Balanced and confident, Knights move on

CLARENCE — The North Cedar Knights head to the regional volleyball finals with oodles of confidence.

And even more balance.

Five different players notched between six and nine kills as the 14th-ranked Knights swept Alburnett, 25-14, 25-20, 25-10, in a Class 2A regional semifinal volleyball match Friday night at North Cedar High School.

'Across the board — our outside hitters, our middles, our right sides — they're all strong,' said setter Rebecca Ahrendsen. 'It makes my job pretty easy.'

It looked easy in this 58-minute match. It's about to get much more difficult; the Knights (30-10) face No. 5 Wapsie Valley (30-4) on Wednesday at Center Point. The winner advances to the state tournament Nov. 10-13 at the U.S. Cellular Center.

The Knights aren't quaking.

'I think we can hang with any team out there,' said North Cedar Coach Traci Smith. 'We took a set from (3A top-ranked) West Liberty earlier this year, and that was huge for our girls.

'I watch us, and I watch people, and I don't see how we've lost a (match).'

It isn't for a lack of quality players. Madison Hawtrey paced the Knights with nine kills. Darby Hawtrey and Morgan Sander added eight apiece. Lakaya Lyon put down seven, Aubrey Cady six.

And it doesn't hurt that Darby Hawtrey and Cady are left-handed.

'It's a good group of girls,' Madison Hawtrey said. 'Every hitter has their own swings, their own tools to use.'

That balance was more than enough to offset Alburnett's Taylor Huber, who collected 19 of the Pirates' 26 kills.

North Cedar jumped on top quickly, and stayed on top all match long.

Down 8-6 in the first set, the Knights embarked on a 10-1 run, and momentum was theirs to keep.

Alburnett (17-18) was competitive in the second set, trailing just 18-16. North Cedar got some breathing room with a three-point surge, fueled by a kill and a block from Cady.

The Knights controlled the third set from the start, jumping to an 8-2 lead.

Ahrendsen collected 20 assists, Emily Hay 15.

North Cedar made state appearances in its first three years of existence (1995-97). The Knights haven't back since.

'It would be awesome,' Madison Hawtrey said. 'We've been working for this all year. We have the same team as last year, and I think that's to our advantage.

'We have a saying — 'Why not us?''

NORTH CEDAR 3, ALBURNETT 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-10)

Class 2A Regional Semifinal, at Clarence

Serving: Alburnett 41-44 (.932), North Cedar 71-76 (.934).

Aces: Alburnett 1 (Kassidy Rose), North Cedar 4 (Darby Hawtrey 2).

Kills: Alburnett 26 (Taylor Huber 19), North Cedar 43 (Madison Hawtrey 9).

Assists: Alburnett 25 (Rose 20), North Cedar 39 (Rebecca Ahrendsen 20).

Blocks: Alburnett 2 (Lexi Washburn, Kelsey Yauslin), North Cedar 9 (Aubrey Cady 3).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com