Western Christian puts away St. Albert for a shot at another state volleyball title

CEDAR RAPIDS - It may seem like ‘new year, same story' to outsiders, but another title game is as sweet as ever for Western Christian.

Top-ranked Western earned a berth in the Class 2A state championship match for the seventh-consecutive season with a 25-23, 25-15, 25-8 sweep of No. 7 Council Bluffs St. Albert Thursday at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'We're thrilled to be there again,” Western Christian Coach Tammi Veerbeek said. 'Just a great, great experience for these girls to play in a state championship match and as a coach, you're just thrilled for them.”

Senior middle hitter Erika Feenstra led the Wolfpack with 11 kills, while senior outside hitter Emily Van Ginkel added 10. Feenstra and Van Ginkel are two of six Wolfpack seniors anxious for the opportunity to close out their prep careers with a second-straight state championship.

'We want that, that is the goal of every season,” Feenstra said.

'It's special every year because of the girls that are on the team,” Van Ginkel said. 'Every year we put just as much hard work and effort into it. Each person has a part on the team and every year with new girls it makes it just as special.”

Western Christian (40-6) will play for a 15th state title Friday at 4:45 p.m. against No. 10 Waterloo Columbus (29-12), which upset second-ranked Unity Christian in the other semifinal.

'It couldn't be sweeter,” senior libero Erica Bousema said. 'I just want to go out with a win.”

The Wolfpack were pushed in the first game, but successfully identified St. Albert's big hitters and utilized their advantage on the block. Seven different Western Christian players contributed a block, led by five from Feenstra. Olivia Granstra dealt 16 assists, while Karsyn Winterfeld posted nine digs.

Council Bluffs St. Albert (27-5) was led by Sydney McLaren, who tallied five kills. Sophomore libero Maggie Wettengel added 10 digs.

'The pressure was not on us,” St. Albert Coach Angie Lantz said. 'We came out loose. We knew we had nothing to lose. Just go out with everything we've got. The girls weren't tight. They were loose, they were having fun before the match even started. I had a really good feeling going into it just based off the energy that I was feeling from the girls.”

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