Charles City volleyball team’s season ends in state quarterfinals

By John Burbridge  |   sports@charlescitypress.com

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sometimes it’s not the velocity, it’s the movement.

The key to success for many baseball pitchers can also make a volleyball server deadly. And the stuff Bishop Heelan Crusader senior Allie Cooke served up against the Charles City Comets in the Class 4A Quarterfinals of the State Volleyball Tournament, Tuesday night was just nasty.

“We worked on our serve receiving all week in practice … moving our feet … getting set,” Charles City head coach Sue Hoefer said after her Comets had their season ended by Bishop Heelan, 3-1 (25-23, 26-28, 25-12, 25-16).

“But (Cooke) had a nice floater. It gave us a lot of trouble.”

Cooke’s knuckleball-like serves resulted in six aces for the match, and helped propel the Crusaders in the third and fourth sets after the Comets evened the match up in the second set.

“We played great in one and two,” said Hoefer, whose team finished the season at 37-6. “Then we let down a little bit in the third. You can’t do that at the state level.”

The Comets came out firing to start the match. Four-straight service points by Katie Foster helped give Comets a 5-0 lead in the first set.

A blocking kill by Nicole Jacobson put the Crusaders up for the first time (9-8) before a kill by Cooke extended the lead to 12-9.

Two service points by Comet junior Sydney Loeckle tied the set at 12 before a kill by Foster regained the lead for Charles City.

The Crusaders took a 20-17 lead with an ace by Samantha McCabe. A kill by Comet senior Kelsi Crooks tied it at 23 before subsequent kills by Cooke and Nicole Jacobson finished the set for Bishop Heelan.

Jodie Sindlinger’s kill with Loeckle assisting put the Comets up 9-6 in the second set. The Crusaders rallied and were a point away from taking the second set when consecutive kills by McCabe made the score 26-25. But Charles City scored the next three points with Sindlinger’s kill evening the match.

The third set was when Cooke did most of her service damage as one of her ace made the score 21-8 as the Comets couldn’t dig out of that hole.

Then a string of service points by Cooke and Maddy Lamson gave the Comets another hole to try to dig out of in the fourth set with the Crusaders jumping out to a 8-1 lead.

Though the Comets were soundly beaten in the fourth set with their season on the line, they didn’t go out without a fight. Foster made an all-out diving dig on a heavy-handed kill attempt before Tayler Schmidt kept the ball in play while having to leap over the Charles City bench.

Schmidt managed to get back on the court for the extended volley but — alas — the Crusaders eventually scored the point.

Down 24-9, Charles City rallied for seven straight points, but the Crusaders were not to be denied.

Bishop Heelan (35-8) will face No. 1-ranked Pella, which defeated Nevada in straight sets in its quarterfinal, Thursday at noon in the semifinals.

Charles City is due to return a solid core of starters in juniors Loeckle, Schmidt and Sara Martin, and sophomore middle hitter Sindlinger.

“We also have some girls who could have started on some teams coming back,” Hoefer said.

But for seniors Foster and Crooks, this was their last school-sanctioned volleyball match.

Foster plans to pursue a college track career at UNI, and Crooks …

“I don’t see me playing volleyball in college,” said Crooks, who took the end of the season hard. “It’s sad to end the season like this … especially when you’re a senior.”

Crooks said she plans to watch the semifinal and finals.

“I’m not rooting for anyone,” she said. “It’s just my last time down here, and I want to see who wins.”

Foster had 14 kills, and Loeckle had 32 assists to lead the Comets in their final match.

Cooke and Claire Brobst each had 10 kills, and Mary Volz had 38 assists for the Crusaders.

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