Rebel senior middle hitter Kennedy Brant (4) stuffs an attack by Union’s Taylen Smith (10) on Sept. 6 in Traer during the opening match of the North Tama Volleyball Tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – The undefeated 2A No. 5 Grundy Center Spartans (9-0) volleyball team came out on top in the Redhawks Nest on Saturday, Sept. 6, winning the North Tama Volleyball Tournament in a 5-0 sweep which included taking down 1A No. 2 North Tama and 2A No. 3 Union.

The tournament was loaded with ranked teams. In addition to the hosts, Spartans and Knights, 1A No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck and 1A No. 10 Dunkerton competed. AGWSR, Cedar Ridge, and HLV rounded out the eight-team competition.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck began the morning at 9 a.m. in the cramped multipurpose gym (MPR) as part of the White Pool which included Dunkerton, HLV, and Union. G-R faced off against the still-undefeated Knights, dropping the first set 21-18 in what appeared to be a somewhat sleepy start.

In the second set, G-R brought back the Rebel fire – much of that courtesy of 6-foot senior middle hitter Kennedy Brant who recorded a dozen kills, six blocks, and five digs in total against the Knights across all sets. The Rebels defeated Union 21-12 in the second set.

The third set platformed both teams well by featuring the discipline each powerhouse program has become known for through the years. G-R won two extended rallies for point 13 and then point 14 to tie the set 14-14 before Union pulled ahead, winning 16-14 and taking the match 2-1.

With their fans cheering from the cramped sidelines, the Class 1A No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck Rebels including (from left) Kennedy Brant (14), Elly Sieh (5), Brinn Schneider (8), Avery Boyer (center), Jada Cheville (4), and Kailey Larsen (obscured) celebrate tying the third set 14-14 against the 2A No. 3 Union Knights during the opening match of the North Tama Volleyball Tournament on Sept. 6 in Traer. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“I thought we played well against Union,” G-R head coach Paula Kelley told the newspaper this past Tuesday. “We did a much better job with unforced errors and our hitting percentage was higher than Union. Game three could have gone either way.”

During the second batch of matches, North Tama took to the court in the main gym against unranked AGWSR (0-9-2) which, as of press time, still has not won a match this season under first year head coach Kayla Miller. North Tama was part of the Red Pool along with AGWSR, Cedar Ridge, and Grundy Center.

The Redhawks handily swept the Cougars in two sets although they struggled at times in the second set, allowing AGWSR to pull ahead more than once.

Across the third games of the morning, North Tama defeated Cedar Ridge 2-1, while the Knights trounced HLV 2-0. In the fourth matches, Grundy Center swept AGWSR and Dunkerton took down G-R 2-1 (23-21, 16-21, 15-7).

The fifth matches put the Redhawks back on the court where they lost to Grundy Center in another 2-0 sweep for the Spartans (21-9, 21-14), while G-R finally claimed victory with a solid 2-0 sweep of HLV (21-10, 21-15).

Gladbrook-Reinbeck junior Kailey Larsen (10) sets up a kill for Kennedy Brant against the Union Knights on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Traer. Brant recorded 12 kills in total against the Knights across all sets, while Larsen notched 22 assists. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Overall, I felt we played at a high level all day. We played better than our 2-2 record for the day shows,” Coach Kelley said. “I am very happy with where we are as a team right now. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but you don’t want to peek too soon either.”

During the afternoon’s bracket play, the Knights swept the tournament hosts 2-0 (25-13, 25-23) to advance to the final against the still-undefeated Spartans where Union dropped the first set 25-17 before bouncing back in the second with a firm 25-19 win. Grundy Center triumphed 15-11 in the third for the set, match, and tournament title – handing Union (9-1) its first and, as of press time, still only loss of the 2025-26 season.

Rebels on the road to State

As part of her comments to the newspaper, Coach Kelley confirmed the team’s goal this year is making it back to the state tournament. The Rebels missed out last season after falling to BCLUW in the regional final.

“If we continue to grow throughout the season and peek at the right time, I feel we have a great

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

opportunity to return to State since 2022,” Kelley said. “Our all-conference players from last season are our leaders. Seniors Kennedy Brant and Elly Sieh are leading our hitters in kills, hitting percentages, and blocks. Junior Kailey Larsen, in her third year of starting varsity, has been running the offense and involving all our hitters very well. Juniors Ayla Baer and Avery

Boyer have been solid in the back row as well.”

Kelley said the team’s motto of ‘Strong Alone, Unbeatable Together’ describes her roster perfectly this season.

“I’m very proud of how our girls are playing right now. We have had to come from behind a few times to win and force a deciding set. That shows character and grit.”

After hosting East Marshall for a conference match on Tuesday this week, G-R (4-4) traveled to No. 15 Nevada on Thursday for a triangular that also included Newton.

This upcoming weekend (Sept. 13), the Rebels will compete in the South Hardin Volleyball Tournament before facing conference foe South Hardin again on Sept. 16 in Eldora. After a brief break, the Rebels host the 2025 G-R Varsity Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Under Kelley, G-R is seeking this season their fifth trip to state since 2018. The Rebels first qualified back in 1988 when Kelley – then Paula Petersen – played for the team under former coach Terri Luehring. The program has yet to win a state volleyball title.