Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

CENTER POINT – Last season Reese Naeve rolled up an astonishing 39 kills in the regional title game to help Regina reach the state tournament for the first time since 2016.

Naeve one-upped herself on Wednesday.

The Iowa State commit hammered 34 kills as eighth-ranked Regina swept No. 10 Sumner-Fredericksburg 25-23, 26-24, 25-20 in the Class 2A, Region 8 title game at Center Point-Urbana high school.

“The game to go to state I knew we weren’t losing,” Naeve said. “I did not want to end my high school career in a gym.”

Naeve will end her career on the state’s biggest stage next week.

Regina (30-13) will face third-ranked Hinton (28-2) in a Class 2A state quarterfinal on Tuesday at 4:25 p.m. at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

A year after falling in the quarterfinals Naeve and the Regals have their sights set on more than just a return trip to state.

On Wednesday the Regals looked like a team capable of making noise at the state tournament.

I am so proud of this team and I feel like we have so many games left in us, we are going for the championship,” Naeve said. “We can do it, we all believe it, we know we can and we are confident in each other.”

The state leader in kills, Naeve pushed her season total over 700 on Wednesday with her match-high 34 kills.

Naeve had at least nine kills in every set, including 15 in the second set as Regina rallied from a seven-point hole.

“I think every single time goes up our whole team is confident and we are there to cover her no matter what,” Regina coach Lauren Hansen said. “She got blocked, Sumner had a great block but she was able to reset and go back up again.”

Freshman Jada Wiltz provided the balance to Naeve’s monster night with eight kills in an expanded role.

The 5-foot-9 Wiltz had three kills in each of the first two sets as Regina took control.

“Jada really stepped up, we would not have won this game without her,” Regina junior libero Addison Bollier said. “I told her before the match she was going to need to step up and she said, ‘I got you’ and she went out and did her job.”

Regina never trailed in the opening set but couldn’t put Sumner-Fredericksburg (26-15) away.

The Cougars cut a 23-17 lead to just 24-23 with a four-point run late but Naeve clinched the set with her nine kill of the opening frame.

“Sumner-Fredericksburg is pretty incredible and I knew it was going to be a battle tonight,” Hansen said. “Their setter is pretty awesome, and I thought we did such a nice job of slowing them down as much as possible and staying calm in chaos.”

The second set is when Regina turned the tide.

Sumner-Fredericksburg led 8-7 early but used a 6-0 run to take control and led 17-10 and later 24-20.

Regina rallied.

“We were down 17-10 and we knew we had to fight for every point,” Naeve said. “We said we have fought all the way back we might as well win the set now.”

Ella Keune had a pair of blocks, Naeve had two kills and junior setter Nora Wilhelm capped a 6-0 Regina run to end the set with an ace serve as Regina took a two sets to none lead with a 26-24 win in the second set.

“They played a heck of a game, and made it a lot closer than we wanted it to be,” Bollier said. “We just kept fighting, we stayed in it and stayed scrappy and I think that’s what won us the game tonight.”

Sumner-Fredericksburg led 18-16 in the third set but Regina again rallied late.

Naeve had five kills during a 9-2 Regina run to end the match, including the match-sealer.

“They were starting to stop me on the ball up the middle so I stayed out on the pin so I could vary my shots,” Naeve said. “We spread around the offense more using our middle and the right side and our other outside, Jada stepped up and killed it.”

Freshman Hannah Buhman had 13 kills to lead Sumner-Fredericksburg and Addi Murray added 10 kills for the Cougars.

Klein had two blocks to go with her six kills and Keune added a pair of blocks for the Regals.

Sumner-Fredericksburg             23  24  20

Regina                                                25  26  25

Regina (Kills-aces-blocks)

Ella Keune 1-0-2, Adalee Klein 6-0-2, Jada Wiltz 8-0-0, Reese Naeve 34-0-1, Ruby Greving 1-0-0, Addison Bollier 0-1-0, Lily Nibaur 0-1-0, Totals 50-2-5.

Assists – Nora Wilhelm 44, Ella Keune 1

Sumner-Fredericksburg (Kills-aces-blocks)

Alexa Buhman 1-0-0, Hannah Buhman 13-0-1, Callie Trainor 8-1-1, Jamie Jones 0-2-0, Kalena Quigley 3-0-1, Addi Murray 10-0-1, Braxtyn Rettinger 6-0-1, Totals 41-3-5.

Assists – Alexa Buhman 36

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