Reality set in during the fourth set Tuesday at Blair High School.
As the visiting South Sioux City volleyball team went on a 7-0 scoring streak, the Bears' faces expressed the situation they faced — elimination from the Class B postseason.
“It just fell apart,” BHS coach Becca Mellema said.
The top-seeded Bears (12-17 overall) lost their B-4 Subdistrict match to the Cardinals — who entered Tuesday's three-team tourney 8-20 — 3-1. The home squad won the first set 25-22, but lost the next three 25-23, 25-22 and 25-13.
Mellema was disappointed in the result after BHS capped the regular season on a three-match win streak.
“On a bright note, I thought Hailey Roewert had a fantastic game,” she said. “She was the one carrying the team, for sure. Which, as a sophomore, I think that speaks a lot to the class coming up.”
The setter contributed kills, blocks, assists and an ace serve during the four-set loss.
“It makes us really excited for the future seasons,” Mellema said. “But I don't think anyone wanted to lose in this round.”
After a five-set victory in the opening match of the night against Schuyler, South Sioux City (SSC) jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first set with Blair. The Bears responded, though, evening the score at 10-all when sophomore Taylor Mostek hammered a kill into a Cardinal's chest.
BHS led from there with Roewert contributing to a 19-15 advantage with two kills and two blocks. She scored set point on a kill, too, after Schuyler Roewert and Nicki Wendt added one apiece down the stretch.
Hailey Roewert registered two more kills during the 9-9 start to the second set in addition to her assists as the Bears' setter.
“She's just been improving all season, honestly,” Mellema said. “I feel like this was just the capstone of everything that she had been working on.”
Development has come through effort and attitude.
“She has just been incredibly coachable the whole time,” Mellema said.
Blair led late during the second set — 18-17 on an Ellia Klanderud service ace — but ultimately lost by two. A Taylor Mostek kill, a Roewert ace and a Klanderud block pulled the Bears within one in the later stages, but SSC, ultimately, evened the match at 1-1.
The third set was close, too, with late kills by Wendt and Roewert tying the score at 20-20 and 22-22, but the Cardinals won the race to 25 again.
“They would get two or three (points in a row) and we would side out for one,” Mellema said.
The final set of BHS' season wasn't as close, though. SSC pushed its lead from 11-9 to 18-9 through two Mellema timeouts and won by 12 points. Wendt produced three kills during the set, and Peyton Ogle notched a block, but the Cardinals won their 10th match of the season to advance into the district finals round.
As SSC inched toward match point, Mellema entered senior members of the Bears' roster into the match. Tuesday marked the final night on the floor for Abigail Schlachter, Natalie Reed, Klanderud, Schuyler Roewert and Norah Cloudt.
“We will definitely miss the energy that they brought,” their coach noted.
Mellema said her senior class developed and displayed leadership skills through Blair's 12-win season, too. The victory total was the program's highest since 2002 when it notched 15.
