Western Christian back on top in Class 2A

CEDAR RAPIDS - After four years as state runners-up, the Western Christian Wolfpack senior class cashed in.

Senior middle hitter Kaira Moss recorded a team-high 22 kills as top-ranked Western Christian fought off scrappy Sumner-Fredericksburg, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 28-26, and won its first Class 2A state championship in five years Friday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'We came together as a family,” Moss said. 'Everyone played awesome. It's good to have that feeling back after four years.”

It is the 14th volleyball state championship for Western Christian (43-5). Only Dubuque Wahlert (17) has won more state titles regardless of class. But the Wolfpack seniors - which reached the championship match all four years - had yet to claim one until Friday.

'I've never been on a team like this before,” said senior setter Payton Harmsen, who recorded 49 assists and five digs. 'We were so close. We're all best friends, practically. We are all there for each other and we always knew we had each other's backs. Just the team atmosphere was so much different than any other team I've been on.”

Junior Karsyn Winterfeld started the match with a pair of aces, then a 6-1 surge gave Western some cushion at 11-5. Four kills by Moss highlighted a spurt of eight of nine points and a 21-9 lead for Western on its way to a nine-point win.

Ninth-ranked Sumner-Fredericksburg (32-4) rallied behind standout juniors Jaydlin Seehase and Becca Pagel in the second game, closing with the final five points to even the match at a game apiece.

'We knew Western Christian was going to be tough,” Sumner-Fredericksburg Coach Gwen Pagel said. 'Really proud of our girls. They kept their composure playing against a very good Western Christian team.”

Seehase finished with a game-high 28 kills, while Pagel added 11 for the Cougars, which pulled within a point in Game 3 at 18-17, only to have Western close with seven of eight points.

'We have five tremendous hitters,” Harmsen said. 'They have two very awesome hitters. The other ones are really good, but we had to key on those two really good hitters and if we could use all five of ours, we were set.”

Sumner-Fredericksburg made a last-gasp effort to force a fifth game, even reaching game point twice on Seehase kills. Ultimately, a pair of kills from Erika Feenstra and Winterfeld – who tallied 10 kills apiece – gave the Wolfpack the title, 28-26.

'That's what state championship volleyball in Iowa is all about,” said Western Christian Coach Tammi Verbeek, who won her ninth state title. 'Great players, great teams. Today we were able to escape and get the state championship win.”

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