Bulldogs, errors sideline West

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowa City West's glimmer of hope was fleeting and elusive.

Second-ranked Bettendorf rallied from a 21-19 deficit in the middle set, and went on to sweep the 11th-rated Women of Troy, 25-18, 25-22, 25-15, in a Class 5A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'That was very crucial,” Bettendorf Coach Diane Lichtenberg said. 'If (West) would have gotten that second set, they'd have had a lot of momentum and belief.”

Instead, the Bulldogs (34-2) grabbed control for good. They advanced to the semifinals, where they will face No. 3 Cedar Falls (37-4) at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Bettendorf won state titles in 2012 and 2013 before settling for second (to Ankeny Centennial) last year. Dubuque Hempstead's upset of No. 1 West Des Moines Dowling on Tuesday leaves the Bulldogs as the clear favorite to regain their throne.

'We've got to keep out passing game sharp,” said Bulldogs setter Megan Sharkey. 'We need to keep our aggressive serves and our aggressive hits.”

West retired at 27-12. The Women of Troy will retain virtually their entire roster for a potentially deep run in 2016.

'Hopefully, we can do great things,” said West's Ali Tauchen.

Bettendorf controlled the first set and jumped to a 7-2 lead in the second. But West used a five-point run and three different three-point surges to open the door with a 21-19 lead.

But three West errors were involved in a 6-1 Bulldogs surge that closed the set.

'Errors really hurt,” Tauchen said. 'We had to stay within ourselves, but we couldn't hold on.”

The Bulldogs roared to an 11-4 advantage in the final set, and it never got close.

'Bettendorf controlled the ball extremely well,” said West Coach Randy Dolson. 'They got really good swings, and their secondary setting was top-notch.

'When you're playing quality teams, you've got to hit at them, and we didn't hit at them enough. If you don't perform at your best, the other team is going to take it to you.”

West actually posted a 41-38 advantage in kills, but had twice as many attack errors (24-12). Bettendorf's Josie Herbst led all hitters with 12 kills. Tauchen posted 11 for West.

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