Lancers too much for Lady Hounds

Good mindset

I thought we came in with a good mindset,” Knustrom said. “Winning the first point of the match was, to me, exciting. It’s small wins. But I thought we had good attitudes.”

Kelly Knustrom, FMHS girls head volleyball coach

ELDRIDGE — The task was monumental.
Fort Madison’s volleyball team had to face No. 2 North Scott in Thursday’s Class 4A regional semifinal by a.) playing on the Lancers’ home court and b.) playing on one day’s rest having advanced with a five-game win at Keokuk on Tuesday and c.) having no way to duplicate the Lancers’ size and quickness.
The 25-7, 25-5, 25-16 loss ended the Bloodhounds’ season, but provided some future lessons.
“The main message was just come up, play with confidence, play hard with every point,” Fort Madison coach Kelly Knustrom said.
Knustrom kept Tuesday’s practice light after the win over Keokuk.
“We tried to tweak a few things,” she said. “They were pretty tired and sore.”
And then the Bloodhounds (4-25) came out and scored the first point of the match on a Taylor Johnson kill.
“I thought we came in with a good mindset,” Knustrom said. “Winning the first point of the match was, to me, exciting. It’s small wins. But I thought we had good attitudes.”
But North Scott (31-5), which plays Oskaloosa for the regional championship next Tuesday, pulled away. The Lancers led 8-5 before going on a 6-0 run. Then, up 17-7, they scored last eight points of the game.
That momentum carried into the second game. North Scott scored the first 11 points, and then later finished the game by scoring 10 of the last 11 points.
“I thought in Game 2 we played super tight, and nervous, and feeling some pressure,” Knustrom said. “And we had no pressure.”
The third game was Fort Madison’s best of the night. The Bloodhounds led 4-2 early, tied the match at 7 after falling behind, and only trailed 16-13 before the Lancers finally got control by scoring seven consecutive points.
“I thought Game 3 we came back, played relaxed,” Knustrom said.
Fort Madison loses six seniors, but brings back a solid group.
“I saw good things out of our underclass,” Knustrom said. “Our seniors were such a big presence for this team. They were pushing, they were super supportive. But our underclassmen played well.
“We’ve got goals now. We were here (in the semifinals). I told them I was proud that we were here, that we earned the right to be here. We earned some points tonight. I thought we fought hard. We made some good plays, but we have to do that more consistently moving forward.”