KALONA 

You couldn’t ask for a more highly contested and exciting game of volleyball than the one Hillcrest and Belle Plaine put on in the quarterfinals of the 1A regional tournament. 

Set five, tied at 13 all, brought about a tense atmosphere where the game truly could have gone in either direction, but the ball did not bounce Hillcrest’s way.

Advancing to the next round, the Plainsmen earned a hard fought 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 16-15, 15-13) victory to end Hillcrest’s season on Oct. 23.

“We play those last two balls over again, it’s probably five to five playing tonight,” Hillcrest volleyball head coach Brandon Statler said about the final set against Belle Plaine.

“During 90% of our matches this year, I think we take eight out of 10 in that situation. We are not going to fault the effort, to play to a 13-13 tie in set 5, I’d like to give our girls credit for their toughness. Volleyball is absolutely a game of ups and downs.”

The up and down nature of volleyball was on full display in this playoff contest hosted by Hillcrest.

Hillcrest took the early advantage with a first set win, but the Plainsmen rallied to win the next two sets to go up 2-1. A key component to Belle Plaine being able to rally were the errors committed by Hillcrest, which kept the Ravens from taking a greater command of the game.

“Our unforced errors were around four times our norm tonight. Playoff jitters, perhaps,” coach Statler said. “Outside of a few crucial ones there in the second set, we were nearly perfect. If we get those, we’re up 2-0, and it’s a whole different night.”

Another reason the Plainsmen were never out of it was the stellar play of their standout senior, Kayleah Laughlin. Laughlin, standing at 5 ‘11, led all players with 20 kills and recorded a team high 24 digs. 

After three sets, Hillcrest was down but not out. The Ravens prevailed in convincing fashion in the fourth to set up a “winner takes all” fifth set.

During the course of this matchup, it became clear Hillcrest had the advantage when it came to serving. As a team they recorded 18 service aces and they had four players end the night with a serve efficiency of 100%, along with three who had a serve efficiency over 90%.

“Overall, tonight, serving we had the advantage,” coach Statler said. “We’ve got a mixture of serving speeds, and when our top six servers are on point, the mixture has success in keeping defenses out of system.”

A fifth set where Belle Plaine came away with the victory spelled the end of Hillcrest’s season, but the loss does not diminish their accomplishments this season and what it means for the future of Raven volleyball.

“I’m most proud of this group for what they’ve shown the younger classes that are playing now,” coach Statler said about the impact this year’s team had.

“They’re seeing how to go into harsh environments and win. The environment in the gym, that’s something you got to learn how to play in and everyone, every little girl in that gym has now seen it and lived it and knows that it’ll be okay if you give 100%. I told the girls they’re paving the way for the future Raven players that will be more prepared because of their efforts.”

In her final volleyball game as a Raven, Malia Yoder once again led Hillcrest in kills (15). Yoder time and time again brought about a big time play on offense to get her team going this season and this game was no different. She also tallied 21 digs. Fellow senior Lydia Beachy led the team in digs (28).

Also reaching double digit kills for Hillcrest was Niva Helmuth. The junior reached 11 kills to go along with 12 digs, and four blocks. Also recording four blocks to tie for the team lead was senior Kylee Statler.

The curtain closes on a Hillcrest volleyball season that reached 20 wins, the most wins for the program since 2013, and in the offseason, they say goodbye to the talented senior class of Yoder, Statler, Beachy, Erin Bontrager, and Zoey Curtiss. 

“For these seniors, it’s been a four-year journey of ups and downs. These seniors haven’t played with another senior since they were freshman. First they’ve learned to win, then to win consistently,” coach Statler said.. “Now they’ve learned how to win a playoff match. There are seven very solid players returning next year that are one step closer to learning to win playoff matches consistently.”