Class 5A: Urbandale avenges 2012 with win over Pleasant Valley

CEDAR RAPIDS – Back to its second straight state tournament, Urbandale faced a somewhat familiar foe in the opening round on Tuesday.

No, the J-Hawks weren't playing a CIML conference mate, rather the team that sent them home a year ago: Pleasant Valley.

Unlike 2012, though, Urbandale wasn't to be denied, beating the scrappy Spartans, 27-25, 25-21, 23-25, 27-25, in a pressure-packed match.

'They were so out of system, and if not winning, they were keeping up with us point for point,' said Urbandale Coach Liz Baethke. 'We were trying to keep them out of balance.'We did a pretty good job sticking with (our) game plan.'

Urbandale showed an ability to bounce back from a variety of runs Pleasant Valley took at the J-Hawks. They fought back from an early deficit to take the first set. Urbandale then won the decisive fourth set after dropping a third set in which the J-Hawks held a large lead.

Experience earlier in the season in those situations, Baethke said, prepared them for those moments.

'Unfortunately, we've kind of been a little bit in that pattern, so it was good to see us break through and finish it in the fourth instead of going to a fifth set,' Baethke said. 'But we seem to be very resilient. When we get in these tight matches, we've been on the top side of the majority of them. That, I think, has given us the confidence to stay composed and regroup and know that we have the ability to finish.'

Baethke pointed to strong senior leadership for those resilient qualities. No senior was bigger for the J-Hawks in the win than Kyla Inderski, who hammered home a match-high 28 kills.

But stepping up in that situation is a relatively new feeling, Inderski said.

'Being a senior, you know you kind of have to step up and be a leader,' Inderski said. ?That's always been something I've kind of shied away from. But I've kind of learned this year how to help everybody else and keep attitudes up.'

Urbandale will face Dowling on Thursday in the Class 5A semifinals.