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Iowa state volleyball tournament: Thursday's final scores and coverage
Semifinal Thursday at the Iowa high school state volleyball tournament brought us 10 matches at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, setting up Friday's championships.
Here's a look at the final scores and links to our complete coverage.
CLASS 5A
No. 1 Cedar Falls 3, No. 5 Linn-Mar 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-12)
Cedar Falls Coach Matt Johnson knew exactly what to expect. His top-ranked volleyball team had played No. 5 Linn-Mar three times before this season and had even lost a set to the Lions.
So when Linn-Mar battled the Tigers point-for-point in the first set of a Class 5A state tournament semifinal, he wasn't surprised.
'Their style of play is so difficult,' Johnson said. 'You've got to grind it out, (get) some ugly points.'
No. 2 Ankeny Centennial 3, No. 3 West Des Moines Valley 2 (25-16, 24-26, 25-19, 20-25, 17-15)
The pressure, Jessica Rinehart said, is off.
'We've made the finals,' the Ankeny Centennial volleyball coach said. 'Now we can just go out and play.'
Second-ranked Centennial outslugged No. 3 West Des Moines Valley in a talent-filled, five-set Class 5A semifinal thriller. The Jaguars (40-3) flipped last year's result, and return to the championship match after winning three straight titles from 2014 through 2016.
CLASS 4A
No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert 3, No. 1 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15)
Dubuque Wahlert's Aliyah Carter had a lot to smile about Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.
The 5-foot-9 junior with a 35-inch vertical leap took over Thursday's Class 4A state semifinal against top-ranked Sergeant Bluff-Luton, leading the two-time defending champion Golden Eagles back to the final.
'I've loved this sport ever since I laid a hand on a volleyball,' she said, smiling like she did most of the match Thursday.
No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier 3, No. 3 Dallas Center-Grimes 1 (16-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-21)
The semifinals are no longer Cedar Rapids Xavier's glass ceiling.
Six-foot-5 sophomore Eve Magill walloped 23 kills, and the Saints (29-8) advanced to the championship match for the first time in school history.
'It's been our goal forever,' libero Keera Ball said. 'Now it's right in front of us, and we want to go out and get the job done.'
CLASS 3A
No. 1 Carroll Kuemper 3, No. 6 Osage 2 (25-18, 23-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-13)
Kara Peter and her Carroll Kuemper teammates were not going to go quietly.
Down 2-1 in sets, 19-17 in Game 4 and 13-12 in Game 5 to No. 6 Osage, the top-ranked Knights leaned hard on 6-foot-3 junior middle hitter. Time after time, when Kuemper needed a big play, Peter came through.
She finished with 26 kills and seven blocks as the Knights got past the Green Devils.
No. 2 Tipton 3, No. 9 Mount Vernon 1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20)
Setter/hitter combo players Sommer Daniel and Amanda Smith both were outstanding, and second-ranked Tipton advanced to the 3A championship match.
The Tigers looked a little wobbly in their first-round win Wednesday, much more comfortable Thursday.
'We were lights-out today, particularly in serve-receive,' Daniel said. 'We might have some hiccups here and there, but we talk so well and we solve problems well together.'
CLASS 2A
No. 5 Unity Christian 3, No. 2 Dyersville Beckman 1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 25-18)
After dropping Game 1 of Thursday's Class 2A state semifinal to No. 5 Unity Christian, the Blazers bounced back for an impressive win in Game 2 and jumped ahead 7-1 in Game 3.
At that point, Unity Christian's Corrina Timmermanns took her game to another level.
'We knew who their weapons were,' Beckman Coach Todd Troutman said. said, 'but she was just on tonight. We had our block set for her, but she just went around it and over it.'
No. 3 Western Christian 3, No. 4 Sidney 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-15)
Third-ranked Western Christian looked much more itself Thursday afternoon.
Unlike Wednesday, when it spotted Treynor the first two sets before roaring back, Western (41-5) was in control throughout.
'We were a lot more comfortable today,' Macay Van't Hul said. 'We wanted to come out with a lot more energy.'
CLASS 1A
No. 1 Janesville 3, No. 6 Tripoli 0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-12)
There is little chance top-ranked Janesville will take Friday's state volleyball title match for granted.
The three-time defending Class 1A champions have a senior class that has known nothing but success at the state tournament.
'It means a lot to me, always have my teammates' backs,' Bree Thompson said. 'It's just a really fun experience to go out there with my teammates who I've been together with for so long. It is just really cool.'
No. 3 Fort Madison Holy Trinity 3, No. 2 Le Mars Gehlen 1 (25-15, 26-28, 25-20, 25-16)
Melissa Freesmeier noticed some slumped shoulders and concerned faces.
'We were dragging a little bit,' she acknowledged.
The necessary boost didn't come from a big kill or a clutch ace. It came from a rotation mistake, and a subtraction of points on the other side of the scoreboard.
Carroll Kuemper and Clarion CGD take the court during Class 3A quarterfinal match at the for a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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