ROCKFORD — Rockford Lutheran has been at the top of the Big Northern volleyball world for three years, taking fourth in state in 2019 and earning a share of the conference title the last two years.
Rockford Christian has been on the bottom for a decade. But the Royal Lions are now on their way up. But Lutheran showed Tuesday the Crusaders are not about to step aside, winning a tight three-set battle in RC’s “Pink Out’ game to benefit the fight against breast cancer, winning 25-19 , 16-25, 25-19.
Here is how Rockford Christian is building its first-ever contending team in the BNC and how Lutheran is planning to stay near the top:
Sophomores stepping up for Lutheran
Genoa-Kingston (26-2, 7-0 BNC) and Rock Falls (25-2, 6-1) are running away with the BNC after being tri-champs with Lutheran last year. But Lutheran (21-7-1, 4-3) has remained strong with a pair of sophomore middle blockers in Kimora Hill and Anna Larson and three sophomore outside hitters in Aubree Pohl, Tahlula Habedank and Sami Spangler. Together, those five sophomores have accounted for 418 of the team’s 523 kills and 40 of its 42 blocks.
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“A lot of sophomores are getting their chance to play on varsity and the first couple of games you could tell they were nervous,” first-year Lutheran coach Amber Rolfzen said. “We have finally got past that and can keep going up and up and up and up now that the nerves are finally out.
“It’s about letting them believe that, because right now they don’t believe that. They have two and three more years to go and they are holding themselves back. But we have such a high peak we can get to that I am really excited to see once they get to that point.”
Lutheran could have been in trouble Tuesday after the Royal Lions went on a 12-1 run to open up an 18-6 lead in the second set. But the Crusaders then won 10 of the next 16 points. Although they dropped that set, they retained that momentum and, after falling behind 2-0, won nine of the next 10 points to build an early 9-3 lead in the deciding set.
“We are progressing together and working hard,” Habedank said. “We are going to make it to where we need to go.”
Pohl leads Lutheran with 144 kills and also put away many of the key points for Lutheran on Tuesday.
“It can be a lot of pressure, but them (seniors) being there to push us and walk us through things makes it a lot easier, a lot more comfortable and a lot more fun,” Pohl said of the sophomores playing such large roles for Lutheran. “And it’s good that we’ve got a big class. When our seniors are gone, we won’t have to start all over again.”
But they will have to replace senior Kayla Spangler, a four-year starting setter who has 411 of the team’s 438 assists.
“It’s going to be very difficult and very challenging not to have her next year,” Pohl said.
Rockford Christian’s youth movement
While Lutheran is loaded with sophomores, a couple of key freshman lift Rockford Christian. Julia Irvin has 209 assists, a close second on the team, and 6-foot-1 Madison Anspaugh is second on the team with 142 kills and fourth with 87 digs.
“They fill out an already talented team,” said Annie Hilden, who co-coaches RC along with her dad, Stuart Lohrenz. “We don’t have many holes anymore. That’s nice. We don’t have to rearrange rotations where these people have to be next to each other. There is a lot more flexibility.
“I love having solid freshmen on my team who I know are here and we can keep building and building and building. I have been so impressed with both of them. They are immensely talented.”
Rockford Christian is now 14-9-1 (3-4 in the Big Northern). That is a huge step up for a program that has won only one regional title in school history, was 9-18 last year, and winless two years ago.
“This is our first winning record in 10 years,” said junior Sydney Stanfield, who leads RC with 181 kills and ranks third with 92 digs. “It’s kind of crazy. We’ve been really enjoying it.
“It’s exciting to see how good we’ve gotten and how good we can be. We have that much potential.”
“The girls tell me,” Anspaugh said, “the atmosphere wasn’t there before. This year, we came out strong. The atmosphere is there and we know we have each other’s backs.”
Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and three years covering the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
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