Johnston pushes past Solon

CEDAR RAPIDS - How do you manufacture a big scoring run in volleyball?

Well, for starters, you put the serve in play.

'When we get our serves in, we can score four or five points in a hurry,” said Solon Coach Peter Gustin. 'Other than that nice run (in the first game), we had trouble pushing points because of our serves.”

Class 5A fourth-ranked Johnston overcame a one-set deficit and defeated 3A No. 1 Solon, 17-21, 21-11, 15-13, to capture the Warrior Invitational tournament Saturday at Washington High School.

The star-studded tournament featured seven ranked squads in the 12-team field.

'There were so many good teams, you've got to have your ‘A' game all the time,” said Marion setter Amanda Sahm, who helped lead the 4A third-rated Indians to the semifinals. 'Good teams like that help us find our weaknesses. It will make us better.”

Both of the finalists took a hit in pool play: Johnston (6-1) was beaten by Linn-Mar; Solon (6-2) dropped a three-set thriller to Marion.

And both bounced back.

Johnston handled Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Marion in the first two rounds of bracket action while Solon ousted Dyersville Beckman and Linn-Mar.

Solon made the first push in the finals, scoring 10 straight points for a 14-5 lead before hanging on. Aggressive, accurate serving, as Gustin pointed out, allowed that run. Taylor Nearad served a pair of aces, and Jordan Smith walloped five kills in that surge.

Johnston owned the next set, then broke open the finale with three straight points after Solon had tied it at 11.

Despite the loss, Gustin said, 'I'm proud of how we played today. We've got a long ways to go, but after eight matches, we're off to a better start than I thought we'd be.”

Marion (5-1), ranked No. 3 in 4A, won a pair of three-setters in pool play, including a 19-21, 21-19, 22-20 dandy over Solon, then swept Davenport Central in the quarterfinals before bowing to Johnston.

'We came out really strong at the start of the day,” Sahm said. 'Then we lost a little energy. We need to keep it up throughout (the day).”

Class 5A No. 7 Linn-Mar (5-1) was the only other team to go unscathed through pool play. The Lions then topped Union before being eliminated by the Spartans.

'It was a great day for us,” said Lions Coach Teresa Kehe. 'Beating Johnston, that was huge. Any time you play this level of competition and come away with just one loss, that's a great day.”

In morning action, all matches were cross-pool matches. For instance, all Pool A teams played all Pool B teams, but no teams from within their pool.

That created some disparities within pools. Cedar Rapids Xavier went 2-1 and finished third in its pool while Davenport Central was 0-3 and finished second in another pool. Central advanced to the championship bracket while the Saints moved to the consolation bracket, and won it.

WARRIOR INVITATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

At Cedar Rapids Washington

Pool A - 1. Marion 3-0, 2. C.R. Jefferson 1-2, 3. C.R. Washington 0-3.

Pool B - 1. Solon 2-1, 2. Union 2-1, 3. Dubuque Senior 1-2.

C.R. Jefferson def. Dubuque Senior 21-16, 21-13

Dubuque Senior def. C.R. Washington, 15-21, 21-15, 15-11

Marion def. Dubuque Senior, 21-8, 21-6

Marion def. Union, 21-18, 21-23, 15-11

Marion def. Solon, 19-21, 21-19, 22-20

Solon def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-11, 21-19

Solon def. C.R. Washington, 21-6, 21-19

Union def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-17, 21-14

Union def. C.R. Washington, 21-17, 21-18

Pool C - 1. Linn-Mar 3-0, 2. Dyersville Beckman 2-1, 3. C.R. Xavier 2-1.

Pool D - 1. Johnston 2-1, 2. Davenport Central 0-3, 3. Oskaloosa 0-3.

Beckman def. Oskaloosa, 21-10, 21-9

Beckman def. Davenport Central, 21-12, 21-12

C.R. Xavier def. Oskaloosa, 21-11, 21-11

C.R. Xavier def. Davenport Central, 21-17, 21-11

Johnston def. C.R. Xavier, 22-20, 21-12

Johnston def. Beckman, 21-9, 21-15

Linn-Mar def. Johnston, 21-19, 21-17

Linn-Mar def. Oskaloosa 21-5, 21-12

Linn-Mar def. Davenport Central, 21-13, 21-5

Consolation Semifinals

Oskaloosa def. C.R. Washington, 7-21, 23-21, 15-5

C.R. Xavier def. Dubuque Senior, 21-10, 21-9

Consolation Final

C.R. Xavier def. Oskaloosa, 13-21, 21-12, 15-8

Quarterfinals

Marion def. Davenport Central, 21-11, 21-12

Johnston def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-14, 21-19

Solon def. Beckman, 21-15, 21-17

Linn-Mar def. Union, 21-17, 21-10

Semifinals

Johnston def. Marion, 21-19, 22-20

Solon def. Linn-Mar, 17-21, 21-15, 15-12

Championship

Johnston def. Solon, 17-21, 21-11, 15-13

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