Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – The longer Liberty High played in its home opener on Tuesday night the better the Lightning played.

Class 5A No. 12 Liberty High did it’s best work late while sweeping Dubuque Senior 25-18, 25-14, 25-9 in a Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division match in North Liberty.

That theme – the more they play the better they get – is something Allie Kelly believes will be the case for her young team all season.

“Our schedule is set up as such that our kids were so challenged at the beginning of the year, and we saw all these high-level teams and while it’s going to expose your weaknesses and make you better it’s also going to shake your confidence a little bit,” Kelly explained. “As the match went on and we started picking up some points and doing things well we got that confidence boost and started to gel together.”

Liberty High opened the season 6-10 with 12 of those 16 matches coming against top-10 ranked opponents all away from home.

The Lightning, which have five sophomores in their rotation, went 3-9 against ranked teams to open the season.

“I think with our youth there is some inexperience and just a little lack of confidence and we are a little smaller than some of these older, more mature teams,” Kelly said. “Tonight, you could see us gain confidence.”

Liberty High (7-10) seemed to gain confidence with every point on Tuesday.

Dubuque Senior (8-9) led 12-9 in the opening set following a kill by Brooklyn Klaas.

Liberty High responded with a match-changing 7-0 run that started with consecutive kills from Ellie Wilson, Ashlyn Nordell, Lucy Maassen and Asta Hildebrand.

“I think we just got more comfortable as the match went on,” Hildebrand said. “This was our first home game and we are still a young team so I think it was just getting comfortable in front of people and having the confidence to do things well.”

With Liberty High trailing by a point sophomore libero Edie Miller tracked down a ball just before contacting the back wall.

The Lightning kept the ball alive and eventually won the point to pull even.

That play by Miller seemed to ignite Liberty High.

“When I go after a ball like that I feel like it just kicks in and I start playing a lot better,” Miller said. “After that the energy changed and we were more in the flow.”

Liberty High closed the opening set on a 16-6 run and never slowed down.

The Lightning trailed only once in the second set at 1-0 and never trailed in the third set.

“Sometimes a switch just flips,” Kelly said. “I don’t think it was anything that we did strategically different I just think that they hit a point where they felt good, we had a hustle play and they started to trust each other.”

Hildebrand had nine of her match-high 11 kills in the final two sets as Liberty High pulled away.

“Really late in the first set, that’s when we gained our confidence,” Hildebrand said. “When we are confident we can play really well.”

Eight different Liberty High players had a kill on Tuesday and five different players had at least five kills.

Wilson had seven kills, sophomore setter Hadley Miller had six kills to go with four ace serves and Ava Meidlinger and Maassen each had five kills.

“We just continue to get better,” Miller said. “We trust in each other a lot and we know what we can do.”

Liberty High              25  25  25

Dubuque Senior        18  14   9

Liberty High (Kills-aces-blocks)

Hadley Miller 6-4-0, Edie Miller 0-3-0, Ava Meidlinger 5-0-1, Asta Hildebrand 11-1-1, Lucy Maassen 5-1-0, Sydney Van Heukelom 2-0-0, Ellie Wilson 7-1-0, Ashlyn Nordell 2-0-3, Totals 39-10-5.

Assists – Hadley Miller 20, Asta Hildebrand 11, Edie Miller 3

Dubuque Senior (Kills-aces-blocks)

Maddie Prehm 3-0-0, Cambel Drapeau 8-0-2, Bailey Davis 0-1-0, Brooklyn Klaas 3-0-0, Lexie LeConte 1-0-1, Noraleigh Nagelmaker 2-1-0, Totals 16-2-3.

Assists – Noraleigh Nagelmaker 7, Brookly Klaas 3, Bailey Davis 1

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