City outlasts West in 5

IOWA CITY - Upon enrollment at Iowa City High, Ashley Smith learned the significance of this rivalry in the locker room, in the hallways, in the classrooms.

'Everywhere I went, people were talking about City-West, the Battle for the Spike,” Smith said. 'Even all the teachers were talking about it.”

She heard about it. She lived it. And ultimately, she reveled in it.

City High scored six of the final seven points and outlasted Class 5A sixth-rated Iowa City West in a five-set, 2 1/2-hour MVC cross-divisional volleyball marathon Tuesday night at City High School.

Scores were 19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20 and 15-12.

'We matured a lot tonight,” City High Coach Craig Pitcher said. 'We had a lot of chances to give up. Things could have gone sour really quick in the fifth game.”

City (5-1) came back from game deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, then rallied from behind in Game 5. As a result, The Spike is City's possession after a three-year presence across town.

Down by three points on three occasions in the final set, the Little Hawks took their first lead at 12-11 on Kendra Cave's kill.

Cave notched another kill for match point at 14-11, then Shannon Stamp's block sent the Little Hawks to victory.

Both teams are youthful, particularly the Little Hawks. Pitcher used six sophomores in his 10-player rotation.

Cave - who led the Little Hawks with 11 kills - is a transfer from Solon; Smith moved in from Tipton. But Tuesday, all the pieces fit.

'We have such good team chemistry,” said Alexa Aldrich-Ingram, another sophomore, who collected 10 kills and 15 assists. 'We know what we have to do. It doesn't matter how old we are.”

West (6-4) controlled the first game and led 20-17 in Game 2 with a chance to seize a chokehold on the match.

But the Little Hawks scored the next seven points, and the match was on.

'I think the theme for the entire night for us was passing,” West Coach Randy Dolson said. 'There were a lot of times in which we squelched our own runs.

'It's a journey, and it doesn't end here.”

Cyan Vandehoef distributed 19 assists for the Little Hawks. Ellie Dixon served seven of City's eight aces.

Laynie Whitehead paced West with 12 kills and 30 assists.

IOWA CITY HIGH 3, IOWA CITY WEST 2 (19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 15-12)

At Iowa City High

Serving: West 97-104 (.933), City 99-106 (.934); Aces: West 8 (Anna Mabry 3), City 8 (Ellie Dixon 7); Kills: West 49 (Laynie Whitehead 12), City 44 (Kendra Cave 11); Assists: West 43 (Whitehead 30), City 40 (Cyan Vandehoef 19); Blocks: West 18 (Ali Tauchen 7), City 14 (Rylee Price 6).

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