Baumgartner faces a busy, dramatic weekend

The debate waged within Sara Baumgartner all summer.

Volleyball? Or cross country?

'I couldn't decide,” said the senior from Starmont High School. 'I've been playing volleyball since I was little, and I love to run. Even after volleyball practice, I'd go run.”

Volleyball? Or cross country? Why not both?

Baumgartner's decision comes to a dramatic climax in the next two days. She'll play middle blocker for the volleyball team, which faces Denver in a Class 2A regional semifinal at Independence at 7 p.m. Friday.

Saturday morning, she'll change her sneakers for spikes and join the Stars' cross country team, which makes its first state appearance since 2001 at Lakeside Park, Fort Dodge.

'It's going to be crazy,” she said. 'When I made this decision, I just told myself, ‘I can do this. I'm going to give it a shot.'”

Baumgartner has been with the volleyball team for four years. She added her cross country membership shortly after this season began.

Starmont (27-9) won the Upper Iowa Conference volleyball championship. Baumgartner plays middle despite standing 5-foot-6, but leads the team in blocks (40) and aces (58).

'We'd been playing together since fifth grade. When we got to high school, we had to split up because some played varsity and some played JV,” she said. 'This year, we really clicked.”

Denver (28-12) beat the Stars in a close match earlier this season, and Baumgarten expects Friday's contest to go long. She said the decision hasn't yet been made whether she'll join the cross country team late Friday night at Fort Dodge, drive part of the distance and stay in a motel, or sleep in her own bed and head west early Saturday.

A sub-60 400-meter runner in track, Baumgartner has been running No. 3 through No. 5 for the cross country team this season.

The match of the night Friday will be played at Clarence, where River Valley Conference divisional champions West Branch (South) and North Cedar (North) collide in a 2A contest.

They did not play in the regular season.

'We've had a great year. We've beaten a lot of good teams,” said West Branch Coach Josh Lukavsky, whose eighth-rated Bears are 32-5. 'It's been a big goal of ours to get to the state tournament. We came really close last year (losing to Iowa City Regina in a five-set regional final).”

No. 15 North Cedar is 29-11.

In Friday's other premier area matches, both in 1A, 10th-rated Turkey Valley (26-9) faces No. 9 Nashua-Plainfield (26-7) at Charles City and No. 15 Iowa Valley (23-7) is at Keota (18-6).

FRIDAY'S CLASS 2A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

(All matches, 7 p.m.)

Region 6

Saint Ansgar (15-10) at Dike-New Hartford (35-3)

Iowa City Regina (16-14) at Wapsie Valley (28-6)

Region 7

South Winneshiek (18-15) at Sumner-Fredericksburg (28-2)

Starmont (27-9) vs. Denver (28-12), at Independence

Region 8

West Branch (32-5) at North Cedar (29-11)

West Burlington (24-13) at Durant (27-6)

FRIDAY'S CLASS 1A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

(All matches, 7 p.m.)

Region 5

Turkey Valley (26-9) vs. Nashua-Plainfield (26-7), at Charles City

Tripoli (24-13) vs. Northwood-Kensett (16-12), at Rockford

Region 6

Don Bosco (11-15) at Springville (26-13)

Midland (17-14) at Bellevue Marquette (30-3)

Region 7

Iowa Valley (23-7) vs. Keota (18-6)

New London (33-7) at Lone Tree (10-17)

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