Iowa City West rules MVC for 3rd straight year

DUBUQUE - How has Alli O'Deen's return impacted Iowa City West?“She makes everybody better,” said setter Caroline Found. “Everybody. The starters, the girls on the bench, the coaches.“We've been looking forward to the day that Alli O'Deen came back.”And consider this from Coach Kathy Bresnahan:“Put No. 14 on the court, and we'll go play anybody in the state.”Finally at full strength (Olivia Fairfield also missed a stretch with an ankle injury), Class 4A third-ranked West swept its way through the Mississippi Valley Conference volleyball tournament Saturday at Clarke University.The Women of Troy handled No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 25-20, 25-17 in the championship match to cap their third straight title run.“Our goal was to not drop a game, and we accomplished that,” Bresnahan said. “We've got to quit turning it on and off, though. Eventually, that is going to come back and bite us.”According to Found, the Women of Troy (31-7) were hoping for a championship-match rematch with Iowa City High, a team that beat them before O'Deen returned from a torn ACL suffered during the offseason. But Kennedy (31-7) ruined those hopes with a semifinal upset.“We really wanted City, but we'll take whatever we can get,” Found said.O'Deen logged a match-high 12 kills against Kennedy.The Women of Troy led Game 1 from start to finish, then quickly overcame a 6-3 deficit in the second set. An 11-2 surge put West in front, 14-8, and the Cougars never got closer than three points again.“West has a lot of weapons. They're a really good team,” said Kennedy Coach Michelle Goodall. “It was a good battle. I think we used up a lot of emotion in the semifinals.”Kennedy erased a 24-20 first-set deficit against City (32-5), winning 26-24, 25-21.West beat Cedar Falls, 25-11, 25-23 in the other semifinal.Lexi Potter added seven kills, Fairfield tallied six for West in the final. Found dished out 21 assists.Katie Sickelka counted eight kills for Kennedy.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

At Dubuque (Senior H.S. & Clarke University)

Pool A - 1. Iowa City High 3-0, 2. C.R. Prairie 2-1, 3. Waterloo East 1-2, 4. Dubuque Senior 0-3.Waterloo East def. Dubuque Senior, 21-8, 21-10Iowa City High def. C.R. Prairie, 21-10, 21-17C.R. Prairie def. Waterloo East, 18-21, 21-18, 15-5Iowa City High def. Dubuque Senior, 21-6, 21-7C.R. Prairie def. Dubuque Senior, 21-17, 21-9Iowa City High def. Waterloo East, 22-20, 21-15

Pool B - 1. Iowa City West 3-0, 2. Dubuque Hempstead 2-1, 3. Waterloo West 1-2, 4. Linn-Mar 0-3.Dubuque Hempstead def. Linn-Mar, 21-9, 21-9Iowa City West def. Waterloo West, 21-16, 21-15Waterloo West def. Linn-Mar, 21-13, 21-19Iowa City West def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-16, 21-12Dubuque Hempstead def. Waterloo West, 21-17, 21-15Iowa City West def. Linn-Mar, 21-10, 21-16

Pool C - 1. Cedar Falls 3-0, 2. Dubuque Wahlert 2-1, 3. C.R. Washington 0-3.

Pool D - 1. C.R. Kennedy 2-1, 2. C.R. Xavier 2-1, 3. C.R. Jefferson 0-3.Dubuque Wahlert def. C.R. Washington, 21-9, 21-17Cedar Falls def. C.R. Washington, 21-19, 21-14C.R. Xavier def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-6, 21-13Cedar Falls def. Dubuque Wahlert, 22-20, 22-20C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-9, 21-15Dubuque Wahlert def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-9, 21-7C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Xavier, 22-20, 21-14Cedar Falls def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-17, 22-24, 15-13C.R. Xavier def. C.R. Washington, 21-13, 21-18

QuarterfinalsIowa City High def. Dubuque Wahlert, 25-20, 25-17C.R. Kennedy def. Dubuque Hempstead, 25-19, 25-20Iowa City West def. C.R. Xavier, 25-14, 25-11Cedar Falls def. C.R. Prairie, 18-25, 25-22, 15-9

SemifinalsC.R. Kennedy def. Iowa City High, 26-24, 25-21Iowa City West def. Cedar Falls, 25-11, 25-23

ChampionshipIowa City West def. C.R. Kennedy, 25-20, 25-17