Shaky start, then a big finish for West

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Nothing remotely close to panic. Not even a timeout.

A 5-0 deficit was met with a simple shrug.

"I'm never concerned about the first few points of a match anyway," said Iowa City West Coach Bresnahan. "But (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln's) game plan obviously was to serve short and to tip.

"What that said to me was that they were afraid to hit against our front line."

Top-ranked West adjusted and swept the Lynx, 25-20, 25-15, 25-20, in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday afternoon at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

"They were short-serving us, and they were tipping us (early)," said West's Shelly Stumpff. "But none of us panicked, and we were able to get out of our funk."

The Women of Troy (37-6) will face No. 7 Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a 4A semifinal at noon Friday. The Cougars (30-9) smashed No. 4 Dubuque Hempstead in three games.

Stumpff collected nine kills, three aces and two blocks as the Women of Troy moved within two wins of a state-championship repeat.

Abraham Lincoln (25-22) scored the first five points of the match, then had a 12-9 lead before West marched away.

Mollie Mason had two kills and Stumpff served two aces in a five-point run that put the Women of Troy ahead for good at 19-15.

Mason, a sophomore, had a big first set with three kills and two blocks.

"We really pulled together," she said. "We had a lot of energy. We started off a little slow, but our energy pulled us through."

The last two games were much easier.

Kelley Fliehler distributed 30 assists for West. Lauren Meeker and Michaela Kennedy recorded seven kills apiece for Abraham Lincoln.

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