The 2021 Iowa high school state volleyball tournament continued Tuesday with quarterfinal matches in three classes on Alliant Energy PowerHouse’s two courts: 3A, 2A and 1A.
Follow updates here throughout the day and watch live streams through the IGHSAU Digital Network.
State volleyball coverage
» Monday’s 5A and 4A state volleyball scores, stats and more
» Class 3A: West Delaware’s final statement: ‘We can block, too’
» Class 3A: No. 1 Davenport Assumption fights back to beat Des Moines Christian
» Class 3A: Sergeant Bluff-Luton wins a long first set, and a short match against Sheldon
» Class 3A: West Liberty sweeps Mount Vernon behind Macy Daufeldt’s record 33 kills
» Class 2A: Osage serves — and sweeps — Wilton out of the state volleyball tournament
» Class 2A: Dike-New Hartford looks like the No. 1-ranked team it is in state volleyball opener
» Class 2A: Down 2 sets, Western Christian extends state volleyball semifinal streak
» Class 1A: North Tama claims another top-5 postseason victory
» Class 1A: No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame gets first-set wake-up call, rallies to beat Tri-Center
» Class 1A: Fort Madison Holy Trinity outlasts Janesville in 5
» Class 1A: Springville answers blown lead with convincing victory
» Iowa City West’s 2011 ‘Miracle Season’ was even more dramatic than Hollywood portrayed
» Brackets: 2021 pairings, schedule, updated scores for all 5 classes
» Predictions: Our round-by-round state volleyball picks for all 5 classes
» Capsules: A closer look at the 10 Gazette area qualifiers
» Where to eat, what to do in downtown Cedar Rapids
Tuesday’s state volleyball scores
CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS
No. 2 West Delaware 3, No. 7 Unity Christian 1 (25-18, 25-16, 20-25, 26-24)
West Delaware found itself between a block and a hard place.
Unity Christian had become a wall at the net. Once up two sets to none, the second-ranked Hawks were in serious danger of heading to a who-knows-what-will-happen Game 5.
“I was definitely a little nervous,” libero Ella Koloc said.
Then, the Hawks turned to their own blocking game, erased a 24-21 fourth-set deficit and finished off a Class 3A state-quarterfinal victory, 25-18, 25-16, 20-25, 26-24, at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Hawks Coach Brett Mather said. “They battled.
“But I think they’ve got more in the tank.”
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 1 Davenport Assumption 3, No. 8 Des Moines Christian 2 (20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-12)
Sometimes a team needs a coach to raise their voice and get after them a bit.
After her team lost the first two sets to Des Moines Christian in Tuesday's Class 3A state quarterfinal, Bre Scherler had to let her Davenport Assumption team have it.
“We did get yelled at,” junior Lily VanSeveren said. “Sometimes people just need to get yelled at to know they have to get up and play.
“She yelled at us in a good way, not a bad way,. It gave us so much motivation. We came out with more energy in the third set and after we won that set, it helped us to win the next two.”
Whatever Scherler said worked. The top-ranked Knights fought back to post a 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-12 victory at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 6 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 3, No. 3 Sheldon 0 (31-29, 25-15, 25-23)
Yes, the match was three of five sets.
Much was determined in the first one.
Sixth-ranked Sergeant Bluff-Luton emerged from a marathon opener and went on to sweep No. 3 Sheldon, 31-29, 25-15, 25-23, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
“(The first set) was huge,” SBL Coach Renee Winkel said. “Sometimes (the players) and I don’t agree on how to play. They like to make it dramatic.
“The closer the score, the more pumped they get.”
So the Warriors (31-6) were plenty pumped in the opener. They got down 5-0 and 11-4, then started to edge their way back.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton took its first lead at 20-19, then held a 23-20 advantage before Sheldon (27-6) countered.
The Warriors had four set points, the Orabs three. Finally, Sergeant Bluff-Luton strung together three straight points — on kills by Payton Hardy, Addy Mosier and Alexa Trover — to claim the set.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 4 West Liberty 3, No. 5 Mount Vernon 0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-21)
West Liberty Coach Ruben Galvan's demeanor never changes much on the sidelines, no matter the score.
His players were the same on the floor.
Galvan's Comets saved their best play for the end of each set, closing strong in each to down Mount Vernon, 28-26, 26-24, 25-21, in a Class 3A state quarterfinal match on Tuesday afternoon at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
West Liberty fought off a pair of set points in the second and rallied from a 16-10 deficit in the third to secure the sweep.
“That's been the way we've been all season,” Galvan said. “I give a lot of credit to the seniors. They have been really good leaders throughout the year and the younger kids believe in them.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS
No. 9 Osage 3, No. 2 Wilton 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-22)
Surely they saw something.
Something on tape. A hint. A clue.
Right?
“We didn’t watch any film,” Claudia Aschenbrenner said. “We’re not a big film team.”
The Osage Green Devils don’t go by film. They go by feel. And after their match Tuesday, they felt pretty darn good.
No. 9 Osage served 14 aces and swept No. 2 Wilton, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22, in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon.
“Last year, we were the big dogs. This year, we’re the underdogs,” Aschbrenner said. “Our motto is to reload, not to rebuild.”
Last year’s Class 3A state champion, Osage (29-9) advances to the semifinal round.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 1 Dike-New Hartford 3, No. 10 South Hardin 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-13)
Sometimes the toughest thing for a team to do when it is a prohibitive favorite is play like one.
