Iowa high school state volleyball 2024: Wednesday’s semifinal scores, stats and more

The Gazette’s roundup of Wednesday’s Iowa high school state volleyball tournament semifinal matches at Xtream Arena in Coralville with scores, stats and links to complete coverage.

Class 5A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Pleasant Valley 3, No. 4 West Des Moines Dowling 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23)

Top-ranked Pleasant Valley (34-2) came back from an 18-9 hole in Game 3 to conclude a Class 5A semifinal sweep.

Dowling (26-10) was on the doorstep of extending the match, blocking seemingly everything in Game 3 on its way to a seemingly commanding lead.

Isabelle Kremer picked up a couple of kills immediately after the Spartans’ second timeout, and the rally was on.

Still, Dowling led 21-18 and 22-19 before the Spartans made one final, triumphant push.

Setter Carsyn Kelley managed her second kill of the match to tie it, 22-22. After Ellie Muller’s kill put Dowling back in front, the Spartans scored the final three points.

Kremer led all attackers with 16 kills. Kelley distributed 30 assists; Olivia Hoskins posted 17 digs.

— Jeff Linder

» Full story: Massive third-set comeback finishes off a sweep for Pleasant Valley

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

No. 6 Waukee Northwest 3, No. 2 Ankeny Centennial 2 (25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 23-25, 18-16)

Piper Ladwig’s kill brought Northwest to match point in the fifth set. On the next point, freshman Avery Cordes dropped a beautiful dump shot behind the Centennial defense to finish off the victory.

The win puts the defending 5A champs (28-9) back in the championship match.

The Wolves started strong in winning the first two sets, then saw their passing come apart at times in the next two sets before having enough to get the win.

“I'm just so proud of these girls,” Northwest Coach Jodi Vogt said. “We knew this was going to be a battle coming in. They played to their highest potential and that is what you want at this time of the year.”

Logan Vogt led the winners with 17 kills. Ladwig added 10. Jaeden Pratt and Delaney Miller had 21 kills apiece for Centennial, which closes at 32-5.

— Mike Condon

» Full story: Waukee Northwest battles back to 5A state championship match

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

Class 4A state volleyball semifinals

No. 5 Pella 3, No. 12 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-23)

Katie Scheckel is one of those combo players. A setter, and a hitter. She accounted for the final two points — one as a setter, the other as an attacker.

Pella rolled through the first two sets, but faced a 23-22 deficit in the third.

Brooke Schulte’s kill got the Dutch (41-7) all-square at 23-23, then it was Scheckel’s “clutch” time.

Her second-ball dump kill found the floor, getting Pella to match point.

“The (defensive specialists) were yelling that it was open,” Scheckel kill.

Scheckel followed with a right-side kill to polish it off.

The junior finished the match with 16 kills, 20 assists and 10 digs.

— Jeff Linder

» Full story: Katie Scheckel’s clutch plays send Pella to the 4A title match

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

No. 2 Sioux City Heelan 3, No. 3 North Scott 0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-21)

Sioux City Heelan (43-3) dug out of a 9-0 hole in the third set to complete a sweep of North Scott.

“It was just crazy,” said Heelan junior hitter Ava Lloyd of the third-set rally. “Obviously, a start like that can bring down your confidence a little bit. We knew we were capable of coming back and we just pushed and pushed and got it done.”

North Scott, which finishes 30-6, also had opportunities in each of the first two sets only to see the Crusaders prevail in both instances.

Lloyd led the Crusaders with 14 kills. Maliyah Hacker added 13 kills and 11 digs. McKenzie Moeller led the Lancers with 18 kills. Abbey Hayes had 12.

— Mike Condon

» Full story: Heelan builds confidence in semifinal sweep of North Scott

» Photo gallery | Watch replay

Class 3A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Mount Vernon 3, No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-17)

Top-ranked Mount Vernon was simply surgical, particularly in the early stages of the match, and overwhelmed No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert.

The Mustangs hit an astonishing .600 in the first set and didn’t cool much after that. They were that good.

“That’s bonkers,” Mount Vernon Coach Maggie Willems said. “You don’t hit .600 at the state tournament, do you? Our ball control was so good.”

Sydney Maue, who is headed to Arkansas next year, led the Mustangs with 13 kills.

