116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Dowling tops Valley in a state volleyball battle of West Des Moines
Top-ranked Maroons drop first set, but advance to Class 5A semifinals with 4-set win
CORALVILLE — Playing in a state tournament always is a challenge.
Playing another school in your town makes it a little tougher.
“We definitely had some personal relationships we had to put aside,” said West Des Moines Dowling senior hitter Mackenzie Dean after her team’s 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20 Class 5A quarterfinal state volleyball tournament victory over West Des Moines Valley on Monday at Xtream Arena.
Dean acknowledged it was hard to play against people she knows well, knowing whichever team lost would be leaving the arena unhappy.
“We didn't want this to be our last game either,” she said. “It was tough to be sure, but we had a game plan and went out and executed.”
With Dean leading the way at the net, the top-ranked Maroons (31-7), at state for a 12th straight season, advanced to Wednesday's semifinal. She finished with team highs in kills (17) and blocks (14).
“We really emphasized to them that we were playing people we don't know on the other side of the net,” said Dowling Coach Coach Mary Beth Wiskus. “We had to talk about that a lot. We do mental training every week and we focused a lot on our side of the net, not worrying about who was on the other side.”
However the win did not come without some anxious moments as No. 8 Valley, which retires at 19-16, took the first set.
Wiskus said the biggest adjustment after the first-set loss was simply better execution.
“We just got into system,” she said. “We really focused on attacking first. I thought we were really on the defensive in the first set. In the second set, we passed better and it helped us relax and play like we knew we could.”
Dowling’s superior size at the net made things tough for Jeremy Mikesell’s Tigers throughout. The Maroons had key runs late in each of the last three sets to pull out the victory.
“We know we need to prepare because it is going to get harder and harder,” Dean said of moving to the semifinals. “We're excited and ready for our next match.”
Ellie Muller added 13 kills and Kate Nelson had 12 for Dowling. Elise Jaeger paced the Tigers with 13 kills.
Daily Newsletters