PELLA - This was what head coach Terri Westendorf was talking about.
The Marshalltown High School volleyball squad played with the emotion she felt the team was lacking in the Bobcats' 2-3 showing at the Pat Apgar Invitational, firing off a 3-1 win over Pella Christian in Tuesday's non-conference match.
Senior middle hitter Miranda Smith finished with 21 kills in 28 attempts and only two errors - a .679 hitting percentage - to power the Bobcats to a 25-14, 25-10, 22-25, 25-13 triumph after what Westendorf and the squad considered a dismal weekend.
"They were all doing what they needed to do," Westendorf beemed. "Even the loss was not a bad thing. They were just fantastic."
Smith's 21 kills stands as the fifth-most prolific single-match performance across the state so far this season.
Eisha Oden racked up 15 kills and a .290 hitting percentage, while Lauren Mazour added seven kills for the Bobcats (3-4).
"They were just hitting out of the gym tonight," Westendorf added. "Morgan (Bellile) was playing great defense and Madi (Bellile) was setting spot-on. It was great."
Madi Bellile amassed 38 assists, while Morgan Bellile was one of five players with double-digit digs. The twin sisters also served a combined 41-for-43 with four aces.
Mazour was 17-for-19 with two aces, and Smith served 10-for-11 with two aces. Megan Major was 9-for-9 with an ace as well.
Libero player Emily DeVenney led the defense with 14 digs, while Mazour had a team-high five blocks total against the host Eagles (1-5).
The Bobcat junior varsity team also won 25-15, 25-19, while the freshman 'A' squad prevailed 25-7, 25-18.
Marshalltown moves on to play in the Iowa City West Tournament on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in Iowa City.