By Jason Feldman
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Kaytlin Remold and her Byron teammates were well aware of the tough task in front of them Wednesday night.
They had lost to perennial Hiawatha Valley League and state volleyball power Stewartville in four games two weeks before in the final match of the regular season.
That didn't bother the Bears, though. They put together one of their best efforts of the season and defeated defending section champion Stewartville, 3-1, in the West Subsection One, Class AA championship match at the Mayo Civic Center.
The victory marked a milestone for Byron coach Jane Krier, who, in her 18th season with the Bears, had never defeated Stewartville in 25 previous meetings.
"It's amazing," Remold, a senior hitter, said. "It doesn't happen often (that a team is able to beat Stewartville), but it happened at the best possible time."
Stewartville has been to state all but four years since 1987. Kenyon went in 1988, and Wabasha-Kellogg advanced from this section in 2002 and 2004.
Byron added its name to the list by winning 16-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17.
The Bears (25-5) used a complete team effort and a stout defense to top the Tigers (23-6). Byron received key contributions during the match from every player who took the floor, from diving digs by junior libero Jordan Price to timely kills by sophomores Karlee Johnson and Erika McRoberts to the final kill of the match, hammered down by Remold.
"That's what we've been working on," Krier said of the Bears' strong defensive effort. "We know that's how Stewartville has won so many matches -- the defensive part of the game.
"We knew we could play better than we did against them in the regular season and if everybody was on that we could win."
Byron gained confidence as the match wore on. The Bears rallied from a 14-5 deficit in game two and from a 7-2 deficit in game three.
They move on to face Caledonia at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Section 1AA final, with a trip to the state tournament on the line. Neither school has been to state in volleyball.
"Everyone played top-notch tonight," Remold said. "We needed every single player and we all did our part. Different players have stepped up at different times and we're just getting better."
Stewartville loses four seniors off this team, including hitter Julie Rainey, who was a six-year varsity player and one of the best to come through the program.
"Six years, that's a long time," Dzubay said. "That's a pretty solid portion of the time I've been coaching here and Julie has been a big part of it."
SUBSECTION 1AA WEST
Byron 3, Stewartville 1
Byron 16 25 25 25
Stewartville 25 22 20 17
Byron: Brittlyn Olson 6 kills, 25 digs; Kaytlin Remold 5 kills, 3 blocks; Melissa Vosberg 7 kills; Jordan Price 30 digs; Britta Schubert 4 kills, 16 digs, 4 aces; Erika McRoberts 5 kills, 2 blocks; Karlee Johnson 12 kills, 14 assists, 13 digs; Jillian Krier 16 assists, 10 digs.
Stewartville: Julie Rainey 10 kills, 2 blocks; Kelly Norman 8 kills, 1 ace; Lisa Flynn 7 kills, 1 ace; Lindsay Blahnik 7 kills, 3 blocks.
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