Central Lyon ends Janesville’s reign

CEDAR RAPIDS - For the second straight year, Central Lyon has taken down the defending champion.

This act of dethronement took a lot of work and required a long road back.

Trailing two sets to none (and 19-15 in the third), the second-rated Lions knocked off No. 3 Janesville, 20-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-11, in a Class 1A semifinal at the state volleyball tournament Thursday night at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'I think we kind of got into their heads,” said Sarah Halse, who registered 21 kills. 'We were really loud. Our crowd got us into that. We just kept playing for each other.”

The Lions (38-3) get their shot at No. 1 Fort Madison Holy Trinity in the championship match at 7 p.m. Friday. The Crusaders (47-4) swept No. 4 Tripoli on Thursday.

'We've watched them play, and we know how good Mikaela (Foecke) is,” Halse said. 'If we attack them, they can't get it to her all the time. It's a team game.”

Last year, Central Lyon dethroned 2012 champion Tripoli. This time, it was Janesville.

'We kept swinging, and we wore them down,” said Lions Coach Jamie Schar.

Janesville (25-12) appeared poised to return to the final, but the Lions ended the third set with a 10-1 run, then constructed a 7-1 surge in the fourth set to erase a 15-14 deficit.

The final lead of the night for Janesville was 2-1 in the fifth. A three-point run by Central Lyon made it 4-2, then another one put them in control at 13-9.

Becca Roskam added 18 kills for the winners. Ivy Sieperda collected 45 assists.

Gillian Gergen, a sophomore, led Janesville with 27 kills. Karlee Boyle distributed 61 assists, and Katy Harp had 34 digs.

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