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Sioux City Heelan builds confidence in 4A state volleyball semifinal sweep of North Scott
Crusaders advance to the title match against Pella
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CORALVILLE — Controlled and calm.
Watching Sioux City Heelan volleyball coach Lauren Boatman on the sideline, it would be hard to tell if her team was ahead or behind.
After watching her team win the first two sets of Wednesday’s Class 4A state semifinal match against defending state champion North Scott, Boatman saw the Lancers jump to a 9-0 lead in the third.
“It was a tough hole to dig out of,” she said, “but like I said earlier this week, we've played 40-some matches this season and they know what to do. They do a good job of not getting too high or not getting too low.
“We called that timeout and just told them they had some work to do.”
And just like their coach, the Heelan players stayed calm and got to work. The Crusaders trailed 15-5 at one point before storming back to outscore the Lancers, 20-6, the rest of the way to complete a 25-23, 26-24, 25-21 victory at Xtream Arena.
The victory sends the No. 2 Crusaders (43-3) into the 4A title match at 12:15 p.m. against No. 5 Pella. The Dutch advanced with a straight-set win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton.
“It was just crazy,” said Heelan junior hitter Ava Lloyd of the third-set rally. “Obviously, a start like that can bring down your confidence a little bit. We knew we were capable of coming back and we just pushed and pushed and got it done.”
North Scott, which finishes 30-6, also had opportunities in each of the first two sets only to see the Crusaders prevail in both instances.
Lloyd said that gave Heelan even more confidence it could rally in the third set.
"(Winning those sets) just brought a whole other level of confidence," she said.
Boatman agreed.
“I think getting those first two sets was what was able to help them push through in the third set,” she said. “It was just another reminder to them that they were good enough to get the job done.”
Lloyd led the Crusaders with 14 kills. Maliyah Hacker added 13 kills and 11 digs. McKenzie Moeller led the Lancers with 18 kills. Abbey Hayes had 12.
Heelan is in search of its fourth state title, but its first since 2007. For Lloyd and her teammates, the title match will be the culmination of a long process.
“This is such a great team to go to the championship with,” she said. “We have such great chemistry and we work as a team. I'm just so excited.”
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