No. 2 Indianola escapes Marion’s 4A state volleyball quarterfinal upset bid in 5 sets

CORALVILLE — Marion has pulled some memorable state-volleyball upsets.

Remember the 2008 state final against Mount Vernon? How about that first-round shocker against Cedar Rapids Xavier two years ago?

The Wolves darn near did it again.

Potent but erratic for much of the match, second-rated Indianola cleaned things up late and escaped the No. 7 Wolves in a five-set Class 4A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Monday night at Xtream Arena.

Scores were 16-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22 and 15-9.

“I knew we could come together,” said Indianola’s Camryn Overton, who led all attackers with 24 kills. “The nerves are always there, but we trust each other so much.

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“We lean on each other when we’re struggling.”

Indianola (37-4) will face No. 6 Lewis Central (32-2) in a 4A semifinal at 12:25 p.m. Wednesday. The Titans beat No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier in a five-set marathon.

The Indians enjoyed a 74-46 advantage in kills, but was guilty of 41 attack errors, compared to just 14 by the Wolves (26-13).

“They had a lot of momentum at the end of the match,” Marion’s Michaela Goad said. “They had some good hits. We just tried to shake them off.”

Marion had a brief 5-4 lead in the fifth set and was still in striking range, trailing just 10-9. But Aspen Nelsen had two kills and a block in the Indians’ closing five-point rush.

“I think we did everything we could,” Marion libero Natalee Hartman said. “We had some doubts at the beginning of the year, but we leaned on each other. I’m so proud that we got back here.”

The Wolves were making their seventh state appearance in the last 10 years.

Goad — a senior who will play both volleyball and softball next year at Truman State University — was good for 19 kills and 17 digs.

“I didn’t think, at the beginning of the season, that we’d be back here,” she said. “We’ve grown so much as a team.”

Marion rolled through the opening set and held a 2-1 sets lead. Indianola pulled away from a 19-18 Game 4 with five points in a row.

Nelsen added 20 kills for the Indians. Makenzie Sloan tacked on 13.

“They did a good job getting swings when they were out of system,” Marion Coach Roxanne Paulsen said. “We might have gotten a little tentative.

“But to get here and push the No. 2 team to five sets, I can’t complain.”

For Marion, Goad was joined in double-digit kills by Carlee Webber (12). Alexis Pierce posted 32 assists. Hartman counted 24 digs.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com