Gladbrook-Reinbeck junior middle hitter Braelynn Morgan, center, goes up for the attack against South Hardin defenders Emma Minteer (5) and Alli Sheldahl (9) during last Tuesday’s (Sept. 12) NICL West Division volleyball match in Reinbeck. The Class 2A No. 8 Tigers took down the 1A No. 12 host Rebels in three sets, 25-13, 25-17, 25-22. PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

REINBECK — Growth has been gradual for a rebuilding Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball program.

The Rebels didn’t quite have the firepower to challenge South Hardin on Tuesday, Sept. 12, as the Class 2A No. 8 Tigers defeated 1A No. 12 Gladbrook-Reinbeck in straight sets at G-R High School.

South Hardin (17-1) won 25-13, 25-17, 25-22. G-R dropped to 8-8 overall.

“We couldn’t get in system enough to go back and forth with them,” G-R head coach Paula Kelley said. “We didn’t have enough of our balls that we could set up to go as hard with as they did.”

The Tigers cruised in the first set, ending on a 19-8 run behind heavy hits from juniors Ava Salvo, Ava Paige and Alli Sheldahl, and several Rebel errors that expedited the finish.

G-R was much better in set two, with Lily Dripps and Kennedy Brant swinging well and the Rebels building an early 11-7 lead.

South Hardin responded with an efficient 9-0 run that included four Abby Teske ace serves and three Salvo kills, eventually ballooning to a 13-1 counter-strike that put the Rebels in a deep hole.

The final result was essentially a repeat of South Hardin’s win in the semifinals of the Tigers’ home tournament over the weekend, which G-R lost 21-16, 21-12.

“When they’re in system, their front row swings and swings hard,” Kelley said. “They were finding holes we couldn’t get covered. We’d make adjustments, they made the adjustments back. … We tried moving the defense around a little bit, moving our block, and we’d get good touches, just not a lot for kills.”

G-R fell behind again in the third set but battled back to tie it at 22-all on a Braelynn Morgan kill. The Rebels got no further, unfortunately, as three consecutive Sheldahl kills secured the sweep.

Dripps finished with 11 kills, and Brant added five for the Rebels. They are two of three players, along with Jaden Hansen, that had the most experience returning from last year’s team that finished as state runners-up.

“We graduated everybody last year that played any ounce of defense for us,” Kelley said. “We’re all brand new with passing back there. Young, inexperienced, but the more we touch the ball, the better we’re going to get.”

“We’re growing, we’re learning, and unfortunately we have to learn as we go now and the best way to learn is by playing these games,” Kelley said.