Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball players Kennedy Brant (14), Dylan Mathern (19), and Jaden Hansen (4) celebrate a point during Monday’s Class 1A Region 5 semifinal against GMG in Reinbeck. The Rebels swept the Wolverines in three sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-8. PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

REINBECK — Gladbrook-Reinbeck volleyball kept its cool on Monday night.

The Rebels fought off an initial challenge from GMG, then settled in for a 3-0 sweep in a Class 1A Region 5 semifinal at G-R High School.

G-R won, 25-19, 25-16, 25-8. The Rebels (23-20) will take on No. 6 BCLUW in the regional final which was scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Roundhouse in Marshalltown. The Sun Courier will feature coverage from the match in next week’s edition.

Lily Dripps led the Rebels with 13 kills and Kennedy Brant added 10 kills.

“I feel like as long as we have the right motivation, we can go pretty far,” said Dripps, a senior. “It’s all a mentality game, feeling like you can go out there and win.”

Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior outside hitter Lily Dripps, right, swings against the outstretched block of GMG senior Olivia Maddux (20) during Monday’s Class 1A Region 5 volleyball semifinal in Reinbeck. Dripps led the Rebels with 13 kills in their three-set win. PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

First, the Rebels had to fend off a scrappy GMG team.

G-R led 20-9 in the first set, but GMG answered with an 8-1 run that included kills from Hadlee Hempy and Makayla Pendleton, as well as a tandem block from Olivia Maddux and Rhianna Murty that coaxed a timeout from G-R head coach Paula Kelley.

“We needed to settle in on our side,” Kelley said. “We didn’t play our game and GMG came ready to play, and I think that caught us a little off guard.”

Dripps put down a kill to stifle the Wolverine charge and back-to-back aces from Mallory Wrage had the Rebels at set point at 24-17. GMG kept fighting, but Brant placed an attack perfectly inside the back-left corner of the GMG defense to close out the initial G-R victory.

GMG stayed in range in the second set until a 4-0 Rebel surge, with kills from Jaden Hansen, Braelynn Morgan and Brant pushed the G-R lead to 19-11, and GMG wasn’t within five points the rest of the way as the Rebels seized the commanding 2-0 lead.

PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

“We were playing fast-paced tonight,” Dripps said. “We had our errors, but we were swinging hard.”

Everything came up Rebels in the third set, getting a few lucky breaks but also getting some heavy-duty firepower from Brant, who looked relieved after dunking a kill early in the third set.

“That was like a, ‘Finally,’ moment,” Brant said. “I was really struggling in the beginning, so it was nice to get one down and make an impact.”

The kills started pouring in, as well as a string of three aces in four points for Kailey Larsen, and G-R was well on its way.

“The first two sets, we did too much tipping, and they covered it very well,” Kelley said. “Once the third set came along, I told them they needed to start swinging hard, and I think it caught them off guard. Plus our passing got better, so the hitting got better.”

Dylan Mathern led G-R with 14 digs, including her 700th career dig. Larsen added 31 assists and G-R finished with 14 ace serves as a team.

GMG’s run ends at 20-11, the first 20-win season for the Wolverines in at least a generation.

It was the final game for three senior co-captains Anna Mussig, Olivia Maddux and Aubree Runner, and senior Rexanna Millard.

Rhianna Murty and Landry August had three kills each for GMG on Monday; Hadlee Hempy added seven assists and August had nine digs.

“The girls have worked really well together and the bond is just tremendous compared to when I came here last year,” said Eggers, a 2019 G-R grad who took over the GMG coaching job last fall. “They communicate better on the court, and also have that grit this year, the desire for the win.”

The Rebels had some motivation on Monday to reach the regional final after the 2023 season ended unexpectedly in a regional quarterfinal against H-L-V, which was just one year after G-R had finished as state runners-up.

BCLUW defeated G-R in three sets at BCLUW’s home tournament back on Oct. 12.

“I’d say we’re thankful. It’s good to be back,” Brant said. “We’re gonna give it our all and hopefully we can make it to state.”