Rock Falls defeats Sandwich in volleyball regional semifinal

An 11-point deficit in the first set did not stop the Rock Falls Rockets from advancing in the Class 2A Winnebago Regional semifinals on Tuesday. Rock Falls fell behind Sandwich early in the match, leading by as many as 11 points in the opening frame. The Indians never trailed in that set and closed it out 25-15. The score stood at 15-25 after the first set, but the Rockets responded to take the next two sets, 25-19 and 25-18.

Rock Falls coach Shannon Stahl, who actually coached Sandwich, noted that her team played cleanly in the first set. "I think we just played our game in that first set," Stahl said. "We had practiced a lot of those things [Monday], watched film, and we were ready for Rock Falls. We did really great the first set." Sandwich hitters Alayla Harris, Jessi Ramey, and Khloe White led the offensive effort for the Indians during that dominant opening period.

The momentum shifted during the timeout between the first and second sets. Rock Falls players huddled together and decided the season did not have to end that night. Middle blocker Julia Renner said the seniors realized it could be their final game. "We just talked about how if we wanted it, we had to go and get it," Renner said. "We all just kind of realized for us seniors, it could be our last game, so we had to show up and show out, leave it all on the floor."

Kaltrina Lecaj started a service run in the second set that helped Rock Falls take its first lead of the match at 4-3. Hitter Alivia Heald began to find her rhythm at the net. Taylor Segneri broke a 9-9 tie with back-to-back kills. Segneri and Renner then added consecutive blocking points. Kills by Segneri and Lecaj extended the lead to 18-12. Heald and Madisyn Eikenberry added kills, and a block by Segneri secured the set for the Rockets.

The third set saw Rock Falls pull away early. Blocks by Renner and Heald gave the Rockets a 14-6 lead. Renner added two more blocks around a kill by Lecaj to push the lead to 17-7. Sandwich fought back with a block by Harris to cut the deficit to 18-13. Rylee Hurni served an ace and Khloe White added a tip-kill to bring the Indians within 20-16. However, Heald and Segneri answered with kills, and Abrielle Hudgin served an ace. Kills by Eikenberry and Renner finished the game, snapping a six-game losing streak for Rock Falls.

Heald finished the match with 10 kills and three blocks. Segneri recorded nine kills and two blocks. Eikenberry contributed six kills and two blocks, while Renner added four blocks and a kill. Miley Bickett provided 24 assists and nine digs for the Rockets. Lecaj recorded nine digs, four kills, and 12 points. Averie Payne served 11 points, and Isela Valdivia had five digs. The victory moves Rock Falls into Thursday’s championship match against host Winnebago.

Harris led Sandwich with eight kills and three blocks. Ramey recorded 13 assists, eight digs, five kills, two blocks, and eight points. White added seven assists, five kills, five digs, three aces, and one block. Hurni led the back row with 14 digs, eight points, and three aces. Addy Hill had seven digs, Liza Goodbred spiked three kills, and Bella Isadore served seven points. Coach Stahl acknowledged her team lost its rhythm after the first set. "I think we got a little overconfident and lost our rhythm," Stahl said. "The girls made a couple of mistakes and then it’s hard to get back out of that."

In the other semifinal, top-seeded Winnebago defeated No. 9 Oregon 25-8 and 25-14. The Hawks led only once in the two sets. Winnebago scored 15 of the first 19 points in the opening set. The Indians led by as much as 19-6 in the second set after falling behind 2-0. Anna Hartmann had nine kills, Maycie Dill spiked eight, and Izzy Gray dished 22 assists. The win marked the 16th victory for Winnebago in its last 18 matches.

Oregon struggled to generate offense against the taller Winnebago squad. Izzy Berg and Cassie Krup recorded two kills each. Berg added three service points, and Mikaila Ellison finished with four assists and three points. The season for the Hawks ended at the hands of the host Indians.