Tiny Tripoli takes down the big schools at Westside

CEDAR RAPIDS -- With nine Class 1A state volleyball championships in the last 12 years, you can accurately call Tripoli the piranha of a small pond.

But as the Panthers proved Saturday, they're more than that. Much more.

By far the smallest school in the 24-team field, Tripoli was easily the best at the Westside Invitational at Jefferson High School.

The Panthers (31-3) not only won all six of their matches, they swept them all.

"Our goal isn't just to be the best small-school team in the state. It's to be the best team, period," said Tripoli's Megan Gilbert. "We don't think of it as a 4A school playing against a tiny little 1A school. We want to be the best."

Still, there was a smidge of a twinkle as Gilbert talked.

"People probably underestimate us, and it's awesome to prove them wrong."

Tripoli beat a 3A team (Marion) and two 4As (Waterloo West and Cedar Rapids Jefferson) in pool play. When the level of competition rose dramatically in the afternoon's bracket play, the Panthers rose with it.

They took down 4A No. 5 West Des Moines Dowling in the quarterfinals. They toppled 3A No. 6 West Delaware in the semifinals. And in the championship match, they whipped Class 4A No. 1 Iowa City West, 25-15, 25-18.

"(Tripoli) looked awfully good all day," said West Coach Kathy Bresnahan. "Our serve-receive wasn't there. We haven't had a fast-paced game in a couple weeks, and it showed."

A 6-foot senior middle blocker bound for Saint Louis University, Gilbert is one of the state's elite players. She collected 13 kills and three blocks against West.

But she's not the entire show. Bailey Kirchhoff added eight kills, Sara Hoppenworth distributed 25 assists and the Panthers controlled most of the match.

Tripoli led the second game, 20-18, before scoring the final five points -- all with Gilbert in the back row.

West (26-6) swept through pool play, then beat Cedar Rapids Kennedy (in three games) and Dike-New Hartford (in two) in the first two rounds of bracket action.

Olivia Fairfield had nine kills in the final. Shelly Stumpff added eight kills and three aces.

West Delaware (29-5) survived a pair of three-set matches -- against Kennedy in its pool finale and against Dubuque Hempstead in the quarterfinals -- to reach the final four.

"It was incredible competition," said Hawks Coach Brett Mather. "There was a lot of tempo here. It really challenged our defense and front row. At the end of the day, we're a better team than we were at the beginning of the day."

WESTSIDE INVITATIONAL

At C.R. Jefferson and C.R. Washington

Pool A -- 1. Tripoli 3-0, 2. Marion 2-1, 3. Waterloo West 1-2, 4. C.R. Jefferson 0-3.

Marion def. Waterloo West, 21-15, 21-14

Tripoli def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-6, 21-14

Marion def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-13, 21-5

Tripoli def. Waterloo West, 21-19, 24-22

Waterloo West def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-7, 20-22, 15-8

Tripoli def. Marion, 22-20, 21-17

Pool B -- 1. Iowa City West 3-0, 2. C.R. Washington 2-1, 3. West Liberty 1-2, 4. Indianola 0-3.

C.R. Washington def. West Liberty, 21-14, 21-14

Iowa City West def. Indianola, 21-14, 21-11

West Liberty def. Indianola, 21-7, 21-19

Iowa City West def. C.R. Washington, 21-14, 21-14

C.R. Washington def. Indianola, 21-10, 21-7

Iowa City West def. West Liberty, 21-12, 21-19

Pool C -- 1. Dubuque Wahlert 3-0, 2. Des Moines Roosevelt 2-1, 3. Williamsburg 1-2, 4. Linn-Mar 0-3.

Des Moines Roosevelt def. Williamsburg, 21-15, 21-18

Dubuque Wahlert def. Linn-Mar, 21-14, 21-8

Des Moines Roosevelt def. Linn-Mar, 21-11, 21-14

Dubuque Wahlert def. Williamsburg, 21-13, 21-16

Williamsburg def. Linn-Mar 21-15, 23-21

Dubuque Wahlert def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 21-9, 25-23

Pool D -- 1. West Delaware 3-0, 2. C.R. Kennedy 2-1, 3. Waterloo Columbus 1-2, 4. North Cedar 0-3.

C.R. Kennedy def. Waterloo Columbus, 21-15, 21-13

West Delaware def. North Cedar, 21-17, 21-8

C.R. Kennedy def. North Cedar, 21-8, 21-14

West Delaware def. Waterloo Columbus, 21-11, 21-12

Waterloo Columbus def. North Cedar, 21-12, 12-21, 15-10

West Delaware def. C.R. Kennedy, 23-21, 10-21, 17-15

Pool E -- 1. Dubuque Hempstead 3-0, 2. West Des Moines Dowling 2-1, 3. South Tama 1-2, 4. Mount Vernon 0-3.

West Des Moines Dowling def. Mount Vernon, 21-19, 21-7

Dubuque Hempstead def. South Tama, 21-17, 21-10

West Des Moines Dowling def. South Tama, 21-18, 21-8

Dubuque Hempstead def. Mount Vernon, 15-21, 21-15, 15-9

South Tama def. Mount Vernon, 21-15, 21-17

Dubuque Hempstead def. West Des Moines Dowling, 17-21, 21-17, 18-16

Pool F -- 1. C.R. Xavier def. Urbandale, 21-14, 21-10

Dike-New Hartford def. Aplington-Parkersburg, 21-11, 21-4

Urbandale def. Aplington-Parkersburg, 21-10, 21-12

Dike-New Hartford def. C.R. Xavier, 21-16, 21-18

C.R. Xavier def. Aplington-Parkersburg, 21-17, 21-15

Dike-New Hartford def. Urbandale, 18-21, 21-14, 15-11

Bronze Bracket

Quarterfinals

Waterloo West def. Indianola, 25-13, 25-12

C.R. Jefferson def. North Cedar, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9

Waterloo Columbus def.  Aplington-Parkersburg, 25-27, 25-10, 15-9

Mount Vernon def. Linn-Mar, 25-8, 25-14

Semifinals

Waterloo West def. C.R. Jefferson, 25-16, 25-21

Waterloo Columbus def. Mount Vernon, 25-21, 19-25, 15-11

Final

Waterloo Columbus def. Waterloo West, 29-27, 25-23

Silver Bracket

Quarterfinals

Marion def. South Tama, 25-10, 23-25, 15-11

Urbandale def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 25-16, 25-16

Semifinals

Urbandale def. Marion, 25-22, 25-18

West Liberty def. C.R. Washington, 25-21, 25-27, 15-13

Final

Urbandale def. West Liberty, 25-16, 25-18

Gold Bracket

Quarterfinals

Tripoli def. West Des Moines Dowling, 25-21, 26-24

West Delaware def. Dubuque Hempstead, 25-27, 25-20, 15-7

Iowa City West def. C.R. Kennedy, 25-22, 17-25, 15-10

Dike-New Hartford def. Dubuque Wahlert, 23-25, 25-20, 15-9

Semifinals

Tripoli def. West Delaware, 25-22, 25-23

Iowa City West def. Dike-New Hartford, 25-21, 25-17

Championship

Tripoli def. Iowa City West, 25-15, 25-18