Iowa City West’s transition smooth, so far

CEDAR RAPIDS — Six starters have moved on. So has the head coach.

But there's no panic — and no reason for it — with the Iowa City West volleyball program.

'Once we get our lineup and our rotation figured out, we're going to be fine,' said first-year coach Scott Sanders. 'The way we looked today, it's not the way we're going to end up.

'We'll get there.'

Class 5A 13th-rated West had the best showing of the three Mississippi Valley Conference teams at the MVC-MAC Challenge on Thursday at Prairie High School, claiming two of three matches.

'It was pretty good,' said senior Colby Greene, a Southeast Missouri State commit. 'We came out a little slow, pushed really hard against Bettendorf, then came up a little short at the end (against Pleasant Valley).'

West (3-1) swept North Scott and 5A No. 6 Bettendorf — an impressive effort in a 21-10, 21-17 triumph — then let a 20-18 first-set lead slip away and fell to No. 15 PV, 22-20, 21-15.

'We got a little tense, and it cost us,' Greene said. 'PV brought the pressure, and we choked a little bit.'

It wasn't a choke job nearly as much as it was a big finish by Pleasant Valley's Elissa Moylan, who blasted four kills in the Spartans' final surge.

'Our serve reception let us down in the last match, but overall, I'm pretty pleased,' Sanders said.

A longtime assistant for Kathy Bresnahan and Randy Dolson, Sanders was elevated after Dolson took the job at Iowa City Liberty.

'I don't think (the transition) has been as bad as if it had been someone else,' Sanders said. 'The kids all know me.'

Pleasant Valley (4-0) won all three of its matches, staking the MAC to a 6-3 advantage in Thursday's event.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy (1-3) accounted for the MVC's other victory, outlasting North Scott in its finale, 14-21, 21-14, 16-14.

North Scott scored four straight points for a 14-13 lead and match point, but Kennedy's Cassidy Johnston recorded two straight kills, then Mikayla Winter ended it with another.

'It's going to be a fun year,' said Cougars Coach Michelle Goodall, who played 18 girls Thursday. 'There's no pressure on us. We're not ranked, and we're not considered to be ranked.

'Honestly, I think we're set up for some success. We just have to figure out which players should be on the floor at the same time.'

Prairie dropped all three of its matches and slipped to 0-4.

MVC-MAC VOLLEYBALL SHOOTOUT

At C.R. Prairie

Teams — Pleasant Valley 3-0, Iowa City West 2-1, Bettendorf 2-1, C.R. Kennedy 1-2, North Scott 1-2, C.R. Prairie 0-3.

Round 1

Bettendorf def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-19, 21-15

Iowa City West def. North Scott, 21-17, 21-15

Pleasant Valley def. C.R. Prairie, 21-16, 21-9

Round 2

Iowa City West def. Bettendorf, 21-10, 21-17

North Scott def. C.R. Prairie, 17-21, 21-19, 15-8

Pleasant Valley def. C.R. Kennedy, 24-22, 21-17

Round 3

Bettendorf def. C.R. Prairie, 21-5, 21-14

C.R. Kennedy def. North Scott, 14-21, 21-14, 16-14

Pleasant Valley def. Iowa City West, 22-20, 21-15

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