The 4-seed Grundy Center volleyball team won the first set allowed by 1-seed Denver this postseason, but Cyclones were able to close out a 3-1 win in a Class 2A semifinal on Wednesday, as aired on 99 The Wave. The set scores were 25-16, 25-17, 19-25 and 26-24.
In the first set, following a tie at five, Denver went on a 20-11 run to claim the set. In the second set, with Denver leading 15-14, the Cyclones went on a 10-3 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. In the third set, Grundy Center never trailed and led by as many as seven to extend the match to a fourth set. In the fourth set, following a tie at 18, the Cyclones went on a 6-3 run to go up 24-21. The Spartans held off match point for the Cyclones on three straight exchanges to tie things at 24. The Cyclones scored the final two points of the set to claim the match and advance. Head Coach Lori Willis.
“Super proud of the girls for not giving in, for showing that fight, for believing in each other and choosing unity. I feel when you get down here, it’s all about desire, belief, and then execution,” says Willis. “We executed really well in set three. Our passing got better, setting got better, hitting definitely got better, and we got lots of blocks as well.”
Ryanne Brubaker fired down 14 kills and Charlee Kirkpatrick added nine kills to lead the Spartans.
Grundy Center concludes their season at 36-10.
