Pleasant Valley cashes in on first state volleyball championship appearance

CEDAR RAPIDS — Long points led to two tense sets.

“There were some big rallies,” Pleasant Valley setter Kora Ruff said. “We were prepared for that.”

The second-ranked Spartans won the tight ones, then made life easy on themselves at the end, sweeping No. 4 Cedar Falls, 25-23, 28-26, 25-13, for the Class 5A state volleyball championship Friday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

“It’s such a blessing,” said Ruff, the all-tournament captain. “There are so many emotions right now. I’m so proud of the girls. Everybody played such a big role.”

Pleasant Valley (33-4) was making its first championship-match appearance, and cashed in.

» Photo gallery: Pleasant Valley vs. Cedar Falls in Class 5A state volleyball championship

The first two sets were filled with long points and long runs, by each team. Pleasant Valley started with an 8-1 surge, Cedar Falls (32-9) followed with a 12-2 blitz, and so on.

At 23-23, the Spartans closed the set with a kill from Alexa Frankel and an ace from Ruff.

Game 2 took a similar script. Cedar Falls was able to erase four match points, but the Spartans took a 27-26 lead on a service ace, then Arra Cottrell converted with a right-side kill.

“After that second game, we really started to believe we could win,” Halle Vice said.

The finale was a rout. The Spartans scored the first five points, led 14-4, then coasted home.

Vice (11 kills) and Chloe Cline (nine kills) joined Ruff (29 assists) on the all-tournament team, along with Cedar Falls’ Alivia Bronner and Katie Remmert, Ankeny’s Ava Reynolds and Johnston’s Ava Helming.

Remmert had 17 kills to pace Cedar Falls.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com