E-P volleyball wins first regional title as co-op

STERLING – Early this season, Erie-Prophetstown girls volleyball coach Heather Bruns recognized her team could accomplish big things.

The Panthers continue to prove her right.

E-P beat Rock Falls 25-15, 25-21 in Thursday’s Class 2A Newman Regional championship to earn the program’s first regional volleyball hardware since becoming a co-op in 2018.

Second-seeded E-P advanced to play top-seeded Seneca in a Bureau Valley Sectional semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Panthers (31-3-2) were able to find holes in the Rockets’ defense as Kaylee Keegan finished with 25 assists.

Bruns started coaching at Prophetstown in 2015. Prophetstown won a regional title in 1982 and Erie last won a plaque in 2013.

“This area of volleyball is always so strong, so it’s always really hard to get a regional,” Bruns said. “This was one of our goals at the beginning of the season. It feels good.”

Rock Falls surged in the second set, tying the score at 17 and forcing an E-P timeout before the Panthers locked in. The Rockets took an 18-17 lead, but E-P went on an 8-3 run to close out the match.

Ashlyn Johnson (11), Jamie Neumiller (9) and Lauren Abbott (8) led E-P in kills.

“It’s just huge for us to make it here. We’ve worked so hard this whole season,” Abbott said. “It was cool to finally make it this far.”

With numerous playmakers on the floor at the same time, the Panthers continue to play unselfishly.

“Everyone has a role on our team. That’s our motto,” Abbott said. “Whether you’re on the bench or you’re on the court. Anyone can have an on game, anyone can have an off game. We always pick each other up, and that’s what really makes us a solid team.”

E-P had to hold off a Rock Falls team coming off a three-set win over third-seeded Sherrard on Oct. 29. The Rockets trailed 12-0 in the opening set against Sherrard before coming back to win that match.

“They came with energy and ready to go,” Bruns said of her Panthers. “That second set, they tied it at 17 and at that point, it’s time to go. It’s a quick game to eight. We do those drills in practice all the time. So they were ready for that.”

E-P was prepared for a scrappy Rock Falls team. The Rockets made some hitting errors at times but went out battling down the stretch.

“Their libero [Elizabeth Lombardo] played amazing both Tuesday night and tonight,” Bruns said. “I think our girls were just able to find some holes, which was helpful.”

Neumiller said the team has a lot of leaders and winning a regional was something E-P has been working toward since the summer.

“I’m so proud of this team,” she said, “and everything we’ve done.”

Lombardo said the Rockets were kind of slow in the first set, but the team came together. There were some ups and downs this season while finding a new lineup after finishing third at state last year.

“Our team has really improved and progressed from the beginning of the season,” she said. “I really think we fought really hard until the last point.”

The match ended on an Abbott spike that ricocheted off a Rock Falls’ block attempt and went out of bounds.

“It’s been really special to play with these girls,” Abbott said. “They are my best friends, and I’m really excited to see where we can go.”

Peyton Umstead had 21 digs for E-P, and Brynn Brown had an ace. Keegan also had a kill while directing the offense as the team’s setter.

“She has accelerated and gotten so much better from the first summer contact that we had in July until now,” Bruns said of Keegan. “She has proven herself and she runs the court.”

Rock Falls coach Jolene Bickett said E-P was hitting on all cylinders.

“We made some runs and showed what we could do, but it was a little bit too late,” she said. “You can’t always come from behind in volleyball.

“I always tell the girls I can handle losing as long as we go out doing what we do well. And thankfully, that second set, we came back and did what I thought what we could do.”

Bickett is optimistic about her team’s future with numerous players on track to return. Lombardo agreed.

“I truly believe in these next upcoming girls,” Lombardo said. “I believe they can do it. They’ve been great leaders, even the freshmen and sophomores.”

Bickett said it’s nice to see E-P have success as a co-op program.

“When I first started coaching at Rock Falls 25 years ago with Sheila [Pillars], we would go to Prophetstown. And they weren’t as competitive,” she said. “It’s nice to see a familiar opponent not too far away reap the rewards.”

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Erie-Prophetstown's Peyton Umstead, Lauren Abbott, Ashlyn Johnson, Kaylee Keegan, Brynn Brown, and Jamie Neumiller celebrate the championship match point against Rock Falls at the 2A Sterling Newman Regional on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Earleen Hinton)