BCLUW rallies past Saint Ansgar in 5-set 1A state volleyball quarterfinal

CORALVILLE — It took them five set points, but Conrad BCLUW was not deterred.

After dropping the first set to No. 9 Saint Ansgar and trailing in the second, the fourth-ranked Comets drew even then, after missing on four set points, they finally prevailed, 29-27.

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.

Coach Abby Stephenson's Comets (35-10) move on to face top-ranked Ankeny Christian (37-3) in a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.

Saint Ansgar, in its first state tournament since 1988, finishes 24-7.

BCLUW is in its first state tournament and the season will continue on Wednesday, thanks to a will to win.

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State volleyball photos: BCLUW vs. Saint Ansgar

“That was one of the positives we took away from this,” Stephenson said. “Tonight, it was our absolute scrappiness. We were not going to let the ball hit the floor and go out and give our all.

“Ultimately, that was what carried us through in Game 2. Then we did it again in Game 4 and Game 5.”

Neither team has much success attacking. The match turned into a back-and-forth affair with players from both teams making dig after dig to keep balls alive. The two teams combined for 252 digs over the five sets.

Stephenson said the win was another step in the progression for her program.

“For our program, this was such a great learning opportunity,” she said. “We can take all the experiences from this match and carry them over into (Wednesday’s) match.”

Sydney Andersen led the winners with 44 digs. Olivia Peters finished with 24 kills while Grace Farnsworth and Virginia Kaisand had 12 apiece.

Senior libero Kinsey Anderson had 37 digs for Saint Ansgar. Amelia Porisch paced the offense with 14 kills.