Second-ranked Unity Christian triumphs over No. 12 Mediapolis in 2A quarterfinal

CEDAR RAPIDS — Allison Timmermans has a knack for finding open court with her serves.

The Unity Christian senior entered the volleyball state tournament second in Class 2A with 73 aces. When her team trailed Mediapolis in the fourth game of a 2A quarterfinal, Timmermans strung a few together.

'I never know if we need to go to the same place and keep picking on it or if they'll be ready for that next one and I'll have to go to a different place,' Timmermans said after the second-ranked Knights dispatched No. 12 Mediapolis, 22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-18 Wednesday at the U.S. Cellular Center. 'I guess it just worked.'

Timmermans fired three consecutive aces in the middle of a 7-0 burst that turned a 6-3 deficit into a lead that would not be relinquished. The Knights, winners of 26 of 28 matches, will face No. 10 Waterloo Columbus (28-13) in a 2A semifinal Thursday at 4 p.m. Waterloo Columbus upset third-ranked Sumner-Fredericksburg in four games.

'It's my senior year, I don't want to stop playing,' outside hitter Josie Blankespoor said. 'It's awesome to have another time to play. It's such a blessing being here.'

Blankespoor was dominant for the Knights with a game-high 26 kills and 12 digs, which pushed her over the 1,000-kill mark for her career. Timmermans added 11 kills, nine digs and 43 assists, while sophomore Corrina Timmermans tallied 17 kills and seven digs.

After dropping the first game, Unity Christian (35-4) led 16-14 in Game 2. The Knights closed the game with a 9-2 surge, then garnered a double-digit lead before staving off a late Mediapolis surge to win Game 3, 25-20.

Unity Christian is in the semifinals for the second time in three years.

'You have to get a few swings under your belt on this court,' Patty Timmermans said. 'A few serves. It's a little intimidating at times and I think at first we just needed to go for the balls that we were backing away from a little bit.'

Senior outside hitter Kara Brown led Mediapolis (33-8) with 16 kills, while senior setter Sarah Vorwerk added 33 assists and 11 digs.

'They had some great hitters, some big hitters,' Mediapolis Coach Erin Steffener said. 'They were going through our block and over our block a little bit. I thought we played great defense, we just couldn't keep their balls from hitting the floor.'

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