Cedar Rapids Xavier advances to state volleyball tournament for the 8th straight year

CEDAR RAPIDS — Graduation couldn’t stop this streak. Neither could a coaching change.

Veterans and relative newbies contributed alike, and third-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier whipped Waverly-Shell Rock in a straight-set Class 4A volleyball regional final Tuesday night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

Scores were 25-11, 25-14 and 25-19.

“I’m really excited, for sure,” setter Molly Garrison said. “This is the first time I’ve played in one of these.”

She wasn’t alone.

First-year head coach Amy Weiland utilized a rotation of eight players. Only three of them were key members of last year’s 4A state-championship team.

“It’s our eighth in a row, but it’s my first,” said libero Carissa Timmerman, whose passing helped ignite a balanced, dominant hitting attack. “I was really excited, but I told myself I had to contain my nerves.

“Libby (Fandel) kept me calm. She’s good at that.”

As Timmerman pointed out, the Saints (24-6) advance to the state tournament for the eighth consecutive year. They’ll face No. 6 Lewis Central (31-2) in the first round at 6:25 p.m. Monday at Xtream Arena, Coralville.

“It means a lot,” Weiland said. “This team has really been outstanding. This program that (former coach) Austin (Filer) left us, it works for everybody.”

Xavier was superior from the start. Timmerman served three aces and Fandel walloped a pair of kills in a match-opening, tone-setting 6-0 run.

“Our passing was really good tonight,” said Fandel, a first-team all-stater in both volleyball and basketball. “We were able to get it to every single hitter.”

Weiland concurred.

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“Our middles were huge tonight,” she said. “Our passing was phenomenal, so we were able to move the ball around. Typically, you don’t have that kind of luxury.”

But when you do, it’s major trouble for the opposition, no matter the level.

The Saints finished with an astonishing 49-18 advantage in kills. Fandel led with 18, followed by eight apiece from Taylor Rexroth, Carley Jonker and Ava Van Berkum. Ava Turner had seven.

Garrison ran the show with 45 assists.

“We didn’t play nervous,” Garrison said. “We played to win.”

Xavier sailed to leads of 13-3 and 17-4 in the opening set.

Waverly-Shell Rock (17-27) scored the first two points in Game 2, but the Saints answered with eight of the next nine.

In Game 3, the Go-Hawks tallied the first two, then Xavier rattled off seven in a row.

Cedar Rapids Xavier 3, Waverly-Shell Rock 0

(25-11, 25-14, 25-19)

Class 4A Regional Final, at C.R. Xavier

Serving: WSR 44-47 (.936), Xavier 67-73 (.918)

Aces: WSR 2 (Maddie Leary, Emma Thompson), Xavier 9 (Carissa Timmerman 4)

Kills: WSR 18 (Kennedy Weichers 8), Xavier 49 (Libby Fandel 18)

Assists: WSR 12 (Sydney Bienemann 10), Xavier 46 (Molly Garrison 45)

Blocks: WSR 3 (Emma Thompson 2), Xavier 3 (three with 1)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com