No. 1 Cedar Falls extends sweep streak to 19

CEDAR RAPIDS - Put talent with motivation, and you've got something.

The Cedar Falls Tigers, they've got something.

Top-ranked Cedar Falls seized control midway through the first set and steamrolled No. 14 Urbandale, 25-13, 25-13, 25-15, in a 62-minute Class 5A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'Once we got in our groove, it was fun. And it was easy to have fun,” Tigers setter Tayah Mahi said.

Cedar Falls (41-2) won its 27th consecutive match, and recorded its 19th straight sweep. The Tigers will face No. 5 Linn-Mar (31-10) in a semifinal at 10 a.m. Thursday.

They're trying to improve on last year's runner-up finish.

'We've been determined since the first day of practice,” Mahi said. 'No, we've been determined since the day after we lost (to Ankeny Centennial in last year's final).”

A UNI commit, Mahi is one of four Division-I recruits in the Tigers' senior class. She posted 33 assists as the Tigers amassed a 42-19 kill advantage.

Claire Gerdes (South Dakota) and Taylor Lynch (Illinois State) led the Tigers with 10 kills apiece.

Urbandale (24-14) led the first set, 8-4, before the Tigers stormed back behind a pair of lengthy scoring streaks to turn the tide.

The first was a six-point surge to grab a 10-8 lead. The second began at 13-12, a run of eight behind three aces by Lynch.

Cedar Falls extended the momentum into the second set, scoring the first 10 points and controlling the rest of the match.

'We got some points and we settled in, and we were fine,” Gerdes said.

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