Mepo stops IMS

Darbyshire, Jackson help Bullettes sweep.

MEDIAPOLIS -- The Mediapolis High School volleyball team wants fans to remember what they saw long after they walk out the door after a match.

Abby Darbyshire and Danielle Jackson gave a performance worth remembering.

Darbyshire and Jackson were dominating for the Bullettes as they trounced Iowa Mennonite School 25-16, 25-5, 25-8 in a SEI Superconference North Division match at Vernon "Bud" McLearn Court Thursday for Senior Night.

Darbyshire contributed with her patented jump serve, and Jackson revved up her attacking in the second and third games for the Bullettes. On a big night for the seniors, they wanted to make sure the fans got their money's worth.

"We wanted to impress the crowd and put on an entertaining show," said Jackson, who threw down a match-high 15 kills and had three blocks. "It was Senior Night, so we wanted to come out strong. We didn't expect IMS to come out like they did, but it made us want to come back in the second game."

Darbyshire was critical in all three games. Mediapolis (22-4, 7-0 division) could not get its offense on track for about half of the first game, as the Bullettes traded points with IMS (5-15, 1-5). Darbyshire changed all that. She served eight straight points to turn a 13-12 deficit into a 20-13 lead. Jackson and freshman Kalyn Ertz dominated at the net, with each hammering several kills during the run.

"I've worked real hard on it in practice, but I was getting tired after the sixth or seventh one," said Darbyshire, who ended the game 17-of-19 with a pair of aces. "It was my last (regular season) home match. I wanted to go all out tonight."

Darbyshire loomed even larger in the second game. Coach Dennis Jandrey rode the hot hand, letting Darbyshire start the game serving. Darbyshire ran off the first 10 points of the game; only a foot fault on a jump serve broke the momentum.

"Abby got them out of their system in the first game, and we've had some big runs with her," Jandrey said. "We executed our offense pretty well. It was one of our best nights in a couple weeks."

IMS was never in the second game, as it gave the Bullettes plenty of free balls to pound for kills. Amanda Kalina threw down a kill to make it 20-3, while Ertz had a kill, then combined with Kalina on a block to finish the second game.

The teams traded points early in the third game before the Bullettes took control. Kasey Abel served five straight points for a 10-6 lead, while Jackson and Bailey Griffith had kills to make it 13-6. Emily Eberhardt made sure there would be no comeback for IMS, serving seven straight points that included three aces to make it a 23-7 lead.

Just before Eberhardt went back to serve, Darbyshire turned in an unbelievable dig. Down on her knees with her back to the net, she one-handed a dig over the net. The Bullettes eventually won the point, setting the stage for the game-ending rally.

"I was just there. It was a little on the lucky side," Darbyshire chuckled. "I have to give credit to (Nichelle) Bergquist. She kept the ball in the air. I was just there for it."

"If anything, their quick offense caught us off guard," said IMS coach Carleen Miller, a former IMS standout. "That was the quickest offense we've seen this year. We knew they would be good.

"(Jackson) is a strong middle hitter, and she wasn't being used much in the first game," Miller said. "We were thinking, 'this is fine.' But when they started showing their true colors, that's when they caught us off guard."

Jandrey knew his team's offense would eventually get started.

"It was going to click, and when it did, it was explosive," he said. "We played pretty good defense too. We had some digs that were momentum-catchers. Volleyball is a crazy game of momentum, and those were big."

And the Bullettes put on a nice show for the crowd.

"We want people to leave here talking about us," Jandrey said. "That's what makes it fun for the kids. That's what it's all about."

The Bullettes compete in the Cedar Rapids Prairie tournament Saturday.

Mediapolis

Kills -- Danielle Jackson 15, Kalyn Ertz 9, Amanda Kalina 3, Bailey Griffith 3, Nichelle Bergquist 3

Assists -- Kasey Abel 18, Carmen Ertz 9

Serving -- Abel 16-16 (3 aces), Emily Eberhardt 13-14 (3 aces), K.Ertz 9-10 (2 aces), Abby Darbyshire 17-19 (2 aces)

Blocks -- Jackson 3, Kalina 2

Digs -- Darbyshire 17, K.Ertz 11, Bryana Klenk 10, Eberhardt 9, Abel 7, C.Ertz 3, Bergquist 3

Iowa Mennonite School

Kills -- Emma Yutzy 3, Megan Schlabaugh 2, Meridyth Bates 2

Assists -- Haley Slaubaugh 2

Serving -- M.Slaubaugh 6-6, Kelsey Schrock 5-6 (2 aces), Bates 5-5

Blocks -- M.Slaubaugh 2, Yutzy 2

Digs -- Bates 13, H.Slaubaugh 9, M.Slaubaugh 8