Crosstown showdown for tourney title gives Raiders, Blue Devils both boost moving forward

QUINCY — Courtney Kvitle missed an effort that echoed what she preaches.

Put the pressure on the opponent.

Meanwhile, the Quincy High School volleyball team put forth an effort that echoed everything the Blue Devils are trying to be.

Tough, scrappy and unrelenting.

It made for an entertaining tournament with a crossdown showdown for the title.

Despite the absence of Kvitle, the Quincy Notre Dame varsity coach, due to a family function, the Raiders staved off the Blue Devils’ comeback in the second set Saturday in the championship match of the QHS Early Bird Tournament, winning 25-10, 25-19 at the QHS gym.

“The discipline on the other side of the court is what we’re trying to impact,” QND sophomore middle hitter Eva Breckenkamp said. “If we control our side of the court by serving or especially serve receive, it puts pressure on the other side of the court. That’s the most important thing.”

That’s a message Kvitle reiterates time and again.

It happened to be part of what assistant coach Mattison Norris emphasized as she steered the Raiders to five victories. QND went undefeated in pool play and beat the Pekin JV 25-8, 25-6 in the semifinals.

“We really soaked up all of the information that (Norris) gives us and go out there and play how she tells us to,” Breckenkamp said.

The Blue Devils are doing the same with what QHS coach Kate Brown is instilling in them.

“Even if we’re down, we don’t give up,” Blue Devils junior opposite Lydia Peters said. “This year, we’re different. We want to win. We don’t settle for anything. We battle.”

The Blue Devils had to do so to get to the championship match. In the semifinals, after establishing a presence at the net in the first set against Pekin, Quincy struggled with passing in the second set and was forced to outlast the Dragons 25-16, 25-27, 16-14.

Ultimately, the play at net from three juniors — Peters, middle Ayanna Douglas and outside hitter Kaley Summers — provided the difference.

“I like how we just kept swinging,” Peters said. “A lot of times, we just tip. We swung so much today.”

A kill by Peters and a block by Douglas in the second set against QND helped the Blue Devils re-engage after some struggles with serve receive in the first set. In fact, QHS was within three points late in the set before QND scored six of the final nine points to finish the match.

“You just keep your head in the game,” Peters said. “You focus on the basics and believe you can do it.”

Both teams are now brimming with confidence. QND (7-0) and QHS (4-2) won’t see each other again until October 16 when they square off at The Pit, but both believe their growth and maturity will continue to happen before then.

“We lost a lot of seniors from last season, but those are spots being filled in a positive way,” Breckenkamp said. “It’s really good to see underclassmen taking pride and leadership in a sport that’s always been good.”

The same is taking place at QHS.

“I liked how we worked together,” Peters said. “It’s more about playing for each other than playing for ourselves. It will give us the confidence to know we can do more than we did last year.”