March 29, 2024

Baxter bolts past Meskwaki to open postseason

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BAXTER — It took Baxter junior hitter Amber Weltha awhile to get her swing going at the net Tuesday night.

Weltha made sure the Bolts volleyball team didn’t have to play more than three sets though.

Ten of Weltha’s 15 kills came in the final set, and she powered Baxter to the second round of the Class 1A Region 3 tournament. The Bolts swept Meskwaki Settlement School 25-19, 25-17, 25-23.

The final home match of the season ended exactly the way Weltha and her teammates wanted it to — in straight sets.

“I didn’t want our last home game of the season to go in the fourth or fifth set,” Weltha said. “It feels good to get this one in three and finish it off positively.”

Weltha came into the night with a career-high 255 kills on the season. She ranks 11th in 1A with 3.59 kills per set but had only five kills in the first two games against the Warriors.

Luckily for Weltha, the rest of the Bolts played strong enough to get them through the first two sets with a lead.

“We need to be able to score some points without Amber, and we were able to do that,” Baxter coach Scott Ranck said. “Amber has been a little sick the past few days, and the girls knew that. Sophie (Meyer) and Hallee (Rainsbarger) were able to get going early, which gave the team confidence. That helped us get through the first game.”

Weltha’s only kill in the first set came on the Bolts’ first point. The two teams played even through 28 points of the frame.

That’s when Weltha found another way to give her team a lift. With the game tied at 14-all, a six-point service run by Weltha put her team in front for good. During that stretch, sophomore Hallee Rainsbarger collected a block, and a second block made it 21-15.

Senior Sydney Schmidt sandwiched her lone ace between two kills from sophomore Sophie Meyer, and the 3-0 run gave the Bolts set point.

Meskwaki (6-19) didn’t make it easy though. Payton Tahahwah had consecutive aces to closed the gap to 24-19, but a service error by the Warriors on the next point put the Bolts up 1-0 in the match.

Meskwaki lost the first set by six and had six service errors.

The Warriors pushed the Bolts to four sets at home back on Sept. 20. Baxter was able to avoid a let down Tuesday with solid focus from start, according to Ranck.

“The effort we gave tonight was awesome, too,” Ranck said. “We had lots of girls in the back row diving for balls. That was great to see.”

The Bolts (12-13) began the second set much faster than the first. They jumped out to a 7-1 lead after a Weltha kill and two aces by junior setter Kaitlyn Headlee.

The lead grew to 11-2 following kills by Weltha, Rainsbarger and junior Bekka Watt and an ace by Weltha. Watt served up an ace a few points later and a kill by Meyer put the Bolts up 15-4. Watt had two aces on the night, and Meyer tallied six kills.

The Warriors got as close as seven the rest of the way. Senior Tori Lasley, who came into the match with 146 kills and 47 blocks, kept Meskwaki in every set.

However, a hitting error by the Warriors allowed the Bolts to go up 2-0.

“Their middle hitter gave us some problems,” Ranck said of Lasley. “She made us have to adjust at the net. We have to work on going off set sometimes. She was able to settle in there and make us work a little bit.

“Several of our girls hit well tonight. That made her decide who she was going to block. We had more than one option at the net. That’s always key for us.”

The third set belonged to Weltha. With the game tied at 9-all, Weltha blasted back-to-back kills to put her team ahead for good. After a Meyer ace and a hitting error by the Warriors, Weltha recorded three straight kills to put the Bolts up 15-10.

Baxter’s lead climbed to as many as six before Meskwaki again made a late rally. The Warriors closed their deficit to three before another kill by Weltha made it 23-19. She also put Baxter up 24-20 with another rocket at the net.

Meskwaki scored the next three points to get within one, but a service error ended the threat, and completed the sweep for Baxter.

The Warriors missed four serves in the final set and 13 serves in the match. The Bolts missed eight serves on the night but had nine aces.

“The momentum carried us,” Weltha said. “We brought a lot of energy tonight, and had a lot of motivation to get another shot at North Tama.”

Next up for the Bolts is fifth-ranked North Tama, which swept Baxter 25-4, 25-15, 25-15 during conference play back on Sept. 18.

“We have to work on blocking. They have two great hitters, and getting up and getting touches on their attempts is going to be key,” Weltha said about the Redhawks. “We have to put the ball away when we get the chance, too.”

Weltha and Watt, along with a few other Baxter players, have been dealing with illness the past few days. The Bolts don’t play North Tama in the regional quarterfinals until 7 p.m. on Oct. 22. They’ll need the week to get healthy.

“They have an all-state hitter and another strong hitter,” Ranck said about North Tama. “Their setter knows where to put it, too. We just have to be ready to play and on our toes the whole time. We have to be quick to the hits and give ourselves a chance.”

Headlee had a double-double on the night with 25 assists and 10 digs. She also was 17-for-17 in serves with three aces. Sophomore Maddie Pierce tallied 14 digs, Schmidt had eight digs and was 11-for-11 in serves and Rainsbarger finished with five kills.

Weltha ended up 17-of-18 in serves with two aces.