Takeaways: Gilbert, Carroll and Greene County triangular
Gilbert topped Greene County and Carroll, and then Carroll defeated Greene County in a triangular at Greene County Middle School on Thursday. There were some strong setting performances, and here’s what else stood out: A cheat code in the…
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Continue ReadingGilbert topped Greene County and Carroll, and then Carroll defeated Greene County in a triangular at Greene County Middle School on Thursday. There were some strong setting performances, and here’s what else stood out:
A cheat code in the middle
Gilbert 6-foot-0 athletic middle hitter Haleigh Hadley was beyond impactful for the Tigers. She had six blocks and now leads 4A in that category, and interrupted plenty of attacks with her block. Offensively, she was just as capable. She notched 18 kills, and whenever her setters found her for a kill in the middle, it was almost an automatic point.
She elevated above blocks so well that she could swing over blockers with ease and found plenty of open space.
“She’s getting smarter as we go, and obviously she can hit it down, and that’s great,” setter Nessa Johnson said. “But Carroll really got their block up against her, making her push tips and all that stuff, and I think she did a very good job adjusting to that.”
She was super effective in the first set against Carroll, a team that previously beat Gilbert, and was a focal point of the offense. Her block-kill made the score 21-19, and throughout the entire evening, she was a game-changer.
Hadley is a Gilbert captain, as is fellow senior Isabelle Johnson, a libero. Johnson is averaging 3 digs per set, and her presence is a glue that keeps Gilbert together. She and Hadley are a couple of reasons why the Tigers are ranked No. 12 in 4A.
Two hard-swingers
The two hardest swingers in the gym had to be 5-foot-11 Gilbert junior Thea Rotto and 5-foot-9 Carroll junior Ella Collison. Both unleashed thundering attacks, racked up 10 kills on the day each, and lead their respective teams in kills for the season.
Rotto is a workhorse who leads 4A in attacks (444) and is fourth in kills (160). On Thursday, she attacked aggressively from the outside and notched a couple of kills from the back row. She plays for club team Iowa PowerPlex and plans to play in college, like her older sister Inga Rotto, a Northern Iowa sophomore.
Collison did it all for the Tigers, swinging hard, diving for a few digs, making blocks. She was impressive as a six-rotation player who can really score.
“She just comes in hard with the swing,” Gilbert coach Stacy Johnson said of Collison. “She’s got a great swing, and I don’t think our block was getting out there fast enough to really shut her down or touch it like we needed to.”
Gilbert then swept Carroll (25-21, 25-20) for their 21st win of the season, already matching last year’s total. Thea Rotto with the match-winner here. #iahsvb pic.twitter.com/PYmeVHWQHY
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) September 20, 2019
Carroll’s other weapons are capable, too
Carroll’s first point of the evening came on a hard-hit ball from the right arm of a Carroll attacker. “Wow, she really hammered that one,” I said to myself. Then, I check the roster — it was 5-foot-8 junior Gabi Hammer who had notched the kill and, true to her name, she hit the ball with force.
Hammer was a strong attacker, and Collison was also super effective, but Caroll had plenty of other hitters, too. In fact, it wasn’t Collison, or even Hammer, who led the team in kills either match.
Against Gilbert, it was 5-foot-9 sophomore Josie Ayala who racked up 10 kills with a .364 hitting percentage. She was ruthless and persistent at the net, hitting through blocks. In the second match, 5-foot-9 junior Kennedy Lein led with six kills. She placed her attacks well, which made it tough on opponents.
Greene County’s top hitter
The Rams have been led this year by 5-foot-10 Lily Muir, who is effective both at the net and as a server. The ball rockets off her arm, and she leads the team in both kills and aces.
“She just has amazing power, but she’s also smart,” Greene County coach Chris Heisterkamp said.
Muir has also averaged almost 2 digs per set, and is a capable player anywhere on the floor.
Said Heisterkamp: “She’s just a good all-around player. She’s strong as a server, she’s strong on defense, gets a ton of digs for us, so she’s just a really great all-around player.”
5-foot-9 Greene County junior Brianna Osterson also attacked well, notching a few kills.
A budding middle hitter
Gilbert sophomore Bella Nelson had a huge second set against Greene County. Over the course of a dozen or so points, she racked four kills and three blocks, making a big impact at the net. A terrific softball player, Nelson is also a strong middle hitter. At 5-foot-11, she has the height, and also proved that she has the skill to be a good middle hitter, especially defensively.
She provided a noticeable lift for Gilbert, which showed how complete of a team it can be.
Said Greene County coach Heisterkamp: “Gilbert has height, they have powerful hitters and they’re smart in their attacks. They were placing the ball in our holes very well.”