Regina senior Olivia Wolfe/Photo by Darren MillerBy Ryan Murken 
Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – There were times on Tuesday when Regina played strong early in sets.

Other times Regina played well late in a set.

At no time during the meeting with River Valley Conference South Division leader Tipton did Regina put an entire set together.

Regina junior Clare Dunne/Photo by Darren Miller.The result was a 25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 25-17 loss that dropped Regina to 15-10 on the season and 3-2 in RVC South Division play.

“That’s our challenge right now, one whole complete game,” Regina coach Kara Kimm said. “We can’t put the pieces in this game and not this game. It doesn’t work that way.”

Freshman Sommer Daniel had 16 kills and Blake Ehler added 11 for Tipton as the Tigers improved to 18-5 on the season and moved to 4-1 in RVC play.

Regina got 13 kills from senior Olivia Wolfe but it wasn’t enough to overcome some up and down play.

“I feel like the first set we started slow and toward the end we played a lot better,” Wolfe said. “We fought really hard but our pieces just didn’t fit as well together tonight as they needed to.”

In the opening set it was a slow start that doomed Regina.

Tipton roared to an 18-6 lead and held off an inspired Regina rally for a 25-20 win in the opener.

In the second set it was a late sputter that cost the Regals.

Regina trailed 20-18 but watched as Tipton closed out the set on a 5-0 run.

“I told them after game one and two we need a complete game,” Kimm said. “I feel like we are either there the first half like game two and then we let them back in or then the third game we were there the first half and just pulled it out.”
Regina senior Grace Swenning/Photo by Darren Miller
Regina trailed 11-9 in the third set but took control with a 9-0 run that featured a three kills and an ace block from junior Alexa Lehman.

Tipton used a 6-0 run of its own to get within a point at 20-19 but Regina responded with three straight points on a kill and an ace block by Wolfe and a Katrina Chambliss ace serve.

Wolfe had four of her team-high 13 kills in the third set as Regina held on for a 25-22 win.

“We’ve been working hard the last week or so in practice mixing up her shots,” Kimm said of Wolfe. “She has been a sleeper so I don’t think she is really on team’s radars so we wanted to capitalize tonight and really mix it up and the game plan was to go to Liv if it was there and she capitalized on it.”

A Wolfe kill gave Regina a 5-4 lead early in the fourth set but it was all Tipton from that point on.

The Tigers used a 4-0 run to take a 8-5 lead and never trailed again as Daniel and Ehler each had five kills in the fourth set.

“It gets frustrating being close but I feel like as a team I know that we can do better,” Wolfe said. “This is an amazing team this year and I’m proud of how we’ve worked.

Sarah Lehman added 11 kills for Regina which had 30 kills to 53 for Tipton.

The Regals now have a week off before hosting West Liberty on Oct. 4.

“I feel like the best is yet to come for this team,” Wolfe said. “I can’t wait to play West Liberty next week.”

Tipton 25 25 22 25
Regina 20 18 25 17

(Kills-aces-blocks)
Regina
Katrina Chambliss 0-4-0, Grace Swenning 3-0-2, Sarah Lehman 11-0-0, Clare Dunne 2-1-0, Alexa Lehman 9-0-1, Olivia Wolfe 13-0-1, Katie Dunn 2-0-0, Emily Bonnett 0-2-0, Team 30-7-4.
Assists – Grace Swenning 28.

Tipton
Sommer Daniel 16-2-0, Amanda Smith 9-0-0, Jamie Kofron 8-0-1, Emily Hermsen 4-1-0, Blake Ehler 11-2-0, Rebekka Falkers 5-0-0, Team 53-5-1.
Assists – Sommer Daniel 22, Amanda Smith 19, Emily Hermsen 1.