Western Christian makes quick work of undefeated Titans

CEDAR RAPIDS – South Central Calhoun came in with the undefeated record, but it was no match for Western Christian's pedigree.

Sophomore Karsyn Winterfeld recorded a match-high 12 kills and four aces, while senior Jamie Gesink tallied 26 assists as the third-ranked Wolfpack made quick work of the Titans in a 25-11, 25-16, 25-10 sweep in a Class 2A volleyball state quarterfinal Wednesday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'We wanted to definitely try and run tempo on them,” Western Christian Coach Tammi Veerbeek said. 'If we get the ball in our setter's hands, we feel like we're capable of a lot.”

Western Christian (43-3) pushed the pace behind its setter Gesink, who is seemingly able to direct the ball from the setter position to any teammate she chooses. She continually kept Calhoun off balance with quick surges to the net for easy kill attempts. Western Christian distanced itself from Calhoun with 17 of the first 23 points in Game 1, then overcame a 3-0 deficit to start Game 2.

'When our team passes well, we get that opportunity and I can run that offense,” said Gesink, who is second in Class 2A in assists. 'My hitters will put it away for me, it's just a great team effort. We just try to pass a little bit of a lower ball so we get the offense going.”

The Wolfpack finished off the sweep behind Ema Altena, who finished with seven kills and eight total blocks. She is second in 2A in blocks.

'She's a dynamic, explosive athlete,” Veerbeek said. 'She's such a huge presence at the net.”

The loss ends a 41-match winning streak for state-tournament rookies South Central Calhoun (41-1), which had only dropped four games all season. The Titans managed just seven kills against state veterans Western Christian, who is in the tournament for the 14th consecutive year and 32nd overall.

'The problem was we let them get into that tempo too easily,” South Central Calhoun Coach Wade Voith said. 'We just had such a hard time passing the ball and setting the ball and getting our hitters hitting.”

In Thursday's 2A semifinal, Western Christian will play second-ranked Sumner-Fredericksburg (31-2) at 2 p.m.