Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Last season Solon did almost everything required for an incredible season posting its highest win total in more than a decade and advancing to a regional final.

The Spartans just didn’t get the ending they wanted.

On Tuesday Solon finally got the finish it was looking for and it was well worth the wait.

A year after a five-set loss in the regional title match Solon earned its long-awaited state tournament berth with a 25-21, 25-14, 25-19 sweep of West Delaware in the Class 3A, Region 5 championship in Solon.

“After last year this feels amazing because last year was so disappointing,” Solon senior Addison Walter said. “This year it just makes this all so much more special. We got some revenge from last year.”

Solon (37-8) will face fifth-ranked Humboldt (38-4) in a Class 3A state quarterfinal on Tuesday at Noon at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“This team, we wanted it so bad,” Solon senior Libero Macy Fuller said. “This isn’t our only goal, we want to win state, we aren’t going to stop here.”

It was a new regional final opponent for the Spartans on Tuesday but this win was all about Solon avenging its own setback from a year ago.

After letting an early lead slip away in a five-set regional final loss to Marion on its home court last season fourth-ranked Solon  was sharp from the opening serve on Tuesday.

The Spartans allowed West Delaware (23-16) to score more than two points in a row just twice while returning to the state tournament for the first time since 2014.

“I thought we played well, we had a few let downs, they got a couple of good kills and I told them if they only get one at a time instead of five or six we are going to be o.k.,” Solon coach Ruben Galvan said. “At yesterday’s practice I saw the confidence in them.”

Sophomore Amelia Guinn had 11 kills to lead a group of three Spartans with at least eight kills.

Junior CJ Whitford had nine kills and Walter added eight as Solon finished with a 39-35 edge in total kills.

“We played as a team and we just played as one,” Solon senior setter Scarlett Ferin said. “We’ve really been practicing bringing each other up when we are struggling and I think we did a really good job of that today.”
The Solon attack was efficient but it was Solon’s block at the net that set the tone for the match.

Solon finished with a 12-0 edge in blocks and made it challenging for West Delaware hitters all match.

“Our block was amazing and not only just the block but to get a good touch on the ball for the back row really helps,” Fuller said. “They know exactly what to do, our team captain Harper (Nicholson) in the front row really helps.”

Nicholson had a match-high six blocks while freshman Zephie Bishop had two blocks and Walter, Whitford, Guinn and Makinley Galvan each added a block.

“We worked a lot on our block in practice because we knew they run a quick offense and they are really quick with their middles,” Walter said. “We really wanted to set a good block and have our hands good so our defense could play really good.”

Solon never trailed on Tuesday jumping to earl leads in each of the three sets.

The Spartans jumped to a 12-4 lead in the opening set and held off a late West Delaware push to take a one set to none lead with a 25-21 win.

“It’s just honestly determination and discipline,” Fuller said. “This year’s big focus has been discipline and focus and we did exactly that tonight.”

The longer the match went the better Solon played.

Solon led 14-4 early in the second set on its way to a 25-14 win and built a 13-7 lead early in the third set.

“This was like our revenge from last year,” Ferin said. “I think we deserve this a lot.”

West Delaware                      21  14  19

Solon                                      25  25  25

West Delaware (Kills-aces-blocks)

Jorja Langel 1-0-0, Rylee Berning 15-0-0, Sofia Schulte 11-1-0, Karly Ogden 7-0-0, Totals 34-1-0.

Assists – Reagan Cummings 25, Lily Kass 2, Claire Scherbring 1, Emmalyn Hauschild 1

Solon (Kills-aces-blocks)

Addison Walter 8-0-1, CJ Whitford 9-0-1, Kalynn Timmons 0-1-0, Harper Nicholson 3-0-6, Makinley Galvan 4-0-1, Amelia Guinn 11-0-1, Scarlett Ferin 0-1-0, Zephie Bishop 4-0-2, Totals 39-2-12.

Assists – Scarlett Ferin 15, Ava Hohn 12

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