Short-handed and short-staffed, Marion adjusts, reaches championship match at Westside Invitational

CEDAR RAPIDS — They were short-handed and short-staffed, but the Marion Wolves made their longest run ever at the Westside Invitational volleyball tournament Saturday.

Without Coach Roxanne Paulsen (illness) and junior outside hitter Sophia Paulsen (lingering effects of a concussion), Class 4A third-ranked Marion advanced to the championship match at Jefferson High School before running into the buzzsaw that is Dike-New Hartford.

“I’m happy with it,” senior setter Avery Van Hook said. “We had to overcome some adversity today, and we had a bunch of people step up.”

Marion (31-5) scratched and clawed its way past 5A No. 5 Ankeny Centennial in the semifinals, 22-25, 25-18, 18-16, rallying from an 11-8 deficit in the final set.

Facing match point, Michaela Goad’s kill extended the match at 14-14. She slammed another to put the Wolves in front 16-15, then it was Peyton Johnson with the winner three points later.

Usually a middle hitter, Goad was one of two players that shifted positions in Sophia Paulsen’s absence. Goad played on the outside Saturday, with Jenna Heinricy slotted into the middle.

Assistant coach Rachel Hauck was informed by Coach Paulsen early Saturday morning that she would be leading the team.

Marion won its three pool matches, then topped West Delaware in the quarterfinals, 25-16, 25-17. The Centennial match was a grind. If only it could have ended there.

“We ran out of gas pretty hard (against Dike-New Hartford),” Hauck said. “They don’t make many mistakes, and they don’t leave the door open for you.”

The Wolverines (36-2), ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, didn’t allow Marion to score back-to-back points all match in a 25-11, 25-7 triumph, securing their second straight Westside crown without surrendering a set.

DNH swept 3A No. 3 Mount Vernon (28-5) in the semifinals, 25-18, 25-16.

“My relationship with the Westside is kind of love-hate,” Mount Vernon Coach Maggie Willems said. “There are no breaks, and if you take a mental break, it gets ugly fast.

“It happened to us (in a pool defeat) against Centennial. Dike-New Hartford ... they were just better than us defensively.”

Mount Vernon is the host — and the favorite — at the Wamac Conference tournament Thursday.

“Now we have clarity as to what we need to work on at practice,” Willems said. “We need to work on our blocking and reading the tip.”

Westside Invitational Volleyball Tournament

At C.R. Jefferson

Pool A

Teams — 1. Dike-New Hartford 3-0, 2. West Delaware 1-2, 3. Burlington Notre Dame 1-2, 4. C.R. Washington 0-3.

Burlington Notre Dame def. C.R. Washington, 11-21, 21-13, 15-6

Dike-New Hartford def. West Delaware, 21-11, 21-10

Dike-New Hartford def. Burlington Notre Dame, 21-6, 21-16

Dike-New Hartford def. C.R. Washington, 21-5, 21-4

West Delaware def. Burlington Notre Dame, 17-21, 21-12, 15-10

West Delaware def. C.R. Washington, 21-18, 21-6

Pool B

Teams — 1. Marion 3-0, 2. West Liberty 2-1, 3. C.R. Jefferson 1-2, 4. Tripoli 0-3.

C.R. Jefferson def. Tripoli, 21-19, 13-21, 15-11

Marion def. West Liberty, 14-21, 21-18, 15-9

Marion def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-9, 23-21

Marion def. Tripoli, 21-10, 21-12

West Liberty def. C.R. Jefferson, 21-17, 21-17

West Liberty def. Tripoli, 21-9, 21-10

Pool C

Teams — 1. Ankeny Centennial 3-0, 2. Mount Vernon 2-1, 3. Dubuque Hempstead 1-2, 4. Iowa City West 0-3.

Ankeny Centennial def. Mount Vernon, 21-15, 21-6

Ankeny Centennial def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-18, 21-4

Ankeny Centennial def. Iowa City West, 21-12, 21-12

Dubuque Hempstead def. Iowa City West, 22-20, 19-21, 15-10

Mount Vernon def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-10, 21-12

Mount Vernon def. Iowa City West, 21-18, 21-9

Pool D

Teams — 1. West Des Moines Dowling 3-0, 2. Grundy Center 2-1, 3. Linn-Mar 1-2, 4. Des Moines Roosevelt 0-3.

Grundy Center def. Linn-Mar, 21-10, 18-21, 15-5

Grundy Center def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 19-21, 21-7, 15-12

Linn-Mar def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 21-11, 21-12

West Des Moines Dowling def. Grundy Center, 14-21, 21-10, 15-13

West Des Moines Dowling def. Linn-Mar, 21-6, 21-16

West Des Moines Dowling def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 21-8, 21-8

Silver Bracket

Quarterfinals

Tripoli def. Burlington Notre Dame, 25-22, 20-25, 16-14

Linn-Mar def. Iowa City West, 25-23, 25-23

Dubuque Hempstead def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 25-17, 20-25, 15-9

C.R. Jefferson def. C.R. Washington, 25-13, 25-21

Semifinals

Linn-Mar def. Tripoli, 25-22, 25-21

Dubuque Hempstead def. C.R. Jefferson, 25-15, 29-27

Final

Linn-Mar def. Dubuque Hempstead, 25-20, 25-17

Gold Bracket

Quarterfinals

Dike-New Hartford def. West Liberty, 25-18, 25-13

Mount Vernon def. West Des Moines Dowling, 25-17, 25-16

Ankeny Centennial def. Grundy Center, 28-26, 25-22

Marion def. West Delaware, 25-16, 25-17

Semifinals

Dike-New Hartford def. Mount Vernon, 25-18, 25-16

Marion def. Ankeny Centennial, 22-25, 25-18, 18-16

Championship

Dike-New Hartford def. Marion, 25-11, 25-7

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com