Mike Condon

An epic five-set victory over No. 2 Ankeny Centennial put No. 3 Waukee Northwest into the Class 5A state volleyball title match in just its third year as a school.

Those attending Saturday’s girls’ state qualifying swim meet at the Linn-Mar Aquatics Center will have the opportunity to see one of the best girls’ swim programs in recent Iowa history. Top-ranked Waukee is one of nine teams assigned to compete at Linn-Mar.

Defending Class 1A state volleyball champion Ankeny Christian showed it could handle adversity in its opening round match with unranked Newell-Fonda.

Even after dropping the third set, BCLUW was not about to be denied. It came on strong in the final two sets to complete an 18-25, 29-27, 20-25, 25-16, 15-11 victory over Saint Ansgar in the Class 1A state volleyball quarterfinals.

Denver wiped away a bad memory on Tuesday. The Cyclones were ousted from the 2022 state tournament in the quarterfinals by Hinton. Tuesday, they advanced by sweeping Sumner-Fredericksburg.

EBF was two points from taking the set from a team that has lost just one set this year coming into state. From that point on, Dike-New Hartford showed why it is likely the best volleyball team in the state, regardless of class.

No. 4 Davenport Assumption went to its middle hitters consistently and No. 5 Des Moines Christian never really had an answer. And the Knights were never really threatened as they rolled to a 25-21, 25-15, 25-21 win in a Class 3A state volleyball quarterfinal matchup at Xtream Arena.

The development of Mount Vernon’s Chloe Meester’s all-around game was evident in Mount Vernon’s 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 sweep over Dubuque Wahlert in a Class 3A state volleyball tournament quarterfinal match Tuesday at Xtream Arena.

It took her a little while to get going, but once Abbey Hayes got her powerful right arm cranked up the North Scott volleyball team came to life. Hayes caught fire in the final three games of Monday’s Class 4A state quarterfinal match at Xtream Arena, leading North Scott to a 19-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-13 victory over Adel ADM.

Clear Creek Amana is two wins away from completing the business trip it has been on all season. The state's top-ranked Class 4A team made quick work of No. 10 Norwalk, 25-13, 25-14, 25-19 in a state tournament quarterfinal match Monday at Xtream Arena.

Fortunately for Pleasant Valley, talent ruled the day as the fourth-ranked Spartans outlasted No. 5 Johnston, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20, in a Class 5A state volleyball quarterfinal on Monday at Xtream Arena.

Playing in a state tournament always is a challenge. Playing another school in your town makes it a little tougher. That was the case for top-ranked West Des Moines Dowling in a four-set win over West Des Moines Valley in a Class 5A state volleyball quarterfinal match.

For No. 6 Central City, the harsh realities of football came to light in Friday night's game with No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck. The Wildcats lost one of their most versatile players in last week's win over Lansing Kee when Matthew Klostermann went down with a knee injury. That was compounded by the loss of Christoper Greif and Braxton Davis during the team's 36-12 loss to the Rebels in a second-round game.

Hannah Stuelke scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Iowa’s 122-49 exhibition win over defending NAIA national champion Clarke. Caitlin Clark had 24 points and nine assists.

It all came down to the 400 free relay. Iowa City West’s foursome of Hannah Geng, Averie Bilskemper, Bella Frissen and Kolby Reese came home well below its seed time, winning in 3:39.03. Not only was the time 10 seconds better that runner-up Cedar Falls, it allowed the Trojans to win the Mississippi Valley Conference title for a sixth straight season.