IMS weathers Columbus’ fast start

KALONA -- The advantage of getting to play at home cannot be understated. Iowa Mennonite School used that advantage for a 3-1 Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division victory Tuesday over Columbus.

'Their crowd got into my girls' head a little bit and they could not communicate on the court,” Columbus coach Lori Beenen said. 'Because it was so loud, they had to change the way they communicated. At least we did not shut down. Communication is huge.”

'Your student section can be loud as long as they are not doing anything offensive,” IMS coach Shannon Miller said. 'I'm proud of our crowd. They make a difference.”

It was the Columbus Wildcats who were making a difference to start the match.

An ace by Kayla Beenen and a kill from Olivia Carrier, who had 10 in the match, sparked the Wildcats to a 8-2 lead, prompting an IMS timeout. It didn't help as Angie Byas connected for a kill for the first point after the timeout as the Wildcats continued to build the lead. Byas had eight kills on the night.

A block by Yanita Gutierrez gave IMS its fourth point, but an ace by Emma Milder gace Columbus a 13-5 advantage. When Michelle Diaz got a block it was 21-9 and the first set ended for Columbus 25-13.

'Our girls were on fire,” Coach Beenen said. 'We moved the ball well and got great swings from our hitters. Our enthusiasm was there. It was great to see. We did not play bad the next games, but IMS just picked up their game.”

Mia Graber definitely picked her offense up as her kills accounted for four of the first five IMS points in the second set.

Columbus called timeout trailing 7-2 and rallied to tie the set at 10.

'I called the timeouts because we needed to stop their dumps,” Coach Beenen said. 'We were getting hurt on those.”

Consecutive aces by Samantha Miller helped IMS to a 19-12 lead. Fittingly, Graber's kill ended the second set at 25-17.

Graber finished the match with 18 kills, 10 were in the second set.

The third set was tied at 3, 4, 5 and 6 before IMS built a lead, puntuated by a back-row kill from Suzanna Yoder at 13-8. Yoder had 21 digs in the match.

The night's longest rally ended on a Columbus error at 15-9, prompting a Columbus timeout. Gutirrez knocked down back-to-back kills for a 19-9 lead and Rubye Ney finished off the 25-14 set with a kill.

Danae McGaffey's kill gave IMS a 15-9 lead in the fourth set, but Columbus rallied to get within 16-15 on a Byas spike. IMS called timeout ahead 17-16 and got a kill from Ney for an 18-16 lead. Service return errors helped IMS win the set and the match 25-17.

'We changed our lineup tonight and we did some things that we wanted to accomplish, so we are going to stay with that,” Coach beenen said. 'It was one we had used earlier in the season and now we have decided to go back to it.”

IMS was missing Samantha Miller from its lineup in the first set. Miller finished with 27 assists and five aces.

'Everyone is an integral part of the team, but the setter is like the quarterback, so it was like switching quarterbacks without practicing,” Coach Miller said. 'We have been working on mental toughness the last couple weeks.”

It came in handy when IMS had to rally from the Columbus attack in the first set.

Milder finished with 23 digs and Beenen had 17. Taylor Howell put up 22 assists.

Columbus has a 4-25 record overall and 0-6 in the North. The Wildcats play host to Lone Tree Thursday.

IMS is 13-12, 5-2 and plays at Highland Thursday.