The 2021 Iowa high school state volleyball tournament continued Wednesday at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids with the semifinals in all five classes.
Thursday’s championship matches are set.
Class 5A: No. 4 Cedar Falls (32-8) vs. No. 2 Pleasant Valley (32-4), 10 a.m.
Class 4A: No. 1 Western Dubuque (33-3) vs. No. 3 Waverly-Shell Rock (44-7), 12:15 p.m.
Class 3A: No. 4 West Liberty (39-4) vs. No. 2 West Delaware (42-5), 2:30 p.m.
Class 2A: No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (53-1) vs. No. 3 Western Christian (40-5), 4:45 p.m.
Class 1A: No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame (37-8) vs. No. 3 Springville (35-4), 7 p.m.
Find scores, stats, photos full-match replays and complete coverage from Wednesday’s 10 state volleyball semifinal matches below.
State volleyball coverage
» IGHSAU postpones decision on state volleyball tournament location
» Class 5A: Cedar Falls sweeps Johnston, advances to state final
» Class 5A: Pleasant Valley wins epic second set, beats Ankeny to reach state final
» Class 4A: Western Dubuque stifles ‘hiccup,’ returns to the state final
» Class 4A: Waverly-Shell Rock wins emotional state semifinal over North Scott
» Class 3A: Another Macy Daufeldt masterpiece sends West Liberty to state final
» Class 3A: West Delaware returns to state volleyball finals
» Class 2A: Dike-New Hartford posts another dominant win
» Class 2A: Western Christian shows resilient side again in win over Osage
» Class 1A: Springville rolls into championship match with sweep of North Tama
» Class 1A: Gabby Deery returns to the court, Notre Dame returns to the finals
» Monday’s 5A and 4A state volleyball scores, stats and more
» Tuesday’s 3A, 2A and 1A state volleyball scores, stats and more
» Iowa City West’s 2011 ‘Miracle Season’ was even more dramatic than Hollywood portrayed
» Brackets: 2021 pairings, schedule, updated scores for all 5 classes
» Where to eat, what to do in downtown Cedar Rapids
Wednesday’s state volleyball scores
CLASS 5A SEMIFINALS
No. 4 Cedar Falls 3, No. 10 Johnston 0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-18)
They are three things that don’t quite seem to mix.
Cedar Falls. Volleyball. Underdogs.
But that’s how the Tigers saw themselves as they approached the state tournament.
“We weren’t expected to be in the championship match,” Katie Remmert said. “We were kind of the underdogs.”
Now, they’re finalists.
Remmert swatted 16 kills, and the fourth-ranked Tigers swept No. 10 Johnson, 26-14, 25-18, 25-18, in a Class 5A semifinal Wednesday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
“We knew (Johnston was) going to come out strong,” Remmert said. “They fought hard (in a first-round upset of No. 1 Iowa City Liberty), so we had to match their energy.”
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 2 Pleasant Valley 3, No. 3 Ankeny 1 (25-16, 32-30, 15-25, 25-17)
Kora Ruff said it was a set she could not remember experiencing during her four-year career.
In a high-stakes match against Ankeny on Wednesday in the Class 5A state volleyball semifinals, the Spartans came through with an epic, 32-30, win, breaking through on their eighth set point.
“We've never played a set that has gone that far,” said Ruff, Pleasant Valley's senior setter. “It just showed a lot of grit from our girls.”
Now, after finishing off a 25-16, 32-30, 15-25, 25-17 win over the Hawkettes, Ruff and her teammates have a chance to bring home the school's first state volleyball title.
Pleasant Valley's state title dreams in 2020 were dashed in the semifinals by Ankeny. Ruff said that was a huge motivator for the Spartans on Wednesday.
“This was kind of like redemption day for us,” Ruff said. “We lost to Ankeny last year in the semis. We have a lot of girls back who experienced that and it was something we didn't want to experience again.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Western Dubuque 3, No. 5 Marion 1 (25-19, 25-18, 17-25, 25-15)
Their celebratory sticker-placement game could use some work.
“We got too hyped,” Maddie Harris said. “We couldn’t handle the hype.”
Volleyball, though ... the Western Dubuque Bobcats are masters at that.
No. 1 Western Dubuque overcame a self-proclaimed mid-match “hiccup,” and defeated No. 5 Marion in a four-set Class 4A state-tournament semifinal Wednesday afternoon at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Scores were 25-19, 25-18, 17-25 and 25-15.
“We had that hiccup, we ran our quick offense and we got it back,” senior Meredith Bahl said.
The Bobcats (33-3) won their 25th consecutive match and advance to face No. 3 Waverly-Shell Rock (44-7) at 12:15 Friday afternoon, with the 4A title at stake.
Western Dubuque reached the final in 2019, then fell in the semifinals last year.
“It’s nice to be back,” Libby Lansing said.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Waverly-Shell Rock 3, No. 2 North Scott 1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 32-30)
EaVon Woodin was emotional for many reasons, both professionally and personally.
The veteran Waverly-Shell Rock volleyball coach has taken many teams to the state tournament, but they haven't won a title since 2011.
Woodin and her players now have a chance to end that drought.
The Go-Hawks got 18 kills from Avery Beckett and survived an epic back-and-forth final set to post a 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 32-30 win over North Scott in a Class 4A semifinal on Wednesday afternoon at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Woodin's team (44-7) will meet No. 1 Western Dubuque at noon Thursday in the state title match. The Bobcats advanced with a four-set win over Marion.
The victory brought tears of joy for Woodin, in her 41st year of coaching, the last 33 with the Go-Hawks.
