The top-seeded Hinton volleyball team cruised past Hudson in their state tournament opener on Tuesday afternoon beating the Pirates in straight sets.
The Blackhawks were off to a bit of a slow start falling behind 9-3 in the first few points. Co-head coach Kate Ortegren says it just took a gentle reminder of what they are capable of, and they responded.
Ellie Friessen says it just took a bit of time to get situated to play at their best.
The Blackhawk offense was cruising all throughout the match hitting an efficiency of .259 thanks in large part to the play of Addison Dunkel who finished with 31 assists. Coach Ortegren says her court vision is so impactful.
Friessen was Hinton’s top hitter with 13 kills, and she credits her success to the great passes from Dunkel.
Hinton’s offense was put in good spots by some great back row defense with Hinton recording 56 digs as a team. Brynlee Boeve had a team-high 25 of those 56 digs, and she says she had the confidence to get under all of those attacks.
Boeve says the confidence came from great preparation coming into the match.
With a 2-0 lead, Hinton did not rest, and they put their nose to the grindstone to advance on. Hinton won the third set 25-12 proving that they were not going to be denied. Coach Ortegren says she was proud of the way her team finished.
Hinton advances to tomorrow’s state semifinal with a record of 32-3. Hinton has now made the state semifinals in all but one of their six state tournament appearances. Friessen says it does not matter who they play tomorrow, but the intensity has to be there like it was against Hudson.
Hinton will take on Riverside in the Class 2A state semifinal round at 4:00 PM on Wednesday. You can listen to the match on KLEM with coverage beginning at 3:45 PM.
