Fairfield’s volleyball season came to a close Tuesday night, October 20th, falling to Mid-Prairie 3-0 in the Class 3A Region 6 quarterfinal. The Trojans finish their season with a record of 10-23, while Mid-Prairie advances to face Center Point-Urbana at 20-14.
Despite the sweep, Fairfield showed flashes of resilience throughout the match, highlighted by a memorable second-set comeback and a milestone moment for senior Leah Helmick.
Set-by-Set
The first set was competitive throughout. Mid-Prairie grabbed an early lead, with Fairfield trailing 1-5 before beginning to respond. The Trojans cut it to 5-9, then 6-10, but Mid-Prairie kept extending the lead to 6-13, forcing a Fairfield timeout. A service run by Frances Miller helped spark a comeback, pulling Fairfield within 11-14, then 12-15. The Trojans continued to chip away, eventually getting within 16-20, before Mid-Prairie pushed ahead again. Another Fairfield timeout at 16-23 couldn’t stop the bleeding, and Mid-Prairie closed out the set 25-17.
The second set featured the biggest momentum swing of the night. Mid-Prairie jumped out to a 6-0 lead and forced an early Fairfield timeout, and the deficit grew to double digits at 1-11 before the Trojans began to chip away. Fairfield kept fighting, cutting the lead to 6-12, then 10-15, then 13-15. Kills by Ireland Cranston and Leah Helmick helped fuel the run, and an ace by Kate Brecount kept things going. Fairfield pulled to within 20-23, and then Helmick delivered the moment of the night with a major kill for the 500th of her career, making her the first Fairfield player to reach the milestone since Lilly Bergren recorded 531 career kills as a member of the Class of 2025. The milestone kill drew a timeout from Mid-Prairie and brought the score to 21-23. Another kill by Natalie Steele pulled Fairfield within one at 22-23, but Mid-Prairie held on to win 25-22.
The third set saw Mid-Prairie build another early lead, with Fairfield trailing 5-10 before working to cut into it, getting as close as 7-11, then 10-16 before another Fairfield timeout. The Trojans continued to battle, and three straight kills by Steele — at 14-20, 15-20 and 16-21 — gave Fairfield life. An Ella Bentler kill at 17-23 kept things interesting, but Mid-Prairie closed the match out 25-18.
Fairfield Stats
Bella Buckley led the team with 13 assists and Lexi Mast added six in their double-setter system. Helmick and Steele each finished with six kills to lead the team — exactly the number Helmick needed to reach 500 for her career. Cranston added five kills and Grace Hellweg had three with zero errors on a .273 efficiency. Bentler added one kill. As a team, Fairfield hit at a .064 efficiency. Steele posted a .118 kill efficiency.
Miller led the team with 10 digs. Helmick had six, Ava McArtor, Mast and Brecount each had five, Bentler and Hellweg each had two and Steele added one.
Steele anchored the blocking effort with seven total blocks — six assisted and one solo. Buckley added five assisted blocks. Hellweg, Cranston and Bentler each had one assisted block.
Brecount recorded the team’s only ace. Fairfield served at a 91.4 percent efficiency, with Miller serving at 100 percent.
Mid-Prairie was led offensively by Tessa Bombei with 14 kills and Jeorgia Evans with 13 among their many weapons.
Coach Rebling’s Thoughts
Fairfield head coach Vicki Rebling shared her thoughts after the match.
On the overall match:
“I thought we played well tonight and had fun doing so. We didn’t give up in any set and worked hard each set to be competitive even though the start of the sets had some runs by Mid-Prairie. These ladies kept their heads up all night.”
On the second set comeback:
“The second set was so much fun to watch. It was great to have Leah hit the 500 career kill mark that forced Mid-Prairie to call a timeout.”
On the team’s blocking:
“Our blocking was solid tonight. That was the best we’ve blocked all year, so to see that tonight and against this type of hitting team was very special and boosted our confidence and chances to stay in the match.”
On the seniors Frances Miller, Natalie Steele, Ella Bentler, Leah Helmick, and Bella Buckley:
“The seniors will be missed. We are thankful for all their commitment this year and to the overall program during their career. It’s been a pleasure to coach such wonderful individuals. They will go off and do great things and be successful people no matter what their future entails. They have made an impact on us as coaches.”
On the underclassmen going forward:
“We were able to get underclassmen court time and experience at different times, so that will definitely benefit them and the team going forward. They played in and saw some great competition this season and there were lots of opportunities to learn along the way, throughout the year.”
From the Players
Helmick reflected on her career in a social media post after the match.
“Thank you Fairfield volleyball. I’ll never regret the chances I got to play with these girls. Throughout the four years I learned it’s not about the game, it’s about the relationships built along the way.”
Steele also shared her thoughts.
“Reminiscing on my senior season with so many memories I’ll cherish forever. So thankful I got to share the court with such an amazing group of girls. Wouldn’t trade it for anything!”
