‘Not young any more,’ Cedar Rapids Jefferson volleyball finds its groove

Age was no longer a crutch. Experience, or the lack thereof, was no longer an excuse.

'Like I told the girls before the season, we're not young any more,' Cedar Rapids Jefferson volleyball coach Amy Norton said. 'Most of them are juniors now. They're on the downhill slide. It's go time.'

More like go, go, go.

Expectations were elevated for the J-Hawks this season, but nobody could have envisioned this. Class 5A third-ranked Jefferson moved to 16-1 overall (3-0 MVC Mississippi Division) with a sweep of No. 4 Linn-Mar on Tuesday.

The lone loss came against two-time defending 5A state champion Ankeny Centennial in a three-set thriller at the Southeast Polk Invitational on Sept. 9.

'We beat (Cedar Rapids) Xavier (in the second match of the season) and gained a lot of confidence,' libero Kaylee Donner said. 'Now we believe that we can do anything.'

It has been 20 years since Jefferson's last fling with glory. The 1997 team won an MVC divisional championship and reached the state tournament.

A long down cycle followed, then the J-Hawks began a climb to respectability under former coach Mary Kay Van Oort.

Norton succeeded her before the 2015 season, and the J-Hawks posted 16-21 and 18-18 seasons with a young cast that has since grown up and blossomed.

'You can tell they've elevated the program and made volleyball a priority in those girls' lives,' Linn-Mar Coach Teresa Bair said after Tuesday's match.

A University of Iowa recruit, Maddie Slagle had been Jefferson's unquestioned focal point through the past couple years. Now, it's an attack with many options. Slagle posted only five kills Tuesday, but the J-Hawks rolled anyway.

Maggie Peters led a balanced attack with 10 kills, followed by Lindsey Culver with eight and Sydney Kloubec and Meghan Prohaska with seven apiece. Maddy Baxter dished out 32 assists.

'If I don't get the kill, I know somebody else has my back,' said Slagle, who had more than 1,000 career kills.

Norton said, 'When teams focus on Maddie, our middles and our right-side hitters step it up. We're still not a big team by any stretch, but we're going to play relentless defense.'

That starts with Donner, a junior who has committed to UNI.

'Everybody has each other's backs, and we're not going to let the ball hit the ground,' Slagle said.

CHANGES OF FORTUNES

Anamosa and South Tama have been recent regulars at the bottom of the two divisions of the Wamac Conference, but both have risen up with rare victories this season.

A win Sept. 5 against DeWitt Central was Anamosa's first Wamac East Division win since the Raiders joined the conference in 2007, ending a 71-match divisional losing streak.

Then, South Tama beat Williamsburg on Tuesday, snapping the Trojans' 24-match Wamac West losing streak since rejoining the league in 2014.

Anamosa is leaving the Wamac after this school year to join the River Valley Conference.

THINKING POSTSEASON?

Expect the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to release postseason pairings Sept. 29 or Oct. 2.

The tournament series begins Oct. 17 in classes 1A and 2A, Oct. 18 in the other three classes. The state tournament is Nov. 7-10 at the U.S. Cellular Center.

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