2A Recap, Reaction: Dike-New Hartford Hits High Note

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;howe30&nbsp;in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE - </strong>In rebuild mode last year, defending champion Dike-New Hartford still reached the state tournament semifinals. For 2025, the Wolverines set their sights on the top prize again. And with the way that they looked in Tuesday's quarterfinals, that seemed to be within reach. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DNH overwhelmed Aplington-Parkersburg 25-9 in the opening set of Class 2A action. The Falcons fought back, but couldn't overcome the favorite in dropping the next two sets, 28-26, 25-21. It was a good mix for the Wolverines, winning the first set handily with excellent play and then having to grind out the next two </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I pretty much got what I expected," DNH coach Diane Harms said. "They're very resilient. They play hard. They fight hard. It's what we expect from them, and they found a way to pull that second set out and they found a way to finish the third set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I'm very proud of the girls and how they stayed together." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolverines have received a significant boost from senior six-rotation standout [player_tooltip player_id='389014' first='Abby' last='Jensen'] returning after missing last season with a knee injury. She produced 17 kills and 12 digs on Tuesday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We were just so excited to play," she said. "On the way here and in the locker room, we just talked about our gratitude and how grateful we were to still be playing at this point in the season. So, really just taking advantage of the moment, enjoying it together and soaking it up." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DNH setter [player_tooltip player_id='893076' first='Kailyn' last='Meester'] also was on point Tuesday. She dished out 35 assists and chipped in with nine digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I think something that really helped us was our communication," she said. "We're definitely a really talkative team. We're really good at telling each other what we need to be successful, especially out back row. They do such a good job of telling our hitters where to hit. It's really easy for our hitters to find good spots." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='761890' first='Keely' last='Kauten'] proved very efficient Tuesday, hitting .524 on 12 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='893719' first='Aubrey' last='Asche'] had 16 digs and seven kills, and [player_tooltip player_id='894796' first='Ruby' last='Varney'] registered 10 digs and seven assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DNH swept the regular-season meeting with the Falcons back on Sept. 30. That didn't A-P in its quest for revenge on Tuesday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We went into this tournament being the underdog, being the one that wasn't supposed to be here. It really fueled us. It really pushed us. We wanted to prove to people that we deserved to be here," said A-P junior Payten Osterkamp, who shared her team-lead with 15 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='828016' first='Zoey' last='Uhlenhopp'] paced the Falcons with 12 kills, and she added five digs. Jenzen Klooster had 11 kills, Kennedy Kalfwarf came up with 15 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/AeS0fmfN4pI","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/AeS0fmfN4pI </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXsdXRrAYeQ","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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXsdXRrAYeQ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->