A Western Christian volleyball streak ends, but another continues with win over Sumner-Fredericksburg

CORALVILLE — A team does not make 22 straight state volleyball semifinal appearances without having to overcome some adversity at some point during that streak.

No. 2 Western Christian came into Tuesday's Class 2A quarterfinal match with No. 8 Sumner-Fredericksburg as a prohibitive favorite. The Wolfpack left the court following the match victorious, but not without some anxious moments.

Coach Tammi Veerbeek's team dropped a set against an Iowa opponent for the first time this season, as the Cougars jumped out early and won, 25-21.

Then, what Veerbeek called her team's “grit” kicked in.

Sumner-Fredericksburg had chances in each of the next two sets to prevail, only to see the Wolfpack scramble for a pair of 26-24 wins. The fourth set was all Wolfpack as they took it 25-18, to win the match 3-1 at Xtream Arena and advance to the semifinals for the 23rd straight year.

“It was a blue-collar effort,” Veerbeek said. “There were a couple of plays when I told the girls in the huddle that we just outworked them. We didn't give up on balls, we didn't keep our heads down.

“We have seven seniors and they didn't want this to be done.”

Western Christian (41-5, 31-0 against Iowa foes) advances to the semifinals on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Sumner-Fredericksburg closes its season at 31-11.

“I really think we broke (Sumner-Fredericksburg's) spirit when we won the third set,” Veerbeek said. “For us to come back and kind of steal that one in the end was a real gut punch for them.”

As it has done all season, Sumner-Fredericksburg rode the talents of 6-foot-1 junior Isabelle Elliott. She had 26 kills on 62 attempts and was a focus throughout the match for the Wolfpack defense.

“Yeah, Elliott had a great match,” Veerbeek said. “Volleyball is an imperfect game, you aren't going to get every ball and you are going to have errors, but it is how you respond to those errors when you are down that makes the difference.”

The response resulted in a 2-1 lead that carried over to the clinching fourth set.

“We could finally feel like ourselves and just relax,” said senior Abby VerBurg, who finished with 30 kills. “We were having fun and we were feeling confident that we could win it.”

VerBurg said the school's semifinal streak that started before anybody on the current team was born is something that is not really spoken of, but it is something all are aware exists.

“We all definitely think about it,” she said. “I don't think we think about it when we are playing, but it is a cool experience that has involved so many different people. You always just want to win for your team.”

Stella Winterfeld added 22 kills and 12 digs for Western Christian.