Recap, Reaction: Norwalk Captures 1st State Championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE -</strong> Norwalk is fond of saying that it's more than a one-player team. While that's true, the Warriors know where to go when it's winning time - [player_tooltip player_id='560368' first='Elle' last='Hatlevig'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The super junior was on a heater in the Class 4A State Tournament final match Thursday here at Xtream Arena, pounding out 39 kills and coming up with 27 digs, both team highs. The Michigan State commitment took a run at the 4A state tournament kills record of 40 set by Faith DeRonde of Oskaloosa against Waverly-Shell Rock in 2021.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hatlevig was the Class 4A All-Tournament team captain. She was joined on the squad by teammates [player_tooltip player_id='493974' first='Hadley' last='Michael'] and [player_tooltip player_id='730403' first='Delaynee' last='Steele']. CCA's [player_tooltip player_id='516002' first='Julia' last='Schlarbaum'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493660' first='Bailey' last='Simpson'] also earned spots on the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Michael's 56 assists were five off of the 4A record set by Carlee Smith of West Delaware against Glenwood in 2020. Steele contributed 12 kills and four blocks to the cause. [player_tooltip player_id='809159' first='Reese' last='Heim'] came up with 12 digs, Haizee Trilk had eight and [player_tooltip player_id='775192' first='Mary' last='Bush'] had seven.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schlarbaum finished with 19 kills and five digs, while Simpson recorded 12 kills and eight digs. Payton Curtis dished out 27 assists and picked up 18 digs, and [player_tooltip player_id='902716' first='Kendall' last='Ronnfeldt'] led the Clippers with 19 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='571219' first='Haydin' last='Wauters'] and [player_tooltip player_id='693879' first='Delaney' last='Vaske'] each added four kills. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norwalk hit .250 for the match with 24 blocks. The Clippers hit .090 with 10 blocks. Those numbers ended up telling a lot of the story. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first set was back and forth with each team putting together runs. Norwalk built a 17-13 lead before the Clippers rallied. A Simpson kill pulled them to within one point of the lead. Schlarbaum then reeled off an amazing five aces in a row with her nasty toss serve. CCA maintained that momentum in closing out the set, 25-22. Ronnfeldt was rock solid in the back row during the closing points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors bounced back in a big way in Set 2, 25-12. They stayed in system and Hatlevig controlled the action. She was already at 19 kills and 15 digs through two sets. Norwalk hit .478 in Set 2, while the Clippers struggled to -.040. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CCA picked itself back up in Set 3, taking it 25-20. The Clippers hit .258, while Norwalk slipped down to .100 in the third set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a match that demanded a fifth set, the Warriors obliged by cranking up in Set 4, winning it, 25-17. Hatlevig ended the fourth with 35 kills and 23 digs. Norwalk hit .481, and the Clippers dropped down to .115. The winners also held a 3-0 block advantage in the set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors carried the momentum into the final set, building an 8-4 lead. But as could be expected, CCA would keep battling. Norwalk called a timeout when its lead was trimmed to 11-9. Coming out of the break, a long rally ended with a well-placed Embry Dupont push kill to make it 12-9 before a CCA hitting error made it 13-9. Schlarbaum and Wauters gave the Clippers life with a kill each, but Hatlevig ended it with a powerful termination for a 15-11 set win and the school's first state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/q47cQePutX8","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/q47cQePutX8 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/McFnJe1dUEk","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/McFnJe1dUEk </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->