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Monday’s best: 5 area Iowa high school volleyball regional semifinals to watch
The stakes get even higher Wednesday, with 2A and 1A regional finals

Oct. 24, 2022 7:16 am, Updated: Oct. 25, 2022 10:47 am
Kennady Breitfelder and Springville host Central City in a Class 1A regional semifinal Monday. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)
The final sprint to Coralville — new home of the state volleyball tournament — begins Monday with Class 2A and Class 1A regional semifinals.
Monday’s winners advance to Wednesday’s regional finals.
Here are five of Monday’s top matches, all of which begin at 7 p.m.
Hudson (22-14) at Lisbon (37-2)
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Class 2A Region 6
The Tri-Rivers Conference tournament champion, No. 6 Lisbon has won 17 consecutive matches and is in the midst of its best season in school history. Senior Peyton Robinson and junior Ava Czarnecki both average more than 3 kills per set and both hit over .300, and senior Kali Nelson has more than 2,000 career assists and leads 1A in aces, with 76. Hudson enters with a seven-match win streak. The Pirates hail from a brutally tough North Iowa Cedar League, and half of their 14 losses come from NICL foes. Sophomore Addie Rhoades (3.53 kills, 2.33 digs per set) leads a strong crew of underclassmen.
West Branch (17-16) at Sumner-Fredericksburg (29-10)
Class 2A Region 6
Junior hitter Isabelle Elliott, the leading hitter in Class 2A, will be on display for No. 9 Sumner-Fredericksburg. A 6-foot-1 outside hitter, Elliott averages 6.15 kills per set — more than half of the Cougars’ total — and owns a kill efficiency of .461. West Branch setter Ava Finley was a first-team selection in the River Valley Conference South Division. Finley averaged 7.33 assists per set as the Bears finished third in the division. Both teams advanced with first-round sweeps; West Branch handled Waterloo Columbus while Sumner-Fredericksburg eliminated East Buchanan.
Dyersville Beckman (27-10) at Wilton (23-10)
Class 2A Region 7
Both of these teams have been state-tournament regulars lately: Beckman has qualified four of the last five years, Wilton four in a row. Newcomers to the River Valley Conference, the Blazers won the North Division tournament championship this year. The new cross-division rivals did not play in the regular season. Both teams have reloaded nicely after suffering heavy graduation losses. Senior Jenna Lansing (3.09 kills per set) is the new center of attention for the Blazers, who carry a seven-match winning streak. Junior setter Kaylee Coss (9.03 assists per set) runs the show for Wilton.
Edgewood-Colesburg (16-19) at North Cedar (26-9)
Class 1A Region 6
Life in a new class, and in a new conference, has borne fruit for No. 9 North Cedar, which moved down to 1A and into the Tri-Rivers Conference East Division this year. The Knights are a dangerous outfit, as evidenced by wins over No. 1 Springville and No. 2 North Tama in Saturday tournaments. Senior Caitlin Jensen supplies the power up front (4.03 kills per set), while junior Claire Dennis is third in 1A in digs (5.94 per set). Ed-Co is comfortable on the road; the Vikings have won at Turkey Valley and at North Linn so far in the postseason. Juniors Audrie Helmrichs (3.26 kills per set) and Marin Gaul (3.02) carry the offensive load.
Central City (20-12) at Springville (35-3)
Class 1A Region 7
Top-ranked Springville is favored to win Monday, to win Wednesday and reach its eighth state tournament in 10 years. The Orioles have five starters back from last year’s runner-up team, led by all-state senior setter Nia Howard, who ranks second in 1A in assists, with 8.88 per set. She has an array of attackers to choose from, four of whom have more than 100 kills this season. Senior Kennady Breitfelder leads at 2.95 per set. Central City took a set from the Orioles at the Cascade tournament, and almost got another in their Tri-Rivers West match. The Wildcats have won seven of their last nine matches, including a four-setter over Highland in the regional quarterfinals.
Monday’s complete area regional schedule
CLASS 2A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
(All matches, 7 p.m.)
Region 6
Hudson (22-14) at Lisbon (37-2)
West Branch (17-16) at Sumner-Fredericksburg (29-10)
Region 7
Iowa City Regina (19-14) at Wapsie Valley (39-4)
Dyersville Beckman (27-10) at Wilton (23-10)
CLASS 1A REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Region 4
Waterloo Christian (18-15) at North Tama (36-4)
Earlham (16-12) at Southeast Warren (30-14)
Region 6
Calamus-Wheatland (20-17) at Don Bosco (26-12)
Edgewood-Colesburg (16-19) at North Cedar (26-9)
Region 7
Central City (20-12) at Springville (35-3)
Belle Plaine (26-11) at New London (27-9)
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com