Serving up victories: QND volleyball team’s attacking style nets pair of dominant efforts

QUINCY — The styles vary from Emma Hoing’s thunderous jump serve to Faith Kientzle’s precision from the back line, but they all have the same intent.

Be disruptive.

The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team showcased how vital the serve is to the attack during Saturday’s triangular at The Pit, dominating a pair of matches from the back line. The Raiders dispatched Bloomington Central Catholic 25-16, 25-15 and then powered past Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 25-5, 25-17.

“We work on being really specific on where we serve,” sophomore setter Annie Eaton said. “Instead of serving right to a person, serve to the side to at least make them move and get them out of their system.”

Faith Kientzle’s serving never gave SHG a chance.

In the third match of the triangular — SHG lost to BCC 25-21, 25-23 in the middle match — the QND libero served nine consecutive points to give the Raiders an insurmountable 12-1 lead in the first set.

“Serving is an attack,” QND coach Courtney Kvitle said. “We’re going back there not to put the ball in play, but to get that team out of its system. We’ve really focused on that. We’ve really focused on serving and passing in practice. We know if we are the best serving and passing team most likely we’re going to beat the other side.”

Kientzle’s run made the rest of the Raiders want to get on the line.

“It gets everyone excited,” Eaton said. “That excitement turns into everyone else doing their job that much better. It turns into Emma swinging better, Abbey swinging better, Lilly passing better. It just helps everything.”

Including confidence.

“When one person starts getting ace after ace or point after point, it gives everyone else the confidence to go back there and do the job they’re supposed to do,” Eaton said.

With the Raiders sitting at 9-0, confidence is high.

“Anytime you can get a lot of confidence on your side, it’s a good thing,” Kvitle said.