An established star and a surprise contributor lead Regina back to state

CENTER POINT — Reese Naeve harbors no ill will toward the indoor athletics facility at Center Point-Urbana High School.

However ...

“We weren’t going to lose tonight,” Naeve said. “We didn’t want it to end in a high-school gym.”

Naeve ensured that, clobbering 34 kills to lead eighth-ranked Iowa City Regina past No. 10 Sumner-Fredericksburg, 25-23, 26-24, 25-20, in a Class 2A volleyball regional final Wednesday night at Center Point-Urbana High School.

“Everything was on the line tonight,” said Naeve, a senior and an Iowa State University commit. “We wanted to get done as fast as possible.”

That meant rallying from a 24-20 deficit in Game 2. And it meant pulling away from a 19-19 draw in the finale.

Regina (30-13) returns to the state tournament for the second consecutive year, and will face No. 3 Hinton (28-2) in a 2A first-round match at 4:25 Tuesday afternoon at Xtream Arena, Coralville.

“Last year, we wanted to get to state,” Naeve said. “This year, it’s almost like state was an expectation for us. We don’t deserve anything less.”

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Naeve’s 34 kills came in 85 swings, with five attack errors for a .341 hitting efficiency. She was predictably phenomenal.

If you’re passing out game balls, consider freshman Jada Wiltz.

Normally a defensive specialist, Wiltz was thrust into six-rotation mode Wednesday due to the injury of middle hitter Leah Sickels.

She nailed it.

“I trusted my ability to hit the ball,” said Wiltz, who added eight kills, second-most on the team. “I was trying to be that person ... a lot of freshmen don’t have a lot of confidence. I wanted to trust myself.”

Wiltz earned her teammates’ admiration.

“She really stepped up. She was one of our leaders out there,” libero Addison Bollier said. “We don’t win without her tonight.”

Naeve added: “(Wiltz) killed it out there. She totally stepped up. She’s a beast.”

And Regina Coach Lauren Hansen: “We told her that she was going to play six rotations, and we believed in her 100 percent. She came up huge; she was key in key moments and the kids rallied behind her.”

Sumner-Fredericksburg (26-15) was a victim of bad timing. As each set reached its closing stages, Naeve came to the front row.

After the Cougars scored three straight points in the first set to get within 24-23, Naeve slammed the door with a kill.

In Game 2, the Regals erased four set points, three on Naeve missiles (she had 15 in the set, all told). Ella Keune’s block put Regina in front 25-24, then setter Nora Wilhelm served as ace to complete the comeback.

At 19-19 in the third set, Naeve had four kills and a block in the closing run to clinch the victory.

Thirty-four kills, on a night in which Sumner-Fredericksburg defended admirably, both at the net and on the floor.

“They adjusted their block and their libero,” Regina Coach Lauren Hansen said. “We had to start setting some other shots.”

Wilhelm distributed 45 assists.

Callie Trainor led Sumner-Fredericksburg with 10 kills.

The Falcons had balance. But the Regals had Naeve, and another green state-tournament banner.

Iowa City Regina 3, Sumner-Fredericksburg 0

(25-23, 26-24, 25-20)

Class 2A Regional Final, at Center Point

Serving: S-F 61-68 (.897), Regina 69-74 (.932)

Aces: S-F 3 (Jamie Jones 2), Regina 4 (four with 1)

Kills: S-F 43 (Callie Trainor 10), Regina 50 (Reese Naeve 34)

Assists: S-F 40 (Alexa Buhman 36), Regina 49 (Nora Wilhelm 45)

Blocks: S-F 4 (four with 1), Regina 6 (Elle Keune 3)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com