West Delaware closes out Assumption in a 3A state volleyball quarterfinal

CORALVILLE — Their momentum was slipping. Their energy was ebbing.

After dominating the first two sets and dropping the third, the West Delaware Hawks needed a boost.

“We had to remember that this is a sport, and it’s supposed to be fun,” Hannah Cantwell said. “We picked up our intensity, and made sure to have fun.”

Winning is fun, and the third-ranked Hawks were able to close out a four-set Class 3A quarterfinal triumph over No. 6 Davenport Assumption (25-19, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20) at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon at Xtream Arena.

“We realized the opportunity this is,” libero Olivia Halverson said. “We figured, we’d might as well take hold of it.”

Speaking of opportunities ...

West Delaware (39-6) advances to face No. 2 Western Christian (32-13) in Wednesday’s semifinal round. First serve is 2:25 p.m.

The Hawks will be facing one of the state’s true giants. Western is in the semifinals for the 24th straight year. The Wolfpack have banked 19 state championships.

“You’ve just got to play the opponent,” West Delaware Coach Brett Mather said. “You’re not playing the tradition.”

Assumption (25-9) erased a five-point deficit to Game 4 to climb into a 14-14 deadlock. But Vedah Langel swatted the go-ahead kill, then successive blocks by Kate Wenger and Lauren LeClere staked the Hawks to an 18-14 advantage.

The Knights never got closer than three points again.

“Our energy dipped a little there,” said West Delaware hitter Brooke Krogmann, who played a vital role in the Hawks’ state-title run in 2021. “I think we did a good job getting it back.

“They have some strong middles. We did a good job handling their tips.”

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Photos: West Delaware vs. Davenport Assumption in Class 3A state volleyball quarterfinals

Cantwell led all hitters with 20 kills. LeClere added 13 for the Hawks; Krogmann posted 11, including the clincher.

Natalie Mensen and Kirstyn Kolbet combined for 45 assists. Halverson counted 16 digs.

“Great team effort,” Mather said. “Everything from our serving to our tempo. We had about a half-set in which things didn’t go well for us. But at the end of the third set, we were able to start fighting back.”

Six-foot-3 junior middle Ellah Derrer led the Assumption attack with 19 kills.

West Delaware 3, Davenport Assumption 1

(25-19, 25-13, 18-25, 25-20)

Class 3A State Quarterfinal, at Coralville

Serving: Assumption 73-78 (.936), West Delaware 89-92 (.967)

Aces: Assumption 2 (two with 1), West Delaware 2 (Susie Funke 2)

Kills: Assumption 53 (Ellah Derrer 19), West Delaware 56 (Hannah Cantwell 20)

Assists: Assumption 49 (Ellie Schubert 46), West Delaware 53 (Natalie Mensen 26)

Blocks: Assumption 7 (Derrer 5.5), West Delaware 5 (Lauren LeClere 2)

Digs: Assumption 61 (Dru Dorsey 22), West Delaware 58 (Olivia Henderson 16)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com