Mount Vernon’s final efficiency was a glossy .420: 43 kills in 88 swings, against six errors. The Mustangs didn’t have a single miscue in their first 29 attacks.

Meester added 11 kills, Paige Schurbon six, Sophia Meester five, Cali Whitaker and Sydney Huber four apiece.

— Jeff Linder

» Full story: Mount Vernon earns another shot at a state title

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

No. 2 Western Christian 3, No. 3 West Delaware 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-14)

For Western Christian Coach Tammi Veerbeek, the best thing about playing West Delaware in the Class 3A semifinal round of the state volleyball tournament was all about geography and a lack of familiarity.

“(On Tuesday), it was an emotional match because of the location of the two schools,” she said of the Wolfpack’s epic five-set win over neighboring Sioux Center. “Today, there was just a sense of calm. That's nothing against West Delaware, they are a good team. But I could just feel it, that we were going to play really well today.”

Veerbeek's feeling was right on. No. 2 Western Christian (33-13) was in control from the jump, earning yet another trip to a state championship match.

Western Christian will be in search of its third straight title.

No. 3 West Delaware (39-7) could never get a consistent attack going on Wednesday.

Scarlett Winterfeld was one of three Wolfpack players with double-digit kill totals. She had 14, Sidney Bilek had 12 and Morgan Kooiman added 11. Hannah Cantwell led West Delaware with nine kills.

— Mike Condon

» Full story: Western Christian keeps West Delaware out of rhythm in semifinal sweep

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

Class 2A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Denver 3, No. 4 Dike-New Hartford 0 (25-12, 25-19, 26-24)

Give Denver Coach Jamie Johnson an “A” for honesty.

“I think this was a little extra special,” Johnson said.

It couldn’t help but be.

Dike-New Hartford had handled the Cyclones — and virtually everybody else in the state — for many, many years. To break through, on this stage ... yeah, a little extra special.

“We were super hyped to go beat them,” junior Mylee Thurm said.

Grace Mullihan and Thurm were the difference in the middle. The duo combined for 17 kills, no attack errors and a .567 kill efficiency, plus 7 1/2 blocks.

— Jeff Linder

» Full story: Denver climbs out of Dike-New Hartford’s long shadow

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

No. 2 Eddyville EBF 3, No. 3 Dyersville Beckman 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19)

Dyersville Beckman was the unfortunate team to be on the other side of the net as Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Molly Shafer put on one of the best individual offensive performances in state tournament history.

The 6-foot senior pounded home a Class 2A tournament record 41 kills.

“She is as good as I have seen,” Beckman Coach Todd Troutman said of Shafer. “I've seen a lot of them and she has all the shots. I didn't think we played badly at all, but we just did not have an answer for her.”

— Mike Condon

» Full story: EBF’s Molly Shafer posts 2A state volleyball record 41 kills

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

Class 1A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Ankeny Christian 3, No. 4 Oakland Riverside 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-18)

Led by its big-time, small-school setter, top-ranked Ankeny Christian — the two-time defending Class 1A state champion — swept No. 4 Oakland Riverside.

“It’s crazy to think that it’s almost over,” said Katie Quick, that dynamic senior setter. “We hope to finish it off the right way.”

A Drake University commit, Quick posted 13 kills and 25 assists. She is the state leader in aces with 119, and has held that title in each of her four years (she has served 482 winners in her career).

Katie had only one ace Wednesday, but the Eagles had 12 of them. They ran away from a 14-14 tie in Game 2, then stormed back from a 15-14 deficit in the finale.

— Jeff Linder

» Full story: Ankeny Christian is a step away from its third straight championship

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay

No. 6 Conrad BCLUW 3, No. 7 Janesville 0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19)

The Comets made their state tournament debut last year, losing in the semifinals. Now they are taking it one step further in 2024.

Janesville closed the gap in all three sets but BCLUW had the answer when it was needed.

“I felt like we kept our composure when things got tight,” BCLUW Coach Megan Yantis said. “That has been a quality of this team all season.”

Grace Farnsworth led the Comets with 15 kills. Hayden Anderson led Janesville (25-17) with nine.

— Mike Condon

» Full story: BCLUW advances to first state championship match

» Photo gallery | Final stats | Watch replay