No. 1 West Liberty races to the semifinals

CEDAR RAPIDS - Why is Cassedi Simon one of the state's best setters? Coach Ruben Galvan offered a clue.

'She makes sure she doesn't set her hitters up to fail,” Galvan said. 'She sets them right where she needs to.”

And sometimes, she takes matters into her own hands.

Simon posted eight kills to go with 28 assists and a team-high nine digs as top-ranked West Liberty swept Forest City, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday morning at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'I just try to feed the ball to the hitters that are in best position to put it down,” Simon said. 'And when I get kills myself, that's kind of fun, too.”

West Liberty advances to the semifinal round; the Comets (36-4) will face No. 5 Mount Vernon (27-12) at 2 p.m. Thursday.

'We're very excited,” Simon said. 'It's going to be a fun experience. We don't want it all to get in our heads. Let's just play Comet volleyball.”

What Simon did Wednesday isn't anything new. She averages 1.77 kills per set (third best on the team) and an off-the-charts kill efficiency of .595.

'She's a huge leader,” said teammate Haiey Daufeldt, who led the Comets with 10 kills. 'I'm so glad she's on our side.”

Simon and her twin sister, Maddie, both will play at Boise State University next year.

Forest City (27-8) pushed the Comets, particularly in Game 1. The Indians held a 20-19 lead and forged ties at 21, 22 and 23 before the Comets made the final move.

Daufeldt's kill got the Comets to set point, then an attack error by the Indians ended it.

The Comets did not face a deficit in either of the final two sets.

Audra Bridenstine added eight kills for the winners.

Hannah Vaughan collected 10 kills to lead Forest City.

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