Jeff Linder

State volleyball, Class 2A quarterfinal: Deep, rested and engaged, Dyersville Beckman closed hard in each set and sweep South Hardin.

State volleyball, Class 2A quarterfinal: Kate Shafer sets, Molly Shafer swings and the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Rockets rolled to a sweep of Regina. The duo has led the Rockets to prominence in four sports.

State volleyball, Class 3A quarterfinal: West Delaware closed out Davenport Assumption to get a semifinal showdown with tradition-rich Western Christian on Wednesday.

State volleyball, Class 3A quarterfinal: Tied at two sets, and at 13-apiece in Game 5, second-ranked Western Christian made the two deciding plays and outlasted No. 7 Sioux Center. Western’s reward is an unheard-of 24th consecutive semifinal berth.

State volleyball, Class 4A quarterfinals: Cedar Rapids Xavier bowed out in the first round for the second straight year as Sergeant Bluff-Luton shocked the top-ranked Saints in five sets.

State volleyball, Class 4A quarterfinal: Versatile duo leads Pella back from behind in five-set victory over Clear Creek Amana. Katie Scheckel: 23 kills, 25 assists and 25 digs. Emma Eekhoff: 11 kills, 16 assists, 29 digs.

State volleyball, Class 5A quarterfinal: Making its 13th consecutive state appearance, West Des Moines Dowling is still squarely in the running for its first title after dropping Indianola.

State volleyball, 5A quarterfinal: No. 1 Pleasant Valley recovered from a slow start to sweep Waukee. The Spartans overcame a 21-16 deficit in the first set, then hit .579 in the finale.

State volleyball: West Delaware’s trademark is its quick attack. How do the Hawks do it?

Eight area teams qualified for the Iowa high school state volleyball tournament, and our championship picks are Pleasant Valley, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Mount Vernon, Dike-New Hartford and Ankeny Christian.

State cross country, Class 2A: Tipton’s Noelle Steines captured her fourth championship and the Mid-Prairie girls and Oelwein boys ran to team titles.

State cross country, Class 1A: Maquoketa Valley’s Matthew Schaul and English Valleys’ Gage Heyne finished 3-4. The Earlham girls and Lake Mills boys are team champions.

State cross country, Class 4A: Iowa City Liberty’s Keegan Decker and Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Slader Buckheister finished third and fourth, and both will return next year. The Pleasant Valley girls and Cedar Falls boys won the team titles.

State cross country, Class 3A: Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman set a 3A state-meet record and ran the second-fastest time, all-class, all-time. The Pella girls and Gilbert boys ran away with the team titles.

Five Gazette-area state cross country storylines, including Noelle Steines’ pursuit of a fourth consecutive individual championship and both the Mid-Prairie boys and girls contending for titles.