From the Stands: Division IV State Championship Recap

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Saturday morning started early for the athletes and coaches competing in the Division IV state championship. But chances were they were too excited anyway! After a full season of preparation, Catholic Central and Clayton had made it to the big stage and they were ready!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both had long and challenging journeys to get to the main court at the Resch Center and both hoped to leave with a State Championship title for their school. Catholic Central came out on top though, with a powerful offense and a strong defense to support them. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sophomore outside hitter <strong>Sammie Seib</strong> (Prep Dig Rank #22)  led the team with 20 kills. She also contributed an ace and 11 digs. This young player showed amazing tenacity and skill in a high-pressure situation. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Senior captain and outside hitter, <strong>Grace Spiegelhoff</strong> had 17 kills and 3 awesome blocks. Grace was a clear leader on the court for her teammates and led by example throughout the match. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fellow senior captain,<strong> Elizabeth Klein</strong> had 46 assists. Her leadership complemented Grace’s well and her presence on the court was huge. Elizabeth is an amazing player who was fast and able to put the ball wherever it needed to be from anywhere on the court. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sophomore libero <strong>Grace Antlfinger</strong> led the backcourt with 23 digs. She read the ball well and was literally flawless on serve receive. Grace definitely has a bright future ahead of her in the volleyball world!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This strong and determined Catholic Central team swept Clayton in the final, but the Bears didn’t go down without a fight. They earned an average of 22 points per set and clearly were putting up every ounce of energy they had. The athletes on Clayton’s team definitely left it all out on the court. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Senior middle hitter <strong>Selena Levendoski</strong> had 19 kills, 12 digs, and 4 blocks. Her all-around athleticism and leadership were a guiding force for the Bears in their fight for the State Championship title. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Setter and fellow senior <strong>Marissa Gilbertson</strong> contributed 29 assists and 2 aces. She also had a handful of kills and digs. Another all-around athlete, Marissa made great connections with her hitters and worked hard to facilitate plays on every point. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Senior libero <strong>Kiana Fall</strong> was influential in the backcourt. She led the team in digs but also ran the backcourt extremely efficiently. Two other athletes racked up over 10 digs and others were not far behind. This is a testament to Kiana’s leadership and smart plays.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both teams played very well and had extremely successful seasons. Clayton is graduating 7 seniors this year and taking 2nd in the state tournament is an amazing send off for them. Their team next year will look a lot different, but they have a strong program and should develop their younger players well. Catholic Central is also graduating a large senior class but had a diverse group of athletes from all ages on the varsity team this year. </span></p>