Senior outside hitter Ava Wyatt (6) fires a shot between Grundy Center’s Ella Barragy (3) and Laney Dole (6) during the opening match of the consolation bracket of the NICL tournament on Oct. 7. The Rebels ended the tournament with three straight losses against ranked opponents Dike-New Hartford, Grundy Center and Union. Photos by Darvin Graham

The Class 1A No. 11 Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball team finished atop the BCLUW Tournament on Saturday, going 5-0 on the day to take the title thanks to a 2-1 triumph over No. 12 North Tama in the championship match.

The Rebels (22-11) swept through pool play by beating 1A No. 15 BCLUW (22-20, 21-16), Baxter (21-18, 21-7) and HLV (21-6, 21-10), and then overcame a first-set loss to defeat West Marshall (23-25, 25-17, 25-9) in the semifinals. North Tama, too, won the opening set in the finals before the Rebels rallied for a 23-25, 25-15, 15-12 triumph.

Ava Wyatt piled up 64 kills on the day, including 24 in the title match with North Tama. Megan Cooley added 26 kills and Katie Clark had 22 more, as setter Emma McClintock compiled 120 assists.

Cooley captained the defense with 39 digs and seven blocks, while Wyatt and Mahayla Olson both contributed 31 digs. Clark added 24 digs and six blocks, while McClintock had 25 digs and Lily Dripps finished with seven blocks.

The Rebels begin their playoff push next week with an opening round match against Colo-NESCO on Oct. 18 in Reinbeck.

Freshman Lily Dripps reaches back on the attack during Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s opening set against Grundy Center in the NICL tournament Thursday evening. Photo by Darvin Graham

G-R currently holds a win streak over Colo-NESCO that dates back at least to 2009.

Should they advance to round two, the Rebels would face either GMG or Baxter, both whom G-R swept during the regular season. The round two match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Gladbrook-Reinbeck.

The third and fourth rounds of the regional bracket are scheduled for Oct. 25 and Oct. 27. Gladbrook-Reinbeck is set to host in the third round.

Other ranked teams within G-R’s 1A Region 3 bracket include No. 6 Ankeny Christian and No. 15 BCLUW.

Setter Emma McClintock readies the ball for the Rebels offense in the third round of the NICL conference tournament on Oct. 7. Photo by Darvin Graham

Gladbrook-Reinbeck libero Breehan Dubberke brings the huddle in for celebration after G-R scored a point in their opening set against Grundy Center Thursday night in La Porte City. Photo by Darvin Graham