Solon volleyball roars into state tournament

CENTER POINT - Sonically, Solon found the perfect mix in its Class 3A regional final match Tuesday night against Dyersville Beckman.

With thunderous booms and silent precision, the Spartans dialed up a victory and a return to the state tournament next week in Cedar Rapids by downing Beckman, 25-15, 25-16, 25-17.

'Our girls were a lot more nervous this year than they were the past two years in this situation,” said Solon Coach Peter Gustin. 'But from the beginning of the first set, they totally executed the game plan.”

Solon toggled between a heavy attack and a light touch to keep Beckman on its toes. The Trailblazers employed a one-up defense, something the Spartans hadn't seen this season.

'It's something we had to game plan around,” Gustin said. 'It wasn't flawless, but in terms of having a successful match it was top-notch.”

Solon went up 5-1 in the first set. Senior Taylor Nearad opened with an ace serve, and Winona State commit Jordan Runge added two kills.

'We were so excited to come out and play,” Nearad said. 'We didn't know how many games it was going to go, because we knew they were going to be really good.”

Solon held Beckman at bay most of the first set. A four-point run later in the first set gave Solon the edge in the set. Josey Hajek landed a touch kill, and Runge added three kills to give Solon a 15-7 lead.

'I noticed the corners of the court were open, so that helped me a lot,” said Runge, who had six kills in the first set.

Solon held an 11-6 lead in the second set, but Beckman battled back.

Kills from Grace Nebel and Blair Klostermann cut the Solon lead to 11-9. Runge responded with a thundering kill to stop the Beckman run.

'Best darn match of her career,” Gustin said.

'You talk about volleyball being fun and seeing a performance like that on this stage is just incredible.”