First setter Ali Gantz was sick for the entire week, missing all of the YAIAA tournament.
Then, the Rockets fell to eventual champion Susquehannock in the quarterfinal round of the county tournament last Thursday night.
So, with Gantz healthy and back on the court, the Rockets rebounded from their setback to Susquehannock by winning their pool in District 3 Class AAA action on Tuesday at Dallastown.
"I would love to have last week back," Spring Grove head coach Dawn Myers said. "But, we told the girls to take 24 hours after the loss to Susquehannock and digest it. Then, we just needed to move on and get ready for districts."
The Rockets went 8-1 overall in their matches against Chambersburg, Conestoga Valley and Daniel Boone respectively. The only setback the Rockets suffered was in the middle game of their match against Conestoga Valley.
"I was so excited to get back out there tonight," Gantz said of her return to the court. "It was the longest week ever (being away from the team) and having to sit out."
Gantz and her 88 assists and five aces helped fuel the Rockets into the quarterfinal round, where they will take on Warwick at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Northern York.
"It was a horrible week last week with me being sick and the team losing," Gantz said. "We just wanted to start fresh this week and play the game."
The Rockets won all three games against
"It was a total team effort tonight," Myers said. "Nine games is a lot, but it showed the depth of our team."
The Rockets had solid showings from Claire Sindlinger with 30 kills and five blocks. Maggie Hoff drilled 23 kills and came up with 18 digs. Sindlinger and Hoff both came up with numerous points from the slide formation, where they come around the back of the setter and drill the ball.
"It's tough to defend, and we have at least four girls who can really do it well," Myers said.
Conestoga Valley, which finished second in the pool and will draw powerful Hempfield on Thursday, handed the Rockets their only game loss Tuesday. However, Spring Grove took the other two games for a 25-20, 23-25, 25-16 advantage.
"The girls just want this," Myers said of chasing the district crown. "We have a nice balance throughout the team."
Nicole Hartman finished with 17 kills and 12 digs for the Rockets and teammate Lauren Magalski came up with 48 digs.
For as good as the contributions were on Tuesday night, Spring Grove knows the deeper into the postseason it gets, the better it needs to play.
"We just need to keep the intensity up," Gantz said. "We still have more potential we haven't let come out yet."



Font Resize

