Linn-Mar claws out five-set win over West

MARION - Linn-Mar Coach Teresa Kehe moved a hand in front of her stomach, gesturing to a player to summon the competitive fire in her belly.

All the intangibles talk this season and before that final set paid dividends.

The Lions displayed resolve, clawing their way to a five-set win over Iowa City West last night at home. Linn-Mar remained unbeaten in the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division with a 17-25, 25-5, 27-25, 20-25, 15-9 victory.

The Lions (20-6, 4-0 MVCV) earned an important win that put them solely atop their division.

'It's huge,” Linn-Mar senior Sarah Renner said. 'I'm proud of how far we've come and the fact we've learned how to handle situations like that better. It's showing a lot of progress of this team.”

Linn-Mar took early control in the decisive set, capturing eight of the first nine points. They received kills from Sami Boekhoff, Renner and Meg Gostonczik. Emilee McGowan added an ace. West pulled within four, but the Lions closed with three of the last four points.

'Early leads are important because you have the momentum,” Renner said. 'Maybe a ball drops or a call doesn't go your way, but you have a couple points to say we're fine, we can bounce back and have that grit we've been working on.”

Linn-Mar overcame a slow start, dropping the first, but dominated to even the match after two sets. When they were on, the Lions were aggressive, playing quickly and taking care of the ball. At times things weren't so smooth, but they were able to persevere and regain their composure, including the need for extra points in the third-set win.

'Our peaks and valleys tend to be quite great,” Kehe said with a laugh. 'They showed me they really wanted it. Their desire was huge.”

Like the fifth set, they opened with a run, scoring the first seven points and 10 of the first 11. Kehe said her team has a tendency to feed off each other, gaining confidence when a teammate makes a big play. It led to a balanced performance. Boekhoff paced the Lions with 12 kills and six blocks. Carly Spies added 11 kills, including two in the final three points to close the third. Ellie Anderson and Renner led Linn-Mar with 22 assists apiece.

'It wasn't just one player,” Kehe said. 'It was a lot of players stepping up.”

West Coach Randy Dolson said the game resembled a roller-coaster ride for his team. They lost rhythm after the first set and were overwhelmed in the second.

'I thought we were playing solid, but set two came and we lost it and could not pass,” Dolson said. 'Our sets were not that great. We made hitting errors. The old saying, when it rains it pours and it poured a heck of a lot (in the second set).

'We showed a lot of resilience,” Dolson said. 'It's easy to fold after you play like that. Our kids hung in there.”

West regained its form a bit, fighting to the end in the third and capturing a win to force the fifth. Dolson said each competition is a learning experience.

'You have to learn how to play through these matches,” Dolson said. 'You learn some things from them and you have to learn to let some things go.

'We'll be ready for our next match.”

Laynie Whitehead had 18 kills and Mikaela Morgan chipped in 12. Madison Fay had 34 assists, while Madi Miller had 24 digs for West (16-7, 3-1).

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@sourcemedia.net