No. 1 Cedar Falls rolls to the 5A state volleyball title match

CEDAR RAPIDS — From the opening salvo, it was clear that Cedar Falls would play for the title.

The top-ranked Tigers jumped all over No. 5 Ankeny with eight-straight points to begin the match and scored a 25-11, 25-16, 25-18 sweep in a Class 5A volleyball state tournament semifinal Thursday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'One big thing was energy,' 6-foot-1 middle hitter Grace Burken said. 'We came out in the first game and jumped on them. … That was a huge thing because it definitely got the momentum in our favor and that made everyone play just a little but harder and have a little more confidence.'

Burken collected six of her team-high 11 kills in the first game, then helped win the second with a 13-1 explosion that turned an early deficit into a 15-4 lead for Cedar Falls. Mississippi Valley Conference player of the year Tayah Mahi – a Northern Iowa recruit – chipped in eight kills (four by ace), five digs and a game-high 27 assists.

'I think we came out with a ton of excitement,' Mahi said. 'I just tried to serve aggressive and keep my serves in and keep my team's energy up. We came out with so much energy and that really helped with my serving, too.'

In Game 3, Cedar Falls (40-3) broke a 6-6 tie with a 13-6 surge that propelled it into a state championship match for the first time since a 4A runner-up finish in 2006. The Tigers will face two-time defending state champion Ankeny Centennial (34-3) Friday at 10 a.m.

'They're confident right now, which is kind of cool,' Cedar Falls Coach Matt Johnson said. 'We've got five girls taking swings and all of them feel pretty comfortable and feel like when they do take a good swing, it's going to hit the floor.'

Middle hitter Cynthia Wolf added eight kills, while fellow juniors Abby Hendrickson and Majda Suljic had 10 digs. Suljic tallied five of Cedar Falls' 11 aces.

'That's something we focus on a lot in practice,' Suljic said. 'Just getting back there and serving. … Once you know what you're looking for and which spots to hit, it just comes naturally after that.'

Alyssa Ballenger added to her school career record with 14 kills to pace Ankeny (38-6). Ballenger will play collegiately for Wayne State. Senior setter Liv Winker added 16 assists and nine serves.

'We had a good run,' Ankeny Coach Joe Morton said. 'I think our expectations of the season were, I hate to say met, but we did exactly what we needed to.'

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