Lockin, Kubik send Valley to the semifinals

CEDAR RAPIDS - Advantage, CIML.

Hannah Lockin put down 24 kills and Madi Kubik added 21 as third-ranked West Des Moines Valley handled No. 7 Dubuque Hempstead in four sets (25-23, 25-15, 21-25, 25-15) in a Class 5A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.

The Tigers (41-4) were playing in their first state tournament since 2009, and handled it like old veterans.

'Some of the young players were nervous, but we were able to get them loosened up,” said Lockin, a senior.

Each of the four 5A matches featured a team from the Central Iowa Metro League against a squad from the Mississippi Valley Conference. Valley was one of three CIML winners, and will face another - No. 2 Ankeny Centennial (33-3) - in a semifinal match at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Centennial beat Iowa City West, and Ankeny (a five-set victor over Linn-Mar) rounds out the 5A semifinal contingent. No. 1 Cedar Falls swept West Des Moines Dowling, and is the MVC's lone 5A survivor.

'I think it definitely says we play tough competition,” Lockin said. 'That's why we're all at state.”

The pivotal moment of the match came late in the first set. Valley held a comfortable lead through most of the set, but Hempstead (23-11) stormed back late for a brief 23-22 advantage.

Valley answered with the final three points, the last of which was a kill by Lockin.

The Tigers rolled through Game 2, then Hempstead led the third set from start to finish.

But Valley restored order in the fourth, taking a 12-5 lead. Hempstead got within 15-10, then the Tigers scored the next eight points to bust it open.

'We knew it wasn't going to be a piece of cake,” Kubik said. 'We had to play hard all the time.”

Lockin took 46 swings. With her 24 kills and just two errors, she posted a sparkly .488 kill efficiency.

Aliyah Carter led Hempstead with 10 kills.

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