Columbus avoids a 5th, escapes Beckman in state volleyball quarterfinals

CEDAR RAPIDS — Dyersville Beckman had two opportunities to force a fifth set.

Anna Sinnott said no.

Sinnott closed the match with a pair of kills, and third-ranked Waterloo Columbus held off No. 9 Beckman, 25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 29-27, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday morning at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'I love Anna. Thank God for her,' Columbus setter Olivia Fain said. 'We didn't want to go to a fifth. Those are so stressful.'

Sinnott finished with 30 kills, and Columbus (34-8) advances to face No. 2 Carroll Kuemper (39-2) in a semifinal at 2 p.m. Thursday.

The Sailors were 2A runners-up last year.

'It's kind of good to be up a class,' Sinnott said. 'It's tough to play conference people, like Dike-New Hartford, again. If we keep playing like we did today, we have a chance to get back to the finals.'

Beckman retired at 31-13. The Blazers were making their first state appearance in 11 years, and were error-riddled through the first two sets.

'I don't know what to attribute it to,' Beckman Coach Todd Troutman said. 'Maybe we were a little awe-struck.'

Columbus gained control of the first set with a 6-1 run midway through, taking a 13-9 lead. In the second set, it was a four-point run that broke a 14-14 tie.

Facing an 18-all deadlock in the third, the Blazers scored the next three points and pulled away.

'We started passing better in the third and fourth sets and we were able to run our offense better,' said Caroline Kluesner, who led the Blazers with 12 kills. Isabelle Bennett added 11.

Sydney Schultz posted 15 kills for Columbus to supplement Sinnott's 30, and the Sailors enjoyed a 71-49 advantage in blocks. Fain distributed 52 assists.

Game 4 was a back-and-forth deal after Beckman scored four straight to get even at 16-16. The Blazers had set points at 25-24 and 26-25, but the Sailors fought them off, then Sinnott came back to the front row and finished the match.

Six of Beckman's seven starters are juniors.

'It's a determined group,' Troutman said. 'They wanted more than a taste this year, but hopefully it fuels them.'

Kluesner said, 'We'll be back, for sure.'

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