Cedar Rapids Xavier sweeps Clinton, advances to state

CEDAR RAPIDS — A big lead was melting. A certain sweep was slipping.

Austin Filer had two timeouts remaining. He kept them in his pocket.

'I'm sure I'll get a lecture on that from (Xavier principal Tom) Keating,' Filer said. 'But with the effort the kids had put into the match, I believed they were going to make it happen on their own.'

That faith was warranted.

Sixth-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier steadied itself, then sealed the deal for a three-set triumph (25-12, 25-12, 25-22) in a Class 4A volleyball regional final Monday night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

Xavier (31-9) advances to the state tournament for the first time since 2012. The Saints draw No. 3 Marion (34-9) in a first-rounder next Tuesday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'It's amazing,' setter Jessica Callahan said. 'We've worked all year for this. I can't believe it's finally happening.'

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The Saints' season paralleled Monday's match. A sizzling start, some uncertain moments, then a rush at the end.

And now, in a balanced 4A field, who knows?

'After summer league, people started predicting we would be an underdog that might come out on top,' Callahan said. 'If we play like we did tonight, we've got a good chance.'

'We're ready to go do some more damage,' added Charlotte Richards, whose 17 kills were nearly as many as Clinton mustered (19).

The first two sets were one-sided. Xavier rocketed to a 15-3 lead in the opener, then jumped to a 12-4 advantage in the second set.

'We knew we had to play our game,' Richards said. 'It's hard to beat a team three times in a season. We had to play like it was just any other team.'

Game 3 was more of a challenge. Xavier looked comfortable at 17-10, but the River Queens (22-14) pulled within 17-13, then 19-16, then even at 20-20.

All the while, Filer held onto his timeouts. He believed in his team, and his team delivered.

At 21-all, Ellie McDermott slammed the tie-breaking kill. After a Clinton error, Richards' block gave the Saints triple match point.

Clinton erased one of then, then Richards closed the match with a kill.

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'It was nice to see a little adversity at the end,' Filer said. 'At the end, we had two of our best digs of the season, kids willing to put their body on the line for the good of the team.'

McDermott added nine kills as Xavier posted a 41-19 advantage in that department. Callahan posted 31 assists.

McKenna Greenwalt paced Clinton with eight kills. The Saints held 6-foot-3 sophomore Grace Tubbs to five.

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 3, CLINTON 0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-22)

Class 4A Regional Final, at C.R. Xavier

Serving — Clinton 46-47 (.979), Xavier 69-74 (.932)

Aces — Clinton 3 (Elle Hill 2), Xavier 9 (Charlotte Richards, Emily Jasper, Anna Parr 2)

Kills — Clinton 19 (McKenna Greenwalt 8), Xavier 41 (Richards 17)

Assists — Clinton 17 (Spencer 11), Xavier 40 (Jessica Callahan 31)

Blocks — Clinton 5 (Bailee Spencer, Sarah Goldensoph 2), Xavier 7 (Jasper 3)

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com