Iowa high school state volleyball 2024: Wednesday schedule, score updates, live streams

The Gazette’s recap of the Iowa state high school volleyball tournament semifinal games at Xtream Arena in Coralville with scores, stats and links for complete coverage.

Class 5A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Pleasant Valley 3, No. 4 West Des Moines Dowling 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23)

Top-ranked Pleasant Valley (34-2) came back from an 18-9 hole in Game 3 to close out a Class 5A semifinal.

On the verge of extending the game, Dowling (26-10) blocked seemingly everything in Game 3 on his way to a seemingly commanding lead.

Isabelle Kremer picked up a pair of kills immediately after the Spartans’ second timeout, and the rally was underway.

Still, Dowling led 21-18 and 22-19 before the Spartans pulled off a final, triumphant push.

Setter Carsyn Kelley managed her second kill of the match to tie the score, 22-22. After Ellie Muller’s kill put Dowling back in the lead, the Spartans scored the final three points.

Kremer led all attackers with 16 kills. Kelley dished out 30 assists; Olivia Hoskins posted 17 digs.

– Jeff Linder

» Full story: Massive comeback in the third set completes a sweep for Pleasant Valley

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

No. 6 Waukee Northwest 3, No. 2 Ankeny Centennial 2 (25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 23-25, 18-16)

Piper Ladwig’s kill moved Northwest to match point in the fifth set. On the next point, freshman Avery Cordes dropped a beautiful dump shot behind the Centennial defense to cap off the win.

The win puts the defending 5A champions (28-9) back in the championship game.

The Wolves started strong winning the first two sets, but saw their passing fall apart at times in the next two sets before they had enough to take the win.

“I’m just so proud of these girls,” Northwest Coach Jodi Vogt said. “We knew this was going to be a battle. They played at their highest potential and that’s what you want at this time of year.”

Logan Vogt led the winners with 17 kills. Ladwig added 10. Jaeden Pratt and Delaney Miller each had 21 kills for Centennial, which finishes 32-5.

–Mike Condon

» Full story: Waukee Northwest battles back to the 5A state championship game

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

Class 4A state volleyball semifinals

No. 5 Pella 3, No. 12 Sergeant Bluff-Luton 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-23)

Katie Scheckel is one of those combo players. A setter and a hitter. She was good for the last two points: one as a setter, the other as an attacker.

Pella rolled through the first two sets, but found herself trailing 23-22 in the third.

Brooke Schulte’s kill put the Dutchman (41-7) all-square at 23-23, after which it was Scheckel’s clutch time.

Her second-ball dump kill found the floor, putting Pella on match point.

“The (defensive specialists) were yelling that it was open,” Scheckel said.

Scheckel followed with a kill to the right to put it away.

The junior finished the match with 16 kills, 20 assists and 10 digs.

– Jeff Linder

» Full story: Katie Scheckel’s clutch games send Pella to the 4A state title game

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

No. 2 Sioux City Heelan 3, No. 3 North Scott 0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-21)

Sioux City Heelan (43-3) dug out of a 9-0 hole in the third set to complete a sweep of North Scott.

“It was just crazy,” Heelan junior hitter Ava Lloyd said of the third-set rally. “It’s clear that a start like that can damage your self-confidence a bit. We knew we were capable of coming back and we just pushed and pushed and made it happen.”

North Scott, which finishes 30-6, also had chances in each of the first two sets, but saw the Crusaders prevail in both cases.

Lloyd led the Crusaders with 14 kills. Maliyah Hacker added 13 kills and 11 digs. McKenzie Moeller led the Lancers with 18 kills. Abbey Hayes had twelve.

–Mike Condon

» Full story: Heelan builds confidence in North Scott semifinal

» Photo gallery | Watch the replay

Class 3A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Mount Vernon 3, No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-17)

Highest ranked Mount Vernon was simply surgical, especially in the early stages of the match, overwhelming No. 4 Dubuque Wahlert.

The Mustangs hit an astonishing .600 in the first set and didn’t cool off much after that. They were that good.

“That’s crazy,” Mount Vernon coach Maggie Willems said. “You’re not hitting .600 at the state tournament, are you? Our ball control was so good.”

Sydney Maue, who heads to Arkansas next year, led the Mustangs with 13 kills.

