Dowling Catholic Outlasts Indianola in 5A Showdown

<!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/gI7Z9jRLPY8","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/gI7Z9jRLPY8 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://ighsau.org/upl/downloads/library/volleyball-2024-4a3.pdf">BOX SCORE</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE, Iowa - </strong>Fourth-seeded Dowling Catholic has faced adversity this season. The Maroons dropped close, hard-fought matches they felt they should have won. They took an emotional hit when senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='215724' first='Siri' last='Beecher'] suffered a season-ending injury. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hard times drew them closer. They leaned on that connection Monday in outlasting Indianola, 3-1, in the Class 5A state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Definitely coming together as a team," Dowling setter [player_tooltip player_id='215412' first='Ella' last='Rogers'] gave as the reason the Maroons pulled through Monday. "Everybody played their part in that win. We couldn't have done it individually. The team came together."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dowling (26-9) won the first set, 25-17, before Indianola bounced back to take Set 2 by the same margin. The Maroons reminded themselves of to dig deep with the match locked up at 1-1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We have a drill in practice called "Finish It," and it's for moments like this," Dowling libero [player_tooltip player_id='189864' first='Annalise' last='Grant'] said. "At the end of the day, who's going to be grittier, who's going to want it more. We really have to fight for it." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Maroons took Set 3, 25-17, and pulled out the fourth, 25-23. Their connection through strong communication could be heard court-side. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Trusting each other," pin [player_tooltip player_id='215427' first='Ava' last='Groeteke'] said. "We have "All In" on our (jersey) sleeves. You just have to lock in." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant was rock solid in the back row, coming up with 16 digs. Rogers kept the operation moving smoothly with 34 assists, adding 13 digs and five kills. [player_tooltip player_id='389933' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] (14 kills), [player_tooltip player_id='500340' first='Kaylie' last='Klein'] (12) and Groeteke (11) led a balanced attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indianola (38-7) fought hard throughout the match, especially in a fourth set that saw 14 ties and 10 lead changes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I just think we didn't do quite enough to win, and that's OK," senior all-around [player_tooltip player_id='215466' first='Aspen' last='Nelsen'] said. "That happens in volleyball. It's part of the game. It just sucks that it had to happen to end our season, but, honestly, our effort was wonderful. We did so many good things. I'm just so proud of our team." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nelsen gave it her all in her final high school match, leading her team in kills (15) and assists (24), and tied [player_tooltip player_id='215469' first='Maci' last='Lerseth'] for the squad lead in digs with 18. [player_tooltip player_id='215470' first='Camryn' last='Overton'] contributed 14 kills and 13 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/9YtwgIX3EhA","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/9YtwgIX3EhA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->