Raiders get on same page, ignore distractions to sweep Blue Devils

QUINCY — Abbey Schreacke was keenly aware of the inherent distractions Tuesday night’s match brought.

The city rivalry was front and center. The Pink Night celebration drew a bigger crowd. And a planned post-match recognition of Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle’s 100th career victory would lose some luster if the Raiders fell to Quincy High School.

So Schreacke let it be known there would be no let-up.

“After the first game, I told the girls, ‘I know there’s a lot of things going on. There’s a lot of people here. We just have to focus,’” said Schreacke, the junior middle hitter. “We had to act like it was practice and work on the things we needed to work on.”

Namely, that was ensuring everyone stayed on the same page.

The Raiders’ ability to control the net and Faith Kientzle digging up seemingly every ball that came over the net led to a 25-18, 25-16 victory at the Pit.

“We had a talk the other day at practice and really got our heads in the game,” said sophomore outside hitter Emma Hoing, who had four kills in the match. “Even though it was Pink Night and there were other distractions, we really know what our goal is and that we want to win state.”

That meeting was held to ensure the Raiders shared the same priorities and mission as the postseason nears.

“Coach really put it in our minds that we needed to get on the same page if we wanted to go to state,” said Kientzle, a junior libero. “I think we really achieved that tonight. We were all on the same page about the end goal. It’s not about going to state. It’s about winning it.”

To do so, the Raiders must be proficient in every aspect.

Against the Blue Devils, the defense was as good as it gets, sparked by the scrappy play of Kientzle. QND seized the lead in the first game behind four consecutive kills from Schreacke and held a 15-10 advantage when the ball was made four trips over the net.

On a ball hit deep by the Blue Devils’ Paige Schaffer, Kientzle dug it up and sent it rocketing over the net and into the back corner of the court for a point. It helped the Raiders extend the advantage to 20-12.

“It gives us a lot of momentum, especially when they know I can get to anything,” Kientzle said. “They know I have their backs. If they’re going to get blocked, I can dig it. If a ball is short, I can get it. Wherever it is, I can get it.”

She believes she can get to everything.

“I put my mind to it and I believe I can get to any ball they throw at me,” Kientzle said.

Her teammates believe it.

“She’s pretty scrappy,” said Schreacke, who finished with a team-high seven kills. “She never lets the ball get down.”

The Blue Devils proved scrappy, too. Despite falling behind by 10 points in the second game, the Blue Devils used kills from Mayci Minor and Naveah Baker to stave off match point and pull within six points before the Raiders finished off the sweep in the only regular-season meeting this season.

It all circles back to being on the same page every time they step on the floor.

“We definitely are,” Hoing said.