City High volleyball riding high after dispatch of Prairie

IOWA CITY — Despite the loss of 10 seniors from last season's state volleyball runner-up squad, Iowa City High feels poised for another run.

The Little Hawks' charge began with last night's dispatching of Cedar Rapids Prairie in three straight games, 25-18, 28-26, 25-17, in a 5A regional quarterfinal last night at Iowa City High.

'I was happy with our execution, especially on the offensive end and defensively, we worked hard,' City High Head Coach Craig Pitcher said. 'We served the right people tonight, and we took them out of their strength, which was their middles.'

City High (19-13) travels to Southeast Polk (23-8) for a regional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Little Hawks were led by two returning seniors. Michaela Nelson, a first team all-state selection last season, had a match-high 13 kills. Setter Ruth Grace notched 42 assists. Both were named to the 5A All-Tournament Team during last year's run.

'I feel like we are prepared,' Nelson said. 'We have a lot of new people that are coming up that are new and just as good. We're going to play as hard as we did last year.'

One of the new faces to emerge is freshman Alexa Aldrich-Ingram, whose two consecutive kills brought City High back from the brink in the second game, turning a 26-25 deficit into a lead they would not relinquish.

Aldrich-Ingram finished with 11 kills.

'She's doing so well this year, she's been doing that almost every single game,' Nelson said.

Monday's loss marked not only the end of Prairie's season at 16-19, but the final match for Kevin Geary as head coach. After 14 years and two state tournament appearances (2006 and 2008), Geary had announced this season would be his last.

'It's still just about the kids, it's never about coaches,' Geary said. 'It's fortunate for those of us who get to do it that long.'

Sophomore Kate Busswitz recorded 11 kills for Prairie, while setter Halle Lueck tallied 26 assists.

'In the end, it's still about the relationships and the process you go through,' Geary said of his final message to his squad.