Springville rolls into Class 1A state volleyball championship match with sweep of North Tama

No. 3 Orioles end 12th-ranked Redhawks’ run, will face top-ranked Burlington Notre Dame for title

Mike Condon

Nov. 3, 2021 7:48 pm

Springville players get emotional after defeating North Tama and advancing to the championships during the Iowa High School Class 1A State Volleyball Championship semifinals at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Up to this point, North Tama had been the unit top-five teams didn't want to see.

Entering Wednesday's Class 1A state semifinal with No. 3 Springville, the No. 14 Redhawks had taken out No. 4 Lisbon in the regional finals and No. 2 Le Mars Gehlen in the state quarterfinals.

Springville was having none of that.

Coach Claude Howard's Orioles dominated from start to finish, rolling to a 25-10, 25-12, 25-17 victory Wednesday night at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

Springville (35-4) will play in a state title match for the first time in school history Thursday at 6 p.m. against No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame, which swept Fort Madison Holy Trinity in straight sets.

North Tama finishes at 31-11.

“It's just crazy to think we would be that dominant,” Springville junior setter Nia Howard said. “Of course we wanted to sweep them, but we knew we could possibly lose a game or two, but we were ready.”

» Photo gallery: Springville vs. North Tama in state volleyball tournament

Springville Coach Claude Howard credited his players for doing their homework and following the scouting report.

“We feel like we did a good job of game planning,” he said. “We beat North Tama earlier in the year and obviously we watched them yesterday. The kids have done a good job all year of following the plan, watching film and being prepared to play.

“(North Tama's) serve receive was definitely not as strong as I thought it might be and we took advantage of that.”

Nia Howard is one of the top setters in Class 1A. She had 26 assists in the semifinal victory, but was quick to deflect the credit to her teammates.

“I'm just so proud of how well this team works together,” she said. “We have so much chemistry together and it shows on the court.”

Senior hitter Lauren Wilson, who led the offense with nine kills, said she wasn't surprised with her team's dominance.

“I would have believed it,” she said about the impressive sweep. “I have full trust in everybody on this team. We're rolling, we have momentum and I think we can win it all.”

Jadyn Rausch led North Tama with eight kills.