Mount Vernon’s final return was a glowing .420: 43 kills in 88 swings, against six errors. The Mustangs didn’t have a single error in their first 29 attacks.

Meester added 11 kills, Paige Schurbon six, Sophia Meester five, Cali Whitaker and Sydney Huber four apiece.

– Jeff Linder

» Full story: Mount Vernon earns another shot at a state title

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

No. 2 West Christian 3, No. 3 West Delaware 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-14)

For Western Christian Coach Tammi Veerbeek, the best part about playing Western Delaware the Class 3A state volleyball tournament semifinal was all about geography and a lack of familiarity.

“(On Tuesday) it was an emotional game because of the location of the two schools,” she said of the Wolfpack’s epic five-set win over neighboring Sioux Center. “Today there was just a feeling of peace. That’s nothing against West Delaware, they’re a good team. But I just felt like we were going to play really well today.”

Veerbeek’s feeling was correct. No. 2 Western Christian (33-13) was in control from the jump and earned another trip to a state championship game.

Western Christian will be looking for its third straight title.

No. No. 3 West Delaware (39-7) could never get a consistent offense going on Wednesday.

Scarlett Winterfeld was one of three Wolfpack players with double-digit kill totals. She had fourteen, Sidney Bilek had twelve and Morgan Kooiman added eleven. Hannah Cantwell led West Delaware with nine kills.

–Mike Condon

» Full story: Western Christian keeps West Delaware off pace in the semifinals

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

Class 2A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Denver 3, No. 4 Dike-New Hartford 0 (25-12, 25-19, 26-24)

Give Denver Coach Jamie Johnson an “A” for honesty.

“I think this was a little extra special,” Johnson said.

It couldn’t be anything other than that.

Dike-New Hartford had controlled the cyclones – and virtually everyone else in the state – for many, many years. To break through, on this stage… yes, a little extra special.

“We were super excited to beat them,” junior Mylee Thurm said.

Grace Mullihan and Thurm were the difference in the middle. The duo combined for 17 kills, no attack errors and a kill efficiency of .567, plus 7 1/2 blocks.

– Jeff Linder

» Full story: Denver is climbing out of the long shadow of Dike-New Hartford

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

No. 2 Eddyville EBF 3, No. 3 Dyersville Beckman 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19)

Dyersville Beckman was the unlucky team on the other side of the net as Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Molly Shafer put together one of the best individual offensive performances in state tournament history.

The 6-foot-1 senior had a Class 2A tournament record 41 kills.

“She’s as good as I’ve seen,” Beckman coach Todd Troutman said of Shafer. ‘I’ve seen a lot of them and she has all the pictures. I didn’t think we played bad at all, but we just didn’t have an answer for her.”

–Mike Condon

» Full story: EBF’s Molly Shafer sets a 2A state volleyball record with 41 kills

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

Class 1A state volleyball semifinals

No. 1 Ankeny Christian 3, No. 4 Oakland Riverside 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-18)

Led by its big, small school setter, Ankeny Christian, the two-time defending Class 1A state champion, topped No. 4 Oakland Riverside.

“It’s crazy to think it’s almost over,” said dynamic senior setter Katie Quick. “We hope to end it on a good note.”

Quick, a Drake University commit, posted 13 kills and 25 assists. She is the state leader in aces with 119, having won that title in each of her four years (she has served 482 winners in her career).

Katie had just one ace on Wednesday, but the Eagles had 12. They ran away from a 14-14 tie in Game 2 and then stormed back from a 15-14 deficit in the final.

– Jeff Linder

» Full story: Ankeny Christian is one step away from its third straight championship

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay

No. 6 Conrad BCLUW 3, No. 7 Janesville 0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19)

The Comets made their state tournament debut last year and lost in the semifinals. Now they are going one step further in 2024.

Janesville closed the gap in all three sets, but BCLUW had the answer when it was needed.

“I felt like we stayed calm when things got tight,” BCLUW coach Megan Yantis said. “That has been a quality of this team all season.”

Grace Farnsworth led the Comets with 15 kills. Hayden Anderson led Janesville (25-17) with nine.

–Mike Condon

» Full story: BCLUW advances to its first state championship game

» Photo gallery | Latest statistics | Watch the replay