Springville misses state tournament

VAN HORNE – On a night when its opponent was on its game, Springville struggled to match up.

As a result, the Orioles’ high school volleyball season ended one step shy of the state tournament.

“We’ve had a great season,” Springville Coach Michelle Jacobi said after the Class 1A 11th-ranked Orioles were swept by No. 9 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 25-21, 25-16, 26-24 in a regional final Wednesday night at Benton Community High School. “Obviously, we didn’t do tonight the things that we know we can do. That’s unfortunate, but that’s why when you get into these big matches, little things matter. Communicating. Things we talk about all the time.”

Springville (26-13) was in search of its first trip to state since the 2022 team reached the 1A semifinals. Following that season, a rebuilding job ensued as the Orioles won just 11 matches in 2023, but have now rebounded with back-to-back 26-win campaigns.

“The memories that I made, the friendships, obviously we wouldn’t be crying if it didn’t mean something,” Springville senior hitter Rowan Jacobi said. “There is obviously heart to it. We’re like a family. We showed up to practice every day to get better. It sucks to leave like this, but look how far we’ve come. That is incredible. The community is really important and special.”

Gladbrook-Reinbeck (27-13) seized the momentum in the opening set by breaking a 17-17 tie with six-straight points. In Set 2, the Rebels scored 15 of the final 22 points. Springville appeared poised to avoid the sweep by jumping ahead in the third set, 18-12, but Gladbrook-Reinbeck closed with a 14-6 explosion.

“Mental breakdowns,” Michelle Jacobi said. “We got into some serve-receive errors, a couple. You have to be able to stop those, recalculate and bring yourself back out of those two, three points that you lose. If you can’t do that, it starts to slip away.”

Senior Elly Sieh led the Rebels with 12 kills, while Kennedy Brant and Jada Cheville each posted 10. Gladbrook-Reinbeck opens its first state tournament appearance since its 2022 1A state runner-up finish with a quarterfinal match Tuesday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“They just know how to play,” said Rowan Jacobi, who led the Orioles with 17 kills and 13 digs. “They know how to execute really well. They can get in their flow, they can get in their groove really well. … They are just an all-around good team when they are on. I think they are really going to make a run at state.”

Springville’s Lexi Dietiker added 10 digs, while fellow senior Kalleigh Greene posted 22 assists. The Orioles will also graduate Ella Hoge (194 digs entering Wednesday) and Tayten Trail (113 kills), but a talented group of returners – led by sophomore Kendall Pitcher (98 kills, 42 ace serves entering the regional final) – has the outgoing seniors excited for the future of the program.

“The people on the bench, they’ve been incredible,” Rowan Jacobi said. “They’ve gotten so much better to be able to push us on defense and even on offense. They’ve been so incredible. I don’t think they get enough credit. They just look like the people on the bench, but they are so much more than that. It’s going to be their turn next year to show what they are truly made of and hopefully get farther.”

Rowan Jacobi ends the season with a whopping 536 kills, which ranks third in the state across all classes. A South Dakota women’s basketball commit, she will now turn her attention to the hardwood, where Springville will try to improve on last season’s 20 wins and state tournament berth.

“This is what it’s all about is making a run on regionals and hopefully making it to state,” Rowan Jacobi said. “We made it last year, but now we’re hungry for something bigger and better.”

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