What2Watch4: 5A Regional Finals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's come down to this: 16 teams in Iowa's largest classification will compete during Tuesday night's regional finals. Win, and it's on to next week's state tournament in Coralville. The alternative is more scary than Halloween to think about. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some key story lines and matchups to watch: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CLASS 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cinderella</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yes, it's a tired analogy, but I'm going with it. Welcome to the dance, Bettendorf. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs were the only road team to win during the regional semifinals. In fact, in the 16 matches played in that round, all of them were sweeps with the exception of Liberty's 3-1 victory against Dubuque Senior and the Bulldogs' 3-0 triumph at Cedar Rapids Prairie. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bettendorf (18-15) will hop on I-80 again Tuesday, when it'll be at Waukee (17-14). The Bulldogs last reached the state tournament in 2015, and Waukee's most recent trip was in '19. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The teams met once this season. Bettendorf won, 2-1, on Aug. 31 at the Ankeny Centennial Invite. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs are a scrappy bunch that relies on a deep rotation. [player_tooltip player_id='474884' first='Peyton' last='Nagle'] (159 Kills), Makenna Miller (156), Dylan Harn (142), [player_tooltip player_id='454218' first='Nina' last='Wade'] (116) and [player_tooltip player_id='179121' first='Adalyn' last='Galbraith'] (103) lead a balanced attack engineered by setter Kelsi Smith (413 assists). [player_tooltip player_id='569671' first='Logan' last='Ramstack'] (224 digs) stands out in the back row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the Warriors, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='443092' first='Malia' last='Rogers'] (204 kills, 105 digs, 29.0 blocks) has one of the highest ceilings in the state. She's surrounded by other talented student-athletes like [player_tooltip player_id='455721' first='Stella' last='Braddock'] (170 kills), [player_tooltip player_id='500115' first='Maggie' last='Craig'] (162 kills), [player_tooltip player_id='443125' first='Liv' last='Davis'] (580 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='498752' first='Allie' last='Ruddy'] (200 digs). No one in the group is a senior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LITMUS TEST</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indianola's 37 wins are the most in 5A. It's facing West Des Moines Valley, the squad with the second fewest victories of schools still alive. The Tigers' 14 wins are one more than Iowa City West. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley at Indianola might look like a mismatch on paper, but folks that follow the sport know better. Bound.com metrics rank the Tigers' schedule as the sixth most difficult in the state, which is fueled by playing in its most competitive conference (CIML). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Indianola is 11th in schedule strength, it's the only 5A program in the Little Hawkeye Conference. It's a good league, but not as challenging as the CIML. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To Indianola's credit, it played difficult non-conference matches, including a 3-2 loss to 5A power Ankeny Centennial. Indianola defeated Valley, 21-19, 21-16, on Oct. 19 at the Johnston tournament. It also topped Cedar Falls at that event, and lost to Johnston and Waukee. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley has reached the state tournament the last two seasons with records around .500. The Tigers benefited from facing difficult opponents almost every time out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='261075' first='Kaelyn' last='Wieland'] gives Valley one of the state's top all-around performers. Thia Raridon is dangerous on the outside, and [player_tooltip player_id='517919' first='Brooklyn' last='Brown'] is a two-way net presence. The Tigers also claim two excellent underclassmen in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='443086' first='Brynn' last='Cibula'] and Myla Rude, a freshman. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indianola is trying to return to Coralville after falling in last year's 4A final against North Scott. It won't be easy against jumping up in class and facing a gritty squad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The moment shouldn't be too big with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='215466' first='Aspen' last='Nelsen'], [player_tooltip player_id='215470' first='Camryn' last='Overton'], [player_tooltip player_id='215469' first='Maci' last='Lerseth'], [player_tooltip player_id='215468' first='Makenzie' last='Sloan'], Josie McGraw, and Dana Blake leading the way for Indianola. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='493609' first='Madison' last='Grover'] is a rising star. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MVC SUPREMECY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only one regional final pits two teams from the same league against each other. Cedar Falls will play host to Mississippi Valley Conference foe Iowa City Liberty. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They competed in different MVC divisions, so they were not scheduled to play during the regular season. The Tigers won a 2-0 decision against Liberty at the Xavier tournament on Oct. 15, however. [player_tooltip player_id='215408' first='Grace' last='Hannam'], [player_tooltip player_id='523167' first='Natalie' last=''] Schmadeke and [player_tooltip player_id='389853' first='Kennedy' last='Krecklow'] each pounded out nine kills to lead the way. [player_tooltip player_id='261058' first='Brynn' last='Bakula'] handed out 27 assists, and [player_tooltip player_id='389010' first='Annistyn' last='Wedgbury'] came up with six digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='215429' first='Asta' last='Hildebrand'] stands out all around the court for the Lightning, and [player_tooltip player_id='316419' first='Edie' last='Miller'] is a wall in the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='497594' first='Lucy' last='Maassen'], [player_tooltip player_id='316380' first='Hadley' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='273001' first='Ellie' last='Wilson'] also are experienced producers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams are evenly matched, making it a tough one to call. It could come down to how well Liberty handles Hannam, who can take over a match as a two-way star.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QUICK SETS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Centennial, which plays host to Urbandale Tuesday, is seeking its fifth state appearance in a row. More impressively, the Jaguars (30-4) would reach the tournament for the 11th time in the school's 12 years of existence. They're led by a veteran group that includes [player_tooltip player_id='215464' first='Delaney' last='Miller'], [player_tooltip player_id='215425' first='Jaeden' last='Pratt'] and Mia-Lei-Butters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-A sixth consecutive tournament berth is on the line when Pleasant Valley plays host to Linn-Mar. The Spartans (31-2) are powered by Prep Dig's top '26 prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='243182' first='Isabelle' last='Kremer'], who has plenty of help. [player_tooltip player_id='508627' first='Stella' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='490015' first='Mazie' last='Sweers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215760' first='Gabriella' last='Ragins'] are all-state-level performers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Ankeny (35-4) has advanced to state in 20 of the last 22 seasons. The Hawks would make it six trips in a row with a win against visiting Iowa City High. [player_tooltip player_id='215465' first='Reagan' last='Hanfelt'] (MH) and [player_tooltip player_id='207016' first='Baileigh' last='Carlsen'] (L), among the top players at their respective positions, lead the home team. Keep an eye on the matchup between Hanfelt and Little Hawk sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='493658' first='Hattie' last='Galloway'] in the middle. That should be a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-The longest current streak for consecutive state tournament appearances belongs to Dowling Catholic (24-9). The Maroons shoot for 13 years in a row when Iowa City West visits West Des Moines. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='189864' first='Annalise' last='Grant'] (L), [player_tooltip player_id='215728' first='Kate' last='Nelson'] (MH) and [player_tooltip player_id='215412' first='Ella' last='Rogers'] (S) along with breakout sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='500340' first='Kaylie' last='Klein'] will make it tough on the Trojans. West's [player_tooltip player_id='360642' first='Sophia' last='Austen'] is Prep Dig's top-ranked player in '27. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Defending 5A champion Waukee Northwest missed the state tournament in '21, it's first year of existence, but has made it the last two seasons. The Wolves will go for three in a row against visiting Sioux City East. They're led by a youthful core that includes [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'], [player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'], [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'], [player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'], [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'] and [player_tooltip player_id='545971' first='Avery' last='Cordes']. The Black Raiders would clinch their first-ever trip to state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->