Xavier is last Metro team standing

CEDAR RAPIDS — For just the second time in school history, Cedar Rapids Xavier's stay at the state volleyball tournament will be an extended one.

Charlotte Richards pounded 29 kills, and sixth-ranked Xavier regrouped after blowing an eight-point lead in the fourth set and defeated No. 3 Marion, 27-25, 25-18, 22-25, 26-24, in a Class 4A quarterfinal Tuesday night at the U.S. Cellular Center.

'People will remember this team,' Richards said. 'We've set the standard pretty high.'

Xavier (32-9) is at state for the fifth time. This is the Saints' second advancement out of the quarterfinals, also doing it in 2010, over Waukee. They'll face No. 2 Dubuque Wahlert (26-6) in a semifinal at noon Thursday.

'This is something we have targeted all year. We knew Marion would be a tough draw,' said Xavier Coach Austin Filer, who can take the program to an unprecedented level if it reaches the championship match.

The Saints had just a little more than the Indians (34-10) in a first set that contained 14 ties and five lead changes. And they had just enough at the end in the finale.

After Marion had captured the third set, Xavier zoomed in front, 8-0, in Game 4. The Saints still seemed safe at 23-18 before the Indians scored five in a row to tie it.

'We saw that as our last chance, and we weren't going to go down easy,' Marion's Morgan Swanger said. 'We were going to give everything we had and play with our hearts.'

Marion tied it at 23-23 and 24-24, then Richards slammed back-to-back kills, sending Xavier into uncharted territory.

'We had to come together,' Richards said. 'We had to finish. We had to have confidence in each other, and we had to push.'

Richards was both productive and efficient, committing just three attack errorsin 83 swings. Ellie McDermott added 15 kills, and Akeela Jefferson provided a big boost with 12.

'(Jefferson) was ready to do some damage,' Richards said.

'I think we had a lot more confidence that when we played Marion last time (a 2-0 Marion win at Van Horne, Sept. 17),' Jefferson said. 'Last time, I think we were a little intimidated.'

Indians Coach Roxanne Paulsen said, '(Xavier) really wanted to win. You could see that. They brought everything they had against us, and sometimes, I think we played not to lose.'

Marion's Isabella Sade matched Richards kill for kill early. She finished with 17 kills, but that was neutralized somewhat by 10 attack errors. Swanger added 13 kills.

Jess Callahan collected 57 assists for Xavier; Caitlyn Smith counted 35 for Marion.

The Saints have a day's worth of practice to prepare for Wahlert, which features the state's top player in Mackenzie May.

'She's one of the best in the country,' Filer said. 'We have to side-out with them and put pressure on them.'

Jefferson said, 'I definitely like the challenge. We'll go get our blocks up. She's going to get her kills, and when she does, we've got to come back strong.'

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