As the quiet leader of the Cedar Rapids Washington volleyball team, senior Aleena Hobbs admits that sometimes she may be too quiet.

“It seems like when we quit talking, we get kind of laid-back,” Hobbs said Saturday afternoon after the Warriors finished 3-2 for the day and took third in the six-team invitational tournament at Prairie.

“We've lost some close games. We've been right there. We just need to get over the hump and finish.”

Two weeks ago, Washington (12-12) was on the verge of blanking Kennedy in straight sets, only to lose match point and then the match itself by dropping three games straight.

Then last week the Warriors took highly ranked Xavier to the brink before succumbing in the final game and falling, 3-2.

They did get the monkey off their back Saturday morning, bouncing back from a first-set loss against Mediapolis to win the match in three games. They'd beaten South Tama and Ottumwa by 2-0 scores in earlier matches.

Their comeback was short-lived, however, as the Warriors next fell, 2-1, to host Prairie (12-9).

The Hawks took the opener, 21-13, and then the Warriors prevailed 21-17. The tiebreaker was tied at 14-14, but Prairie pulled out a 16-14 victory on a game-winning kill by sophomore outside hitter Makenzie Soeken.

Washington finished the day with a 21-16, 21-17 loss to Clear Creek Amana (16-5), a ranked Class 4A team that swept through the round-robin tournament with consecutive wins.

The Clippers beat Prairie, 21-19, 22-20, dealing the Hawks their only blemish in their own meet and leaving them at 4-1 to finish second.

Besides whipping Washington, the Hawks downed Ottumwa and South Tama in straight sets and took three games to topple a very tough Bullettes squad from  Mediapolis.

"Overall, we had a very good day,” said Prairie Coach Kevin Geary. “As a team, I thought we executed very well. We played solid in every game.”

The Hawks feature a potent front line bolstered by tall sisters Meghan Busswitz (a senior) and little sis Kaitlyn (a sophomore).

“We do have some big hitters,” Geary said, “but for us, it's a total team effort. We've got a lot of girls who do a good job passing and setting to put up some pretty nice balls for the hitters.

“I thought everything came together today. We showed a lot of poise and got  two good three-set wins over Mediapolis and Washington.”

The early-afternoon match with the Warriors pitted a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference rivals getting primed for postseason play.

The Hawks led the first game practically from the get-go. Outside hitter Megan Sprengeler recorded for early kills to put her team up 7-2. Then the Busswitz girls pounded kills from the middle position, and outside  hitter Rachel Butz finished off the 21-13 victory with yet another kill.

Washington recouped, however, with the steady Hobbs providing her quiet leadership. When the Warriors needed a point, she seemed to be the one to dive for a dig. More often than not, it was Hobbs who smashed a kill at a crucial juncture.

She had three of them to get Washington off to a 9-2 lead. When the Hawks closed in to three points at 16-13, Hobbs kept the ball in play on a dive and then punched home a winner.

She also served two aces and finished the 21-7 win with a kill.

“Aleena is just very, very consistent,” said Washington Coach Amy Faulkner. “She very seldom makes a mistake.”

In fact, Hobbs ranks among the state leaders in kill efficiency with a .428  hitting percentage.

“With Aleena and Dani (Franklin), we have a great hitting combo,” Faulkner  pointed out. “And our middle hitters are becoming more effective, which takes the pressure off the outside hitters.”

Both Prairie and Washington were clicking on all cylinders in the rubber game of their set on Saturday.

The Warriors jumped off to a quick lead with three Hobbs kills, but Kaitlyn Busswitz put Prairie on top 6-5 with a kill. The Hawks never trailed after that, although Hobbs did tie it at 14-14 with her fifth kill of the game.

That was all the magic she could manage, though, as the Hawks closed out the 16-14 squeaker.

“We've got a lot of younger girls on the team,” Hobbs said afterward. "As a senior, I kind of think it's up to me to help keep them calm and pick them up.

“I want them to know they can count on me.”

Faulkner is hoping the pieces are falling into place as her team pushes into the postseason.

“I feel good about today,” she said. "We got better every game. We lost to two good teams, but our level of play was pretty consistent.

“There were a lot of good things today. Now we need to take it to the next step.”

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Clear Creek-Amana 5-0, 2. Cedar Rapids Prairie 4-1, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington 3-2, 4. Mediapolis 2-3, 5. South Tama 1-4, 6. Ottumwa 0-5.