Tipton gains control of River Valley South volleyball race

Amy Calonder said she had seen 'glimpses' of her team's potential this season.

'I don't think anybody really had seen what we could do until (Tuesday night),' she said. 'We knew how important it was in our conference race and for (regional pairings).'

Thus, there was no let-up. No messing around.

Class 3A sixth-ranked Tipton took full control of the River Valley Conference South Division volleyball race with a sweep of No. 10 West Liberty, pushing its record to 20-3 overall, 3-0 in divisional play.

'It was so loud in the gym, and our kids didn't even flinch,' said Calonder, in her 15th season as head coach. 'Last year, we knew we had something here, something was brewing. But they were so young.'

Now, the Tigers are blossoming into a team that could reach a level the program has not yet seen. Tipton has never reached a state volleyball tournament.

The roster consists mainly of sophomores and juniors that have played a wealth of club volleyball.

A 5-foot-9 sophomore, Sommer Daniel is talented and versatile. She leads the team in kills (3.77 per set) and is second in assists (4.37).

'She sees the court so well,' Calonder said. 'She's one of our top passers, too.'

Daniel and junior Amanda Smith (5.15 assists per set) split time at setter in the Tigers' 6-2 scheme. They're among six players averaging at least one kill per set, joining juniors Blake Ehler, Jamie Kofron and Emily Hermsen, and sophomore Kamryn Chapman.

All three of the Tigers' losses have come against high-end opponents (Center Point-Urbana, Mount Vernon and Springville). They already have vanquished their three main threats in the division (Iowa City Regina, Wilton and West Liberty).

Tipton hosts Durant on Thursday.

SAINTS HEAD TO CHICAGO

The Xavier Saints won't be able to turn their heads this weekend without seeing a nationally-ranked team stacked with Division-I talent.

Class 4A No. 1 Xavier (23-4) leaves Friday for the Asics Challenge, a two-day, 24-team event in Chicago.

'We'll be going up against bigger, stronger kids than we're used to,' Saints Coach Austin Filer said. 'We'll see if we can match up with them. More than anything, I want to develop the mentality that we're not scared to play anybody.'

Xavier is the tournament's No. 5 seed and will play two pool matches Friday, against Downers Grove (Ill.) South, and Sandburg (Ill.). Saturday will consist of three bracket matches.

'It's going to be really competitive,' Filer said. 'If we win both matches Friday and get into the Gold Bracket, that will be insane.'

PAIRINGS UPDATE

Don't spend Friday hitting the refresh button on the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union website.

IGHSAU official Jason Eslinger said Wednesday that the Union will wait until Saturday's tournaments are complete to assemble postseason pairings. He said they will be released sometime between Monday and Wednesday.

Regionals begin Oct. 17 in Class 1A and 2A, Oct. 18 in the other three classes.

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