Service triggers a City sweep

CEDAR RAPIDS - Aces are gravy.

But the real point of serving is to keep the opponent out of system, out of sorts.

And that's what Class 5A seventh-rated Iowa City High did Tuesday night in a MVC Mississippi Division sweep of 4A No. 9 Cedar Rapids Xavier (26-24, 25-9, 25-17) at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

'We served the right kids, the right zones,” said City High Coach Craig Pitcher. 'We wanted to keep (Kayla) Torson from beating us, and the kids did a great job of doing that.”

City (8-4 overall, 3-0 division) won a nail-biter in the opener, rallying from a 23-21 deficit with a final push. It got easier after that. A lot easier.

'Instead of answering after the first set, we let it fizzle,” said first-year Xavier coach Katie Bailey. 'That wasn't how we play. That wasn't our team.

'City High was well-prepared. They knew who we like to go to, and they knew our weaknesses. They hit them hard.”

The Little Hawks assembled scoring surges of 9-1 and 11-0 in the second set, then pulled away in the finale with a nine-point spree that gave them a 17-10 lead.

Xavier (11-7, 2-2) got within 17-14, but no closer.

'It was just our night,” said City's Alexa Aldrich-Ingram, who posted 11 kills and 16 assists in her dual role as setter and right-side hitter. 'We were serving tough tonight, and that's what won it for us.”

The Little Hawks were both accurate (almost 95 percent) and aggressive (10 aces, led by Shannon James' four) in their service. But it was the non-statistical stuff that made the difference, preventing Torson from doing too much damage.

An all-stater, Torson finished with 11 kills, but just four in the first two sets.

The first game made all the difference. Xavier led 23-21 on Charlotte Richards' block, but Aldrich-Ingram had three kills in the Little Hawks' final push.

Kendra Cave added eight kills for the winners.

IOWA CITY HIGH 3, CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 0 (26-24, 25-9, 25-17)

At Ron Thillen Gymnasium

Serving: City 71-75 (.947), Xavier 42-51 (.824); Aces: City 10 (Shannon James 4), Xavier 4 (Ellie McDermott 3); Kills: City 35 (Alexa Aldrich-Ingram 11), Xavier 21 (Kayla Torson 11); Assists: City 32 (Aldrich-Ingram 16), Xavier 20 (Rachel Sodawasser 9); Blocks: City 5 (Shannon Stamp 2), Xavier 4 (Charlotts Richards 2).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net