That was not the case for Dike-New Hartford on Tuesday in its Class 2A state quarterfinal matchup with South Hardin.
The top-ranked Wolverines, whose only loss of the year came to Class 5A No. 1 Iowa City Liberty, began defense of their state title with an impressive 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 victory at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Dike-New Hartford has all its starters back from last year's state tournament team and it looked the part of a favorite from the beginning. Sophom*ore Payton Petersen, who had 17 kills in the match, said her team wasn't about to look past its opposition.
“We've been that way all year,” she said. “Each game, we just focus on taking it one point at a time while making sure we know what our opponents want to do and what we need to take care of on our side as well.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 6 Denver 3, No. 4 Boyden-Hull 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-17)
They have come a little closer each time.
Now the Denver Cyclones have the chance they wanted.
Three of No. 6 Denver’s seven losses this season have come to North Iowa Cedar League rival and defending Class 2A state champion Dike-New Hartford.
With its 25-17, 25-21, 25-17 win over No. 4 Boyden-Hull on Tuesday in a Class 2A quarterfinal at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Denver has earned one final shot this season at the top-ranked Wolverines.
“If there is one to win, this would be it,” sophom*ore hitter Jessica Gergen said.
Gergen and her teammates were impressive in earning their spot opposite Dike-New Hartford, which defeated the Cyclones in three sets to in last year's title match.
“Being here last year helped,” Denver Coach Jamie Johnson said. “The three matches we played here were an incredible experience for us. With six starters back, we were ready today.”
The state experience showed most whenever Boyden-Hull (28-6) made big moves in the first two sets.
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Western Christian 3, No. 7 Dyersville Beckman 2 (24-26, 17-25, 25-13, 25-22, 15-12)
There was an ultimatum.
“It’s up to you. Do you want to keep playing volleyball with your friends, or do you want to be done?”
And there was a Lion King reference.
“Remember who you are.”
Both offcourt comments came from Western Christian volleyball coach Tammi Veerbeek with her team facing a two-set deficit.
The Wolfpack remembered. They wanted to keep playing. And they extended an incomprehensible streak of volleyball success.
Third-ranked Western rallied past No. 7 Dyersville Beckman in a Class 2A quarterfinal, 24-26, 17-25, 25-13, 25-22, 15-12, at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday afternoon.
“They refused to be done,” Veerbeek said after the Wolfpack (39-5) won their 30th consecutive match.
That’s not the most startling streak they continued. They advanced to the state semifinals for the 21st consecutive year.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 1A QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame 3, No. 14 Tri-Center 1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-14)
Somebody forgot to tell the Tri-Center Trojans they were playing the defending Class 1A state champion.
Coach Amy Wingert's team took it right to No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame in the first set of Tuesday night's state quarterfinal match at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse, winning 25-23.
That was all the wake-up call the Nikes needed.
Coach Mike Davis' team rebounded with renewed vigor in the final three sets and went on to post a 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-14 victory over the No. 14 Trojans.
Notre Dame (36-8) remained unbeaten against 1A competition and advanced to a semifinal contest Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Tri-Center, making its first state trip since 2018, closes at 27-11.
“Hey, every team that gets here is good,” Davis said. “That said, they came out aggressive and we came out flat. We looked like we didn't know how to play for a while and we battled and were almost able to win the game anyway.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 12 North Tama 3, No. 2 Le Mars Gehlen 2 (24-26, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11)
Make it two top-five postseason upsets for the North Tama Redhawks.
Which brings up a legitimate question:
Are they truly upsets?
“When we play our best, we’re one of the top teams here,” libero Kaitlyn Calderwood said.
Nobody has proven her wrong yet.
No. 12 North Tama continued to play far above its ranking, outlasting No. 2 Le Mars Gehlen a five-set Class 1A quarterfinal thriller, 24-26, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11, at the state volleyball tournament Tuesday night at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
“We believe we’re better than our ranking,” Calderwood said. “We had some rough losses that hurt us earlier, but we’ve come out of that.”
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 5 Fort Madison Holy Trinity 3, No. 10 Janesville 2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 15-8)
It certainly didn't come easy.
There were ups and downs, but in the end No. 5 Fort Madison Holy Trinity found its way into the Class 1A state volleyball semifinals.
Coach Melissa Freesmeier's team found a way, battling to a 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 15-8 win over No. 10 Janesville on Tuesday night at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
The two teams have met before at state and Freesmeier said Tuesday night’s battle was nothing new.
“Janesville had been a nemesis of ours for a long time,” she said. “We knew that both teams would fight hard. I really didn't want to go five, but it beat the alternative.
“It was just a great match by both teams.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Springville 3, No. 11 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1 (25-23, 25-23, 24-26, 25-16)
His team had blown a big lead with an opportunity to sweep the match.
Claude Howard wasn’t fearful, just frustrated.
“It wasn’t necessarily an uh-oh moment. More, I was disappointed that we had gone into some soft play,” said Howard, volleyball coach at Springville High School.
It didn’t last.
The third-ranked Orioles followed with their best play of the night and finished off No. 11 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 25-23, 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, in a Class 1A quarterfinal at the state tournament Tuesday night.
Molly Stamp had five of her team-high 11 kills in the fourth set to lead a balanced attack, and the Orioles (34-4) advanced to Wednesday’s semifinal round.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
West Delaware’s Alivia Schulte (9) hits the ball past Unity Christian’s Jenna Bouma (10) and Molly Zylstra (11) during the Iowa High School Class 3A State Volleyball Championship quarterfinals at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)
