Denver makes new state volleyball memory by sweeping Sumner-Fredericksburg in 2A quarterfinals

CORALVILLE — Denver wiped away a bad memory on Tuesday.

The Cyclones were ousted from the 2022 state tournament in the quarterfinals by Hinton.

They were determined to not repeat that performance this time.

“We just wanted it so bad,” said sophomore setter Channing Johnson following No. 4 Denver's 25-18, 25-16, 25-11 win over No. 5 Sumner-Fredericksburg at Xtream Arena. “After last year, there was a little bit of revenge we wanted, even though it wasn't the same opponent.”

Their reward?

A fifth meeting this season with North Iowa Cedar League rival and top-ranked Dike-New Hartford in the semifinals Wednesday at 4 p.m.

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State volleyball photos: Denver vs. Sumner-Fredericksburg

Denver (35-10) set its sights on slowing down Cougar standout senior Isabella Elliott, a Northern Iowa recruit with over 1,800 career kills.

“Elliott is an absolutely amazing volleyball player,” said Denver senior Elaina Hildebrandt. “We knew we would have to fight tooth and nail against her or we would have been eaten alive.”

Elliott did finish with a team-high 12 kills but needed 31 attempts to get those.

Cyclones Coach Jamie Johnson complimented her players for their focus and attention to detail, especially when it came to defending Elliott.

“I was very proud of the way they executed the game plan, especially with Elliott across the net,” Coach Johnson said. “She is such a tough player. You never quite know how that is going to go and I thought we did a good job of holding her down.”

Coach Johnson singled out Hildebrandt's performance in the back row. She had 16 digs, many coming off strong Elliott attacks.

“Her abilities to dig balls at left back was big,” said Coach Johnson. “She's not just playing a spot anymore. She's reading the hitter and finding her way to the swing and it his helping us tremendously.”

Denver will need Hildebrandt and her teammates at their best to pull an upset on Wednesday.

“We always know Dike is going to be a tough opponent,” Hildebrandt said. “We have to go into it with a point-by-point mentality and a clear mindset.”

Sumner-Fredericksburg ends its season at 28-14.