After one down year, Springville is a big winner in volleyball again

The Springville High School volleyball team didn’t stay down for long.

Just one year.

Led by junior Rowan Jacobi, the Orioles made a quick, significant rebound this season. They won the Tri-Rivers Conference West Division championship, were conference-tournament runners-up and have the goods to make a lengthy postseason run.

Springville (24-8) hosts Midland (4-18) in a Class 1A regional first-round match Monday night.

First serve is 7 p.m.

Jacobi was a freshman among veterans when Springville advanced to the state semifinals in 2022. The Orioles dipped to 11-22 last season.

Now, they’re thriving again.

A 6-foot-2 middle hitter (she has committed to play basketball at South Dakota), Jacobi is averaging 4.35 kills, 0.83 blocks and 2.16 digs per set.

Springville hovered around the .500 mark for the first half of the season, then caught fire. The Orioles won 15 consecutive matches before falling to Lisbon in the Tri-Rivers tournament final Saturday.

The Orioles are the best area team in action during Monday’s 1A and 2A first-rounders. The best match? That will be at Victor, where South Iowa Cedar League rivals Iowa Valley (14-17) and HLV (13-14) collide.

HLV won a five-setter Oct. 14.

Both teams have a go-to senior whom track and field fans should be well acquainted. HLV’s Ema Roberts (3.60 kills per set) was the 1A high jump champion last spring. Iowa Valley’s Lydia Kriegel (3.46 kills per set) won the 1A discus title.

The area’s top 2A and 1A teams earned a first-round bye and join the fray in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

That includes No. 3 Dyersville Beckman (32-6) and No. 9 Iowa City Regina (21-14) in 2A and No. 8 North Tama (22-15) in 1A.

Regional quarterfinals are Tuesday in 5A, 4A and 3A.

Monday’s Class 2A regional first round

(All matches 7 p.m.)

Region 3

Alburnett (5-19) at Cascade (16-20)

Danville (5-23) at Columbus Community (10-16)

Region 4

Grand View Christian (8-20) at Woodward-Granger (13-17)

East Marshall (9-28) at Waterloo Columbus (11-25)

Region 5

South Hamilton (7-23) at Ogden (8-16)

Postville (4-21) at MFL MarMac (6-20)

Region 8

West Central Valley (10-12) at Earlham (15-17)

Louisa-Muscatine (3-17) at West Branch (5-24)

Monday’s Class 1A regional first round

(All matches 7 p.m.)

Region 1

East Union (4-24) at Melcher-Dallas (8-12)

Martensdale-St. Marys (5-30) at Sigourney (15-5)

Lynnville-Sully (8-19) at Montezuma (12-14)

Moulton-Udell (2-14) at Mormon Trail (22-2)

Moravia (7-15) at Twin Cedars (10-15)

Murray (7-17) at Southeast Warren (24-19)

Wayne (11-14) at Seymour (16-12)

Region 2

Lone Tree (8-17) at Winfield-Mount Union (12-10)

WACO (8-18) at Burlington Notre Dame (21-12)

New London (4-18) at Wapello (16-11)

Midland (4-18) at Springville (24-8)

Bellevue Marquette (4-18) at Easton Valley (9-18)

Clinton Prince of Peace (2-23) at Calamus-Wheatland (23-9)

North Cedar (10-19) at Highland (17-12)

Region 3

Elkader Central (11-18) at Riceville (17-21)

Northwood-Kensett (0-21) at Nashua-Plainfield (9-14)

Lansing Kee (1-25) at Turkey Valley (16-14)

West Hancock (2-25) at North Iowa (24-5)

North Union (5-18) at Mason City Newman (9-10)

Ruthven GTRA (1-18) at West Bend-Mallard (16-9)

Algona Garrigan (5-23) at Rockford (14-13)

Region 5

Madrid (1-22) at Paton-Churdan (3-12)

Audubon (8-21) at Coon Rapids-Bayard (22-5)

Glidden-Ralston (10-15) at Fort Dodge St. Edmond (17-11)

Meskwaki (4-16) at Gladbrook-Reinbeck (20-20)

BGM (6-15) at Waterloo Christian (12-19)

Collins-Maxwell (6-19) at Garwin GMG (18-10)

Colo-Nesco (4-15) at Baxter (8-18)

Region 6

West Central (6-20) at Tripoli (9-19)

Valley Lutheran (0-21) at Dunkerton (22-11)

Clarksville (5-27) at Starmont (6-13)

Orient-Macksburg (2-14) at Stanton (17-15)

Mount Ayr (17-16) at Lenox (22-15)

Diagonal (3-21) at Southwest Valley (27-3)

Bedford (5-14) at Lamoni (15-10)

Region 7

Iowa Valley (14-17) at HLV (13-14)

Keota (4-14) at Hillcrest Academy (19-8)

English Valleys (7-19) at Belle Plaine (15-13)

Ar-We-Va (2-24) at River Valley (27-2)

IKM-Manning (13-16) at Woodbury Central (10-18)

Storm Lake St. Mary’s (1-18) at Newell-Fonda (22-8)

Kingsley-Pierson (8-21) at Boyer Valley (21-9)

Region 8

East Buchanan (9-22) at Clayton Ridge (7-13)

Central City (1-14) at North Linn (14-18)

Cedar Valley Christian (4-20) at Edgewood-Colesburg (15-17)

Nodaway Valley (0-30) at Sidney (24-9)

Essex (9-15) at Griswold (16-15)

Hamburg (2-17) at Fremont-Mills (24-10)

Anita CAM (9-18) at Exira-EHK (14-5)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com