“You know, these kids have never given up,” she said of the Go-Hawks’ effort in the fourth set. “We had one free ball where I thought (North Scott) had a chance (to win the set), but it went into the net. The volleyball gods were on our side and we got a chance to come back.
“We've come back a lot of times in many four- and five-set matches, I think all that experience we have had in those matches during the season really helped down here.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
No. 4 West Liberty 3, No. 1 Davenport Assumption 2 (25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 25-23, 16-14)
Think you’re off the hook when Macy Daufeldt goes to the back row?
Think you can relax and exhale?
Think twice.
Daufeldt compiled 37 kills in her second state-tournament masterpiece in 26 hours — a good number of them from behind the 10-foot line — and fourth-ranked West Liberty outlasted No. 1 Davenport Assumption in a five-set Class 3A semifinal shootout Wednesday afternoon at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Scores were 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 25-23 and 16-14.
“I’ve been working on (the back-row attack) a lot lately,” Daufeldt said. “It started out really good this season, then I kind of went through a middle-of-the-year slump.
“I was dipping my shoulder. I wasn’t finishing.”
She certainly finished Wednesday, with eight kills in the final set, including back-to-back points from the pin that sent the Comets (39-4) to the 3A final.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 2 West Delaware 3, No. 6 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1 (25-23, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23)
All Brett Mather asks of his West Delaware volleyball team is they “stay in the moment.”
The Hawks had every opportunity to let that moment slip away in Wednesday's Class 3A state semifinal match with Sergeant Bluff-Luton. West Delaware had control of the fourth set, leading 17-10, only to see the Warriors rip off seven straight points to tie the score.
“We miss a serve then all of the sudden they go on a six-point run to tie the match,” Mather said. “The biggest thing about that was that our minds were still in a good spot. If your minds falter at that point, you are looking at a fifth game.”
The No. 2 Hawks (42-5) even briefly lost the lead, but recovered. A kill from Alivia Schulte finished it off, giving West Delaware a 25-23, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23 win and a spot in Thursday's 2 p.m. final opposite No. 4 West Liberty.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton finishes at 31-6.
“We just had a few miscommunications,” Schulte said of the fourth set slide. “I think it was mostly on us, but they really kept the pressure on us and never let up.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 2A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Dike-New Hartford 3, No. 6 Denver 0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-12)
Among all of the qualities that Dike-New Hartford has, this might be as impressive as any:
Unwavering focus.
There is no complacency, no boredom that you might see from a team that is so dominant.
“They just keep improving,” Coach Diane Harms said. “They were hard all the time on getting better at the little things, adding little new wrinkles.”
If the Wolverines continue to evolve, they’re going to continue to be extremely difficult to beat for a long time.
Top-ranked Dike-New Hartford dusted No. 6 Denver, 25-12, 25-10, 25-12, in a Class 2A semifinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
Peyton Petersen accumulated 37 kills, and the Wolverines (53-1) moved into Thursday’s championship match opposite No. 3 Western Christian (40-5).
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Western Christian 3, No. 9 Osage 1 (25-19, 11-25, 25-22, 25-18)
Fans of Western Christian volleyball got to see both the best and the worst of their team Wednesday.
The Wolfpack came out on fire and won impressively in the first set of their Class 2A semifinal match with No. 9 Osage at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
The second set?
“When we are in system, we're a pretty tough team,” Wolfpack Coach Tammi Veerbeek said. “If we are scrambling, we are not very good and we all saw that out there today.”
Fortunately for Veerbeek and her team, they were able to adjust and recover to post a 25-19, 11-25, 25-22, 25-18 win over the Green Devils (29-10). The Wolfpack (40-5) will meet top-ranked Dike-New Hartford on Thursday at 4 p.m. for the state title.
Western Christian showed its resilient side Tuesday with its rally from down 2-0 to defeat Dyersville Beckman. The Wolfpack didn't need that type of rally against Osage, but they were able to quickly flush the rough second-set performance.
“We were hoping that we could roll them over,” senior Emma Westphal said. “Osage definitely had the fight in the second set. We had to make sure we punched back even harder in the third set.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
CLASS 1A SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Burlington Notre Dame 3, No. 5 Fort Madison Holy Trinity 0 (26-24, 26-24, 27-25)
Where was Gabby Deery?
“All I knew is that she wasn’t on the bench,” Abby Korschgen said. “I didn’t know if they took her to the hospital. I didn’t know if she was in the locker room.”
Before long, she was back on the court. And because of that, Burlington Notre Dame is back in the finals.
Deery smoked 23 kills to lead the top-ranked Nikes past archrival Fort Madison Holy Trinity, 26-24, 26-24, 27-25, in a Class 1A semifinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday night at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
“Definitely a team effort,” Deery said. “Everybody took care of what they had to do. We pulled together and pulled it off.”
A junior and Notre Dame’s top threat at the net, Deery landed on her chin while diving for a ball early in the first set.
“All I saw was the blood on my hand,” she said.
Where was Gabby Deery? Just getting the bleeding stopped and a Band-Aid applied.
The defending 1A champion, Notre Dame (37-8) led 11-9 when Deery exited, trailed 17-14 when she returned.
The Nikes faced a late deficit in all three sets — 23-22 in the first, 24-23 in the second, 24-21 in the third — and got the job done each time.
— Jeff Linder
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
No. 3 Springville 3, No. 12 North Tama 0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-17)
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.”
— Mike Condon
» Full story | Photos | Box score | Watch replay
Western Dubuque's Ella Meyer (1) dives to dig a shot in the 4A state tournament semifinals against Marion on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)
