa, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18, in a Class 3A regional quarterfinal Monday night at Vinton-Shellsburg High School.

Kearns inherited an experienced crew, and there wasn’t a grace period.

“Coach expects a lot out of us,” setter Brylee Bruce said. “She expects us to get every ball.”

Every ball.

“I want the kids to sacrifice their body to get the ball up,” Kearns said. “I want this team to speed things up. Our libero (Davis) has low passes, our setter (Bruce) gets the ball out quick and our hitters can finish.”

At 27-13, the Vikettes are in the midst of their winningest season (in terms of win-loss percentage) since a 22-8 campaign in 2008. They’ll host Roland-Story (18-11) in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Each set featured a similar script, with the Vikettes pulling away at the midpoint.

Down 12-10 in the opener, they strung together runs of five, three and four points to push forward.

In Game 2, it was a six-point surge for a 14-7 lead. And in the finale, it was an 11-3 spurt that made it 21-9 and allowed Kearns to get some reserves action.

“We were hitting the holes in their defense,” Bruce said. “We were hitting through the block, around the block and finding the deep line in the back row.”

Ashlyn Murray led the Vikettes’ attack with 11 kills, and Ashlie Meyer added nine. Bruce distributed 18 assists.

Bruce and Davis are part of a senior class that has elevated girls’ athletics at Vinton-Shellsburg.

“We’re all three- or four-sport athletes, and there’s no offseason for us,” Bruce said.

The strength for Anamosa (15-21), meanwhile, consists of its sophomore class. One of those 10th-graders, Reise Neuhaus collected 10 kills.

Vinton-Shellsburg 3, Anamosa 0

(25-21, 25-19, 25-18)

Class 3A Regional Quarterfinal, at Vinton

Serving: Anamosa 56-60 (.933), Vinton-Shellsburg 67-73 (.918)

Aces: Anamosa 7 (Lola Holub 3), Vinton-Shellsburg 2 (Brylee Bruce, Ashlyn Murray)

Kills: Anamosa 28 (Reise Neuhaus 10), Vinton-Shellsburg 35 (Murray 11)

Assists: Anamosa 23 (Joli Loughran 9), Vinton-Shellsburg 33 (Brylee Bruce 18)

Blocks: Anamosa 4 (Carlee Webber 3), Vinton-Shellsburg 6 (Jade Coots 3)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com