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Determined Dyersville Beckman sweeps West Burlington to get back to state volleyball tournament
No. 3-ranked Trailblazers advance to state for first time since 2021
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SOLON — A three-year state tournament drought doesn't sound all that long.
For a school like Dyersville Beckman with a steep volleyball tradition, it seemed like an eternity.
The Trailblazers had not been to state since 2021 and it was something the team thought about all season
“Coach (Todd Troutman) told us at the beginning of the season that we were going to make it down there,” said senior Katelyn Schmitt. “We wanted to prove how good we are and that we belong (at state).”
Beckman more than proved it belonged in Wednesday night's Class 2A regional final against West Burlington at Solon High School.
With Schmitt and fellow senior Alli Scherbring leading the way, the No. 3 Trailblazers rolled to an impressive 25-21, 25-13, 25-17 victory.
“You get so close every year and you just want it so bad for the kids,” Troutman said. “I'm just so happy it happened for this group.”
Now 35-6, Beckman will open state tournament play next Tuesday at 4:25 p.m. against sixth-ranked South Hardin at Xtream Arena in Coralville. South Hardin (25-16) advanced with a 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-8 win over Grundy Center.
No. 14 West Burlington finishes its season at 37-7.
Schmitt was a freshman the last time Beckman made the state field as her sister, Kiersten, led Beckman to state where it lost a tough five-set match to Western Christian in the first round.
“I always looked up to her,” Schmitt said of her older sister. “She was the leader of that team and I wanted to keep the momentum going and help get us back to state.”
In Wednesday's win, it was Beckman's balanced attack that proved to be too much for a gritty, but undersized West Burlington team. The Trailblazers are blessed with a number of talented hitters and they all contributed to the win.
“That's been huge for us, it has been our (strength) all year,” Troutman said. “Tonight, our middles opened up wide for us. Alli Scherbring was just a beast out there. She was just phenomenal and we just kept feeding her the ball.”
Schmitt echoed her coach’s thoughts.
“The middles (Scherbring and junior Miley Manternach) were just amazing” she said. “They got up every time. Sometimes they went up and didn't even hit it, which made (West Burlington’s) middles jump with them and that gave our outsides a chance to hit without a middle block coming over.”
Troutman knew West Burlington would be a determined team. Coach Maureen Heath’s group was within striking distance for much of the first and third sets.
“We played them early in the season on a Saturday morning and you can’t ever really judge anything off of that,” Troutman said. “We knew they were just going to keep getting balls back and we prepared for that.”
The veteran Beckman coach believes his team is built for success next week in Coralville.
“It's going to be a whole new environment for them,” he said of his team. “None of them have ever played at state and none of them have played in that arena so you never really know what is going to happen, but I think we will be ready to play.”
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