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Iowa state volleyball tournament: Wednesday's final scores and coverage
Another day of quarterfinals at the 2018 Iowa high school state volleyball tournament in Cedar Rapids. This time, the smaller three classes took the floor at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Here's a look at the final scores and our complete coverage.
CLASS 3A
No. 6 Osage 3, No. 4 Davenport Assumption 2 (25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 25-17, 15-9)
The message was simple and clear.
The Green Devils (30-6) returned to the state semifinals and that was the theme when they huddled after going down, 2-1, in sets.
'We both played really hard like you want to advance at state, so everyone is going for everything,' Osage senior middle hitter Sydney Midlang said. 'It was a good game to play in.'
No. 1 Carroll Kuemper 3, Clarion CGD 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-18)
Carroll Kuemper has been the top-ranked Class 3A team all season.
The Knights remain on top of their perch for at least one more round.
'We came in and did what we had to do,' Kuemper senior Grace Molak said. 'We performed really well, I think.'
No. 2 Tipton 3, No. 13 New Hampton 1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19)
The Tigers switched from sluggish to solid, and once they got the third set under their belts, there was no stopping them.
Tipton (38-3) won its first state-tournament match in school history.
'We had to come from behind. Last year, I don't think we'd have been able to do it,' said Tipton's Sommer Daniel, who led all attackers with 24 kills. 'We kept talking about what we needed to fix. We had to do better at serve receive, and we had to slow down No. 6 (Rachel Rinken)."
No. 9 Mount Vernon 3, No. 3 MOC-Floyd Valley 1 (26-24, 25-11, 23-25, 25-18)
Though Mount Vernon's record (28-15) is relatively modest for reaching this level, the Mustangs are playing like a team nobody wants to face.
Rory Light clobbered 21 kills — against just two errors — and ninth-ranked Mount Vernon sidelined No. 3 MOC-Floyd Valley in a four-set Class 3A quarterfinal.
'We have the most losses of anybody here, and we kind of take pride in that,' Light said. 'Those were good teams we lost to, and all of them have allowed us to get better.'
CLASS 2A
No. 2 Dyersville Beckman 3, No. 11 Wilton 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-17)
Dyersville Beckman has one mission.
The Blazers took a step closer to that goal, but they aren't satisfied with step further than a year ago.
'Our one mission is for us to get to the championship,' Beckman's Ellie Bildstein said. 'We are working hard to get there.'
No. 5 Unity Christian 3, No. 6 Dike-New Hartford 0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-19)
Unity Christian is no stranger to the state volleyball tournament. With 20 appearances, including one in each of the last five seasons, the Knights know what it takes to get here and have success.
They can chalk up another state victory for the program.
'It's exciting, because as a sophomore I want to do as much as I can to make the team better,' Unity's Janie Schoonhoven said. 'I want to get the seniors as far as we can.'
No. 3 Western Christian 3, No. 8 Treynor 2 (24-26, 22-25, 25-19, 25-10, 15-11)
You'd think a two-set deficit would make a team like Western Christian freak out. And you'd be wrong.
'We got out to the hallway and Coach (Tammi Veerbeek) told us to play with no fear of failure,' Macay Van't Hul said. 'We just had to clean it up on our side.'
They did, and as a result, Western's semifinal streak survived.
No. 4 Sidney 3, No. 7 Tri-Center 1 (27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-16)
Before Jaden Daffer and fellow senior Camryn McClintock entered the high-school doors of Sidney, the volleyball program had never sniffed a state appearance. And now, four in the last four years.
The Cowgirls were 1A runners-up in 2015, but Wednesday's victory was their first win here since. Sidney (39-2) will face No. 3 Western Christian (40-5) in a semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday.
'We wanted to come back here and win at least one,' McClintock said. 'Now, we'll see what we can do next.'
CLASS 1A
No. 1 Janesville 3, No. 11 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-13)
Janesville's streak continues.
The Wildcats have captured three straight state titles and their hopes for a fourth remain intact.
'We all know there is a huge target on our backs,' Janesville senior and Wichita State recruit Lily Liekweg said. 'We just go into practice and work hard every day. This is what we work for.'
No. 6 Tripoli 3, No. 4 Starmont 1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21)
Tripoli's game plan: Fight or Die.
The Panthers expected to have to scratch and claw their way to a victory against gritty and tough Starmont.
'The girls fought,' Tripoli Coach Courtney Anderson said. 'They really played well together and as each individual. It was a really good game.'
No. 2 LeMars Gehlen 3, No. 8 East Mills 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20)
LeMars Gehlen is a regular here, and Mike Meyer knows how much of a grind a deep run can be.
So the Jays' mission Wednesday night was this — get in, get out, move on.
'We really wanted to take care of business,' he said. 'We want to have enough bullets in the chamber when the time comes for the next match.'
No. 3 Fort Madison Holy Trinity 3, No. 7 Montezuma 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-17)
On the court and on the bench, Fort Madison Holy Trinity enjoyed a big advantage in state-tournament experience.
'We knew it would help in the long run,' Holy Trinity's Emily Box said. 'I remember my freshman year, all the nerves I had here. Now we have a few girls that have played here before, and I think that really pulled us ahead.'
The tournament regular handled the tournament rookie.
(Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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