Class 5A: Don't call them 'dogs; Dowling as good as anyone

CEDAR RAPIDS – On paper, the quarter- and semifinals in Class 5A have featured upset victories.

West Des Moines Dowling came into its first state tournament, and promptly beat the No. 1 seed in Ankeny, then backed that up with a five-set, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11, win over Urbandale to advance to the state championship game.

But don't tell the Maroons the wins were upsets. If you do, they'll smile politely and tell you just how wrong you are.

'You know, I've never once thought of us as an underdog,' said Dowling Coach Mary Beth Wiskus. 'We are a great team. I told them in our team camp in August that we were going to be in the state championship game. It (was) just a matter of the girls believing it and working hard for it.

'I've never really thought of us as an underdog because there's so many great teams in 5A that it's just a matter of who's going to get those few points needed to win.'

And don't get hung up on that first-time-at-state thing, either.

With the schedule they played – the Maroons faced ten teams in the regular season that qualified for state in various classes – Dowling was well-prepared for who they had to play.

Once they shook off the effects of the big stage, it was business as usual.

'We definitely see ourselves on the same level as everyone else,' said junior middle hitter Alex DeMarco. 'Because we came into this tournament (knowing) we could beat Ankeny – we beat them in the regular season. We knew their rankings were good, but we knew we had a chance coming into it.

'We were nervous coming in, like everyone is, but we knew we had nothing to lose.

'That relaxed attitude carries the Maroons into a matchup with defending state-champs Bettendorf, who had to survive a five-set match of its own, 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 16-14, over Ankeny Centennial.

For the first time in this tournament, though, Dowling will be up against an unfamiliar foe.

'We have never played them before, so this is a new match for us,' Wiskus said. 'They're an awesome offensive team (with) great offensive players, but what else can you expect in the state tournament and this championship game?'

Dowling had a full day – the girls even returned to West Des Moines for school on Tuesday – between matches in the quarters and semis, but get no such luck this time.

A quick turnaround to Friday at 10 a.m. means the work starts immediately.

'The girls will stick around and enjoy (the tournament) a little while, but a couple of the coaches and I are heading straight to the hotel to watch film and break it down,' Wiskus said. 'But really, at this point in the season it's about the girls playing their game. You can't really focus (too much on opponents). You focus a little bit, try to get a little bit of knowledge into them.

'We just need to make sure we play our game and play hard.'