Anamosa tops Beckman for the River Valley North Division volleyball title

ANAMOSA — A title was on the line. And so was something equally important:

A last chance to make a big impression.

Tuesday night, the Anamosa Blue Raiders certainly impressed.

Class 3A 12th-ranked Anamosa claimed the River Valley Conference North Division volleyball championship with a four-set home triumph over 3A No. 3 Dyersville Beckman.

Set scores were 25-23, 22-25, 27-25 and 25-16.

“We’ve definitely been preparing for this match all year,” said Reise Neuhaus, who collected a match-high 26 kills. “It’s something we’ve talked about all season.”

Anamosa (26-5 overall, 7-0 division) claimed its first RVC North crown since 2018.

Plus, the Blue Raiders gave the bracket construction crew at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union some substantial evidence that they are deserving of a favorable postseason draw.

Brackets will be released by the end of the week.

“This feels really good, that’s all I can say,” Anamosa Coach Tierra Knapper said. “We came in with a lot of confidence, and we did it.”

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A pivotal moment in the match came early in the third set. Beckman (25-6, 6-1) seemed to be gathering momentum and led 8-5.

Then came a lengthy delay as officials sorted out an issue with the score, or perhaps serve rotation.

At any rate, Anamosa took advantage of the breather, outscoring the Blazers 11-3 for a 16-11 advantage.

“We used the time to gather, take a deep breath and talk about our game plan,” Anamosa setter Sophie Sander said.

Beckman nearly climbed out of the predicament; Joy Burkle’s kill got the Blazers to set point at 25-24.

A couple of errors swung the advantage in Anamosa’s direction, then Olivia Miller’s right-side kill gave the Blue Raiders a 2-set-to-1 advantage.

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Photos: Dyersville Beckman at Anamosa high school volleyball

Blazers Coach Todd Troutman downplayed the role of the delay.

“Nah, we don’t make excuses,” he said. “Our serve receive relaxed a little, and we didn’t get enough good swings.

“This was a great atmosphere, a great environment. They have a setter that can go pin-to-pin, and that makes them difficult to defend.”

That would be Sander, who distributed 54 assists.

“We executed really well,” Sander said. “We love each other so much, we’re good about picking each other up.”

Miller added 12 kills for the Blue Raiders. Lola Holub collected 10.

Fourteen Beckman players saw the floor at some point Tuesday. Ava Burkle led the Blazers with 13 kills, Katelyn Schmitt posted 12.

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Tracking the area conference races

Tuesday marked the conclusion of the regular-season races in three of the area’s “core four” conferences.

* The top-ranked team in Class 4A, Cedar Rapids Xavier (23-4, 6-0) wrapped up the MVC Mississippi Division title with a sweep at Linn-Mar.

* Cedar Rapids Prairie played spoiler in the MVC Valley Division in convincing fashion, sweeping Iowa City High and denying the Little Hawks (14-10, 5-2) a piece of the crown. Cedar Falls (18-3, 6-1) and Dubuque Wahlert (20-7, 6-1) took care of business and are co-champion.

* Mount Vernon (32-3, 5-0) wrapped up sole possession of the Wamac East title, while Clear Creek Amana (30-5, 5-0) claimed the West by beating Grinnell in an all-or-nothing match.

* Mid-Prairie (23-5, 5-1) earned a piece of the River Valley South title by virtue of its sweep of Iowa City Regina. The Golden Hawks share the title with Wilton (24-3, 5-1).

* Lisbon (23-7, 5-0) has clinched a piece of the Tri-Rivers East crown; likewise Springville (19-7, 6-0) in the West. Both are favored to wrap up their titles solo Thursday.

A record, and a near-milestone

* Libby Fandel became Cedar Rapids Xavier’s career kill record-holder Tuesday, at 1,278 and counting. Fandel surpassed Charlotte Richards, whose final season was in 2017.

* West Delaware Coach Brett Mather is on track to claim his 1,000th career win Saturday at the Westside Invitational. Mather earned his 998th victory Tuesday when the Hawks outlasted Center Point-Urbana in five sets.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com