Quick Thoughts, Initial Look at Iowa State Tournament (3A-4A-5A)
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The stage is set for Class 3A through Class 5A with Class 1A and 2A playing their regional finals tonight. I love brackets, schedules, pairings, the storylines – state tournament time is a season in itself. Here are some of…
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Continue ReadingThe stage is set for Class 3A through Class 5A with Class 1A and 2A playing their regional finals tonight. I love brackets, schedules, pairings, the storylines – state tournament time is a season in itself. Here are some of my thoughts on the pairings and potential storylines to watch heading into the state quarterfinals for Class 3A, 4A, and 5A.
Class 5A
City Match Ups
We have West Des Moines Dowling Catholic vs. West Des Moines Valley. At the other end of the bracket, we have Ankeny vs. Ankeny Centennial. If this were any other state, we would never see these matchups at the state tournament. Most state associations will draw lines with no regard for talent level of teams within those lines. Dowling Catholic is the top seed, but Valley has state tournament experience and a setter/right side in Kaelyn Weiland who can make a lot of plays happen as a setter and right side. Finley McAndrew also has plenty of assists for the Tigers. Ankeny will be a dangerous matchup for Centennial. With a healthy lineup, they have big point scorers from pin to pin, they also have a top libero in Class 5A with Auburn commit Baileigh Carlson. Kamryn Scheib has had a huge season on the outside as well with nearly 300 kills and 200 digs.
When its teams who know each other this well, flip a coin with the outcome. The momentum is dangerous and all it takes is a quick run to get going. Valley was a Cinderella story last year in the tournament and swept Ankeny as a much lower seed to advance to the final four.
Central Iowa vs. Everyone
We have Ankeny, Ankeny Centennial, Dowling, Johnston, Valley, and Waukee Northwest. Cedar Falls and Pleasant Valley from the East. Cedar Falls is back after getting knocked out last season in the regionals and PV is back with a relatively young squad who escaped a five set thriller against Dubuque Senior. Valley spoiled the Johnston run to state in 2022 while Cedar Falls was upset by Urbandale. Let the redemption tour continue.
Class 4A
They’re Back
Clear Creek-Amana, Indianola, Marion, North Scott, and Xavier are all back. CCA, North Scott, and Xavier are all returning from the final four with Xavier as the defending champs. CCA got hot at the end of the season and used that momentum to propel their squad to a state runner up finish. Xavier has quietly returned as a top team in the state again. They have a roster full of athletes who have a lot of experience in multiple state events. CCA is the favorite, but North Scott and Indianola are so talented as well. North Scott has three losses in the past month that have come to the hands of Xavier and CCA. Let the battle begin.
Central Iowa Sleepers…and what about Lewis Central?
ADM and Norwalk will be coming out of Central Iowa and Lewis Central from the Western side of the state. ADM has a solid record with a well balanced attack which will be key to any of their success. Norwalk has been battle tested. Norwalk has eight losses to state tournament teams and broke through to the state tournament with a 3-2 marathon win over North Polk. Watch out for Lewis Central. Their only two losses are to Ankeny Centennial and Hinton, top teams in their respective classes. They have dominated Western Iowa and are ready to take on the reigning champions.
Class 3A
Got a game, got a chance. There are four teams who I could make a case for why they will win a state title. Mount Vernon has the best player in the Class 3A field in Louisville commit Chloe Meester Chloe Meester OH Mount Vernon | 2025 State #37 Nation IA . She gets her kills, but has a solid team that is incredibly disciplined around her that allows them to be so dominant.
Assumption and Des Moines Christian had a wild five setter two years ago in the quarterfinals where Assumption came back from two sets down to reverse sweep Des Moines Christian. There will be a ton of firepower between these two teams. Fresno State commit, Gabby Lombardi Gabby Lombardi 5'11" | RS Des Moines Christian | 2024 State IA and junior right side and setter Hadley Hardersen Hadley Hardersen 5'11" | S Des Moines Christian | 2025 State IA have been huge all season for the Lions.
The bottom half of the bracket is a bit bizarre. Not in a bad way, but in a “I can’t wait to see what happens” sort of way. Cherokee is the only team in Class 3A to defeat Western Christian. They advanced with a 3-2 win over MOC Floyd Valley. Cherokee’s matchup with Union is dangerous for the Braves. Union is returning to the state tournament and has plenty of volleyball tradition on their side. They have 38 wins and have faced some of the top teams through all classes. They are accustomed to big three out of five set matches competing in the NICL who has the likes of Dike-New Hartford, Grundy Center, Denver, and Sumner-Fred to name a few.
Western Christian is accustomed to being a top seed, or among the top seeds in the state tournament, however that was when they were in 2A. However, different class, same results – Western plays top teams in Iowa, but also has a schedule loaded with top teams from Omaha and Sioux Falls. They will take on Center Point-Urbana who has one of the top right sides in the state with outside Sydney Maue Sydney Maue RS Mount Vernon | 2025 State IA who is only a junior.