New London rushes past Fort Madison in three

Not doing their jobs

I  think it's just kids need to do their job. We weren't doing our jobs tonight. That's what it was.”

Kelly Knustrom, FMHS girls head volleyball coach

FORT MADISON - The Fort Madison girls volleyball team is still looking for leadership, a dynamic that isn't sitting well with Head Coach Kelly Knustrom.

The Lady Hounds fell to Class 1A No. 14 New London 25-12, 25-10, 25-8 Thursday on Senior Night.

The Bloodhounds were barely in any of the matches outside of a 5-point rally midway through the first game with New London up 10-1.

Isabella Boeding served Fort Madison back into the match with four straight after a sideout to cut the lead to 10-5, and would hang around to 15-10 before New London outscored the Hounds 10-2 the rest of the way, mostly on errors on the Hounds' side of the net.

The Tigers didn't record a kill in the 10-2 run.

"I  think it's just kids need to do their job. We weren't doing our jobs tonight. That's what it was," Knustrom said.

The second year head coach got loud during a break in the second set, telling the Lady Hounds to just do their jobs.

"We got tied up in worrying about other people and committing errors. I thought we were pushing through that the last three Tuesdays. Emotions were high because it's senior night. That's not an excuse, but...," she said.

The Tigers ran away clean in games two and three without the Hounds getting closer than five at 13-8 in the second game. New London's Natalie Burden was lethal with kills from her outside hitting spot finding holes down the line and across court through the first two games.

Knustrom said she was playing without Aija Jenkins who is out of town and has been rotating in some younger players.

She said Sydney McEntee has been holding her own as a freshman on the front.

"I've been really impressed with Sydney. I was a bit nervous about her game speed at the varsity level, but she's trying to step up and she's doing okay," Knustrom said.

"I'd like to see some other kids step up and be leaders, and that's not happening and that's frustrating this deep in this season.

"It just felt very unorganized and not team-like tonight. I don't know if it was just high emotions, but I'm ready to forget this game."

Fort Madison falls to 2-16 on the year and travels to Durant this weekend for the Durant Invitational.