Jeff Linder

State volleyball: In Year 1 of state volleyball at Xtream Arena, IGHSAU and Coralville delivered.

A state-tournament rookie team, seventh-ranked Ankeny Christian pulled off an improbable comeback to capture the Class 1A state volleyball championship in five sets over No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (21-25, 19-25, 28-26, 26-24, 15-10) in Thursday’s finale at Xtream Arena.

Second-ranked Western Christian rallied from fifth-set deficits of 13-9 and 14-11 and knocked off No. 1 Dike-New Hartford in a Class 2A title-match thriller, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 13-25, 16-14, at the state volleyball tournament Thursday afternoon at Xtream Arena.

The all-tournament captain, Ava Schubert smacked 17 kills as second-ranked Davenport Assumption captured its first state volleyball championship Thursday afternoon at Xtream Arena. The Knights (33-7) swept No. 4 Sioux Center, 25-23, 25-16, 25-21.

The Gazette’s high school volleyball Super Ten rankings: State champions Iowa City Liberty, Cedar Rapids Xavier are 1 and 2.

State volleyball, 4A championship: Cedar Rapids Xavier’s seniors, and coach, finish on top; Saints end Clear Creek Amana’s surprising run in the finals.

State volleyball, 5A championship: Iowa City Liberty solves Pleasant Valley’s block, earns the first team title in school history.

State volleyball, 1A semifinal: Ankeny Christian is young, but fearless and ferocious in a sweep of Springville.

State volleyball, 2A semifinal: Dike-New Hartford rolls in the semifinals, will face Western Christian (again) for the title

State volleyball, 3A semifinal: Sioux Center racks up 21 blocks and upsets No. 1 Des Moines Christian.

Top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier didn’t blink when Western Dubuque shot to a 7-1 lead. The Saints rallied, and rolled to a Class 4A semifinal sweep (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday afternoon at Xtream Arena.

State volleyball, 5A semifinal: No. 1 Iowa City Liberty battles past Centennial. Lightning will face reigning champion Pleasant Valley for the title Thursday.

Young, fresh and new at the state volleyball tournament, seventh-ranked Ankeny Christian enjoyed a dandy debut Tuesday night, sweeping No. 8 Don Bosco in a Class 1A quarterfinal, 25-16, 25-23, 25-14, at Xtream Arena.

Top-ranked Springville didn’t commit an attack error until its 39th swing of the match, hit an astronomical .510 through the first two sets and swept Oakland Riverside (25-8, 25-8, 25-17) in a 52-minute Class 1A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday evening at Xtream Arena.

Freshman Bailey Boeve ripped off 22 kills, and fourth-ranked Hinton christened its first state volleyball trip in nine years with a four-set victory (25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-13) over No. 5 Denver in a in a Class 2A quarterfinal Tuesday afternoon at Xtream Arena.