Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

CORALVILLE – The bracket says Regina ended its season in the same spot as it did a year ago, falling in the 2A quarterfinals for a second consecutive season.

Despite another opening-round loss at the Class 2A state tournament on Tuesday the Regals believe that moved forward from last season.

Eighth-ranked Regina (30-14 )saw its late rally come up short on Tuesday in a 25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23 loss to third-ranked Hinton at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“We took a huge step forward,” Regina coach Lauren Hansen said. “Last year that third set we would have just given it up and this year we were able to keep going forward. I’m so proud of the way the girls played.”

Third-ranked Hinton (29-2) won the opening two sets and fended off a furious Regina rally late to return to the state semifinals for the third time in the past four seasons after missing the state tournament last year.

Regina, which was making the first back-to-back state tournament appearance in program history, lost another state quarterfinal.

However, Tuesday didn’t feel anything like last season’s quarterfinal sweep at the hands of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.

“I definitely think last year we might have just laid down and gotten swept but we fought back as much as we could and that game was like a semifinal level game, it was high intensity,” Naeve said. “I am proud of the girls for fighting.”

Hinton largely kept the state kills leader Naeve under wraps while winning the first two sets.

Naeve had just nine kills in the opening two sets as the Blackhawks built a two sets to none lead in the set.

Naeve and the Regals wouldn’t go without a fight.

“We talked after the first two sets and she only had nine kills and she said, ‘I am going to double that this set’,” Hansen said of Naeve. “I love that I can continue to challenge her and raise the bar and I love that she is so competitive.”

Naeve had 10 of her match-high 29 kills in a 25-20 Regina win in the third set.

“I’m really glad and I’m really proud that we left it all out on the floor,” Naeve said. “We didn’t go out with a sweep, we battled as much as we could, we came back and gave it everything we had.”

Hinton led 16-14 in the third set when Naeve rattled off three consecutive kills from the back row to give Regina a 17-16 lead.
It was 18-17 Hinton when Regina went on a 7-0 run that started with a kill by freshman Jada Wiltz to take a 24-18 lead it would never give up.

“I think that we have to be happy with how we played,” Hansen said. “Being down 0-2 and come back and be even better in the third set and we are just so happy with how we were able to make changes in key moments and I think that was huge.”

Regina had an opportunity to extend the match to a fifth set.

The fourth set was tied at 18 and Regina cut a late 24-21 lead to 24-23 but Hinton senior Bailey Boeve had the match-clinching kill.

A Creighton recruit, Boeve finished with 28 kills.

“They are difficult to stop and Bailey is incredible, she’s an incredible player,” Regina junior libero Addison Bollier said. “She is hard to defend and she didn’t want to lose.”

Naeve led Regina with 29 kills and 16 digs and capped a brilliant prep career with 2,525 kills.

An Iowa State recruit, Naeve had a state-best 730 kills this season.

“She’s put Regina back on the map,” Hansen said. “She has trusted in me from the very beginning, her and I were both new her freshman year and it’s been really cool to grow with her and I think she has expected more of everybody in the gym and that has helped us grow more and more.”

Regina            18  17  25  23

Hinton            25  25  20  25

Regina (Kills-aces-blocks)

Kylie Mattoon 0-0-0, Ella Keune 0-0-0, Adalee Klein 4-0-2, Jada Wiltz 4-2-0, Reese Naeve 29-1-1, Ruby Greving 2-0-1, Addison Bollier 1-0-0, Claire Lacina 4-0-0, Lily Nibaur 0-0-0, Nora Wilhelm 2-1-1, Totals 46-4-5.

Assists – Nora Wilhelm 38, Addison Bollier 2, Jada Wiltz 1, Kyle Mattoon 1

Hinton (Kills-aces-blocks)

Adalyn Ortegren 7-2-0, Addison Dunkel 2-2-0, Ellie Friessen 9-2-1, Bailey Boeve 28-1-0, Karlyn Kovarna 8-0-3, Ashlyn Kramer 0-1-0, Raelyn Kempema 3-0-2, Katelyn Hoefling 0-1-0, Macie Charlson 8-0-0, Brynlee Boeve 0-0-0, Totals 65-9-6.

Assists – Katelyn Hoefling 27, Addison Dunkel 27, Brynlee Boeve 3, Karlyn Kovarna 2, Ellie Friessen 2, Adalyn Ortegren 1

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