Oh, so close for West Delaware

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was a day full of accomplishment. Three wins over Class 5A ranked teams on the way to the championship match of the state's premier regular-season tournament.

But still ...

'I'm really happy with how we played all day,” said West Delaware's Kristen Wegmann. 'But I think we settled at the end. We might have started thinking about the outcome too early.”

The 4A top-rated Hawks made it all the way to the finals, and had control before 5A No. 7 Ankeny Centennial rallied to escape, 15-25, 25-22, 15-12, to claim the championship of the Westside Invitational volleyball tournament Saturday at Jefferson High School.

It was a super day for the Hawks (36-2). It was very nearly super-duper.

'I guess you've just got to keep it in perspective,” Hawks Coach Brett Mather said. 'You can't complain about a runner-up finish at the Westside.

'(Centennial) started passing better. They have a great offense, and they kept us on our heels a little more in the last two games.”

West Delaware scored the last nine points of the first set to gain the upper hand, then led Game 2, 18-14. But the Jaguars (31-3), last year's 5A state champion, got their game in gear.

They tied it at 19, 20 and 21, then scored the last four points of the set. A mid-set run in the finale sent them home winners.

The Hawks' list of victims Saturday was impressive. They swept 5A No. 11 Iowa City West in pool play, then outlasted No. 6 Linn-Mar and No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

'Linn-Mar dominated us in Game 1, but we stayed focused,” Mather said. 'We played aggressively. Then we did the same thing against Kennedy. We just kept battling.

'We needed this competition. This tournament is a mini-state tournament. It's as good as you're going to find.”

Linn-Mar (23-5) defeated Kennedy (21-8) in pool play, and both advanced into the top bracket. West Delaware eliminated both of them, but not before the Cougars swept Dike-New Hartford in the quarterfinals.

'We ran out of energy at the end (of the West Delaware match),” Kennedy Coach Michelle Goodall said. 'We kind of bonked.”

Kennedy is the MVC Valley Division champion and is 6-0 in dual matches, 15-8 in tournament-format competition.

'I just think we're better prepared and more focused for the Tuesday-night matches,” Goodall said. 'Fortunately, that's the way it works for (the postseason).”

The Cougars are one of several title hopefuls at the MVC tournament next Saturday at Dubuque Senior.

Dubuque Wahlert won the Silver Bracket on Saturday; Jefferson captured the Bronze Bracket.

WESTSIDE INVITATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

At C.R. Jefferson & C.R. Washington

Pool A

Teams - 1. West Des Moines Dowling 3-0, 2. Dubuque Wahlert 2-1, 3. Mount Vernon 1-2, 4. C.R. Washington 0-3.

Dubuque Wahlert def. Mount Vernon, 21-14, 17-21, 15-7

West Des Moines Dowling def. C.R. Washington, 21-8, 21-10

Mount Vernon def. C.R. Washington, 21-9, 21-7

West Des Moins Dowling def. Dubuque Wahlert, 21-18, 21-11

Dubuque Wahlert def. C.R. Washington, 21-16, 21-12

West Des Moines Dowling def. Mount Vernon, 21-17, 21-17

Pool B

Teams - 1. Dike-New Hartford 3-0, 2. West Liberty 2-1, 3. C.R. Xavier 1-2, 4. Davenport Assumption 0-3.

Dike-New Hartford def. Davenport Assumption, 21-15, 25-23

West Liberty def. C.R. Xavier, 22-20, 30-28

Dike-New Hartford def. C.R. Xavier, 21-18, 21-11

West Liberty def. Davenport Assumption, 21-13, 22-20

C.R. Xavier def. Davenport Assumption, 21-17, 13-21, 15-13

Dike-New Hartford def. West Liberty, 21-8, 21-17

Pool C

Teams - 1. West Delaware 3-0, 2. Iowa City West 2-1, 3. Waterloo Columbus 1-2, 4. Williamsburg 0-3.

Iowa City West def. Waterloo Columbus, 21-14, 21-19

West Delaware def. Williamsburg, 21-4, 21-15

Iowa City West def. Williamsburg, 21-12, 21-13

West Delaware def. Waterloo Columbus, 21-18, 21-18

Waterloo Columbus def. Williamsburg, 21-10, 21-10

West Delaware def. Iowa City West, 21-15, 21-19

Pool D

Teams - 1. Grundy Center 3-0, 2. North Cedar 2-1, 3. Marion 1-2, 4. C.R. Jefferson 0-3.

Grundy Center def. North Cedar, 21-10, 21-14

Marion def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-14, 21-15

Grundy Center def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-12, 21-16

North Cedar def. Marion, 19-21, 21-17, 15-11

North Cedar def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-13, 21-17

Grundy Center def. Marion, 23-21, 10-21, 15-6

Pool E

Teams - 1. Ankeny Centennial 3-0, 2. Dubuque Hempstead 2-1, 3. Tripoli 1-2, 4. Waterloo West 0-3.

Ankeny Centennial def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-13, 21-18

Tripoli def. Waterloo West, 18-21, 21-15, 15-7

Ankeny Centennial def. Waterloo West, 21-11, 21-13

Dubuque Hempstead def. Tripoli, 21-8, 21-11

Dubuque Hempstead def. Waterloo West, 21-9, 21-12

Ankeny Centennial def. Tripoli, 21-12, 21-14

Pool F

Teams - 1. Linn-Mar 3-0, 2. C.R. Kennedy 2-1, 3. Des Moines Roosevelt 1-2, 4. Solon 0-3.

Linn-Mar def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 14-21, 21-12, 15-8

C.R. Kennedy def. Solon, 21-11, 21-9

Linn-Mar def. Solon 21-7, 21-12

C.R. Kennedy def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 21-11, 21-16

Des Moines Roosevelt def. Solon, 21-14, 21-13

Linn-Mar def. C.R. Kennedy, 26-24, 22-20

Bronze Bracket

Quarterfinals

Tripoli def. C.R. Washington, 25-13, 25-11

C.R. Jefferson def. Waterloo West, 25-22, 26-24

C.R. Xavier def. Williamsburg, 25-18, 25-19

Davenport Assumption def. Solon, 25-18, 25-15

Semifinals

C.R. Jefferson def. Tripoli, 25-18, 25-19

Davenport Assumption def. C.R. Xavier, 25-21, 25-17

Final

C.R. Jefferson def. Davenport Assumption, 25-17, 25-14

Silver Bracket

Quarterfinals

Iowa City West def. Waterloo Columbus, 28-26, 18-25, 15-13

Mount Vernon def. North Cedar, 25-17, 23-25, 15-10

Marion def. West Liberty, 18-25, 25-19, 15-8

Dubuque Wahlert def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 25-21, 25-13

Semifinals

Iowa City West def. Mount Vernon, 20-25, 25-21, 15-9

Dubuque Wahlert def. Marion, 18-25, 25-16, 15-10

Final

Dubuque Wahlert def. Iowa City West, 27-25, 25-23

Gold Bracket

Quarterfinals

West Des Moines Dowling def. Dubuque Hempstead, 25-17, 17-25, 15-6

Ankeny Centennial def. Grundy Center, 25-18, 25-17

C.R. Kennedy def. Dike-New Hartford, 25-18, 25-19

West Delaware def. Linn-Mar, 23-25, 26-24, 16-14

Semifinals

Ankeny Centennial def. West Des Moines Dowling, 15-25, 25-23, 15-7

West Delaware def. C.R. Kennedy, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11

Championship

Ankeny Centennial def. West Delaware, 15-25, 25-22, 15-12

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