Hempstead knocks off No. 1 Dowling

CEDAR RAPIDS — It took No. 12 Dubuque Hempstead a little while to get going against top-ranked West Des Moines Dowling.

Once it did, it was difficult to tell the top seed from the eight seed.

Outside hitter Kasey Davis recorded 26 kills and middle hitter Makayla Doyle added 14 as the Mustangs upset the No. 1 Maroons, 22-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-13, in a Class 5A volleyball state quarterfinal Tuesday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'We knew we were the underdogs coming in,' Doyle said. 'We knew we had the confidence in ourselves to swing deep and that's what we did.'

Hempstead (26-11) will face defending state champion Ankeny Centennial (37-5) in a Thursday semifinal at 10 a.m.

'We have a lot of confidence in our abilities,' second-year Hempstead Coach Travis Wills said. 'We believe in ourselves, and that's a huge thing.'

Neither team led the first game by more than two points, and Dowling was on the verge of claiming the second by reaching game point twice. Davis responded with a late flurry to tie the game twice for Hempstead, then two more Davis kills won it, 27-25.

'We knew we had to stay aggressive,' Davis said. 'They definitely weren't ready for us to be swinging as hard as we did and going all out.'

Dowling jumped ahead 4-0 in the pivotal third game, but Hempstead quickly charged back and caught the Maroons at 8-8. A kill and a block by Doyle pushed Hempstead ahead, 13-11, and they never trailed again.

Hempstead scored the first seven points in Game 4, led by a pair of Doyle kills, before Dowling battled back and tied it at 12-12. Hempstead regrouped one final time and closed with a 13-1 explosion and claimed the upset.

'Our side out play was great,' Doyle said. 'Once they served, we passed it up and got a kill.'

Junior libero Hope Splinter tallied 13 digs for Hempstead, while Davis added 11.

Dowling (42-6) ends its season in the 5A quarterfinals for the third time in four years.

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