The Iowa high school state championship has concluded with five teams winning a title. Cedar Falls took home their first-ever state title over West Des Moines Valley while most other teams had won a title previously.
5A – Cedar Falls Tigers
- Cedar Falls def. West Des Moines Valley 3-0, (25-21, 25-19, 25-16)
- Box Score
Cedar Falls picked up their first-ever Iowa state tournament title with a three-set sweep over West Des Moines Valley. The Tigers returned all of their players from last season and accomplished a school record with their 43 wins on the season. Another huge feat the Tigers achieved was not losing a match or set since September to win 51 straight sets.
Claire Gerdes led the way with 10 kills on a .300 hitting percentage. The balanced offense translated to Akacia Brown who had nine kills, Grace Burken with eight and Taylor Lynch added another seven. Setter Tayah Mahi was just shy of a double-double with 24 assists and nine digs while Abby Hendrickson picked up a match-best 11 digs.
5A All-Tournament Team
- Cynthia Wolf – Cedar Falls
- Olivia Curry – West Des Moines Valley
- Devyn Robinson – Ankeny Centennial
- Megan Renner – Linn-Mar
- Taylor Lynch – Cedar Falls
- Madi Kubik – West Des Moines Valley
- Tayah Mahi – Cedar Falls (captain)
4A – Dubuque Wahlert
- Dubuque Wahlert def. Sergent Bluff-Luton 3-2, (23-25, 25-7, 25-16, 19-25, 15-8)
- Box Score
Dubuque Wahlert repeated their 4A state title run this year with a thrilling five-set battle over a resilient Sergent Bluff-Luton team. Dubuque now has 18 volleyball state titles. They returned five players from their championship run last season.
Aliyah Carter was the shining star for Dubuque in the win with 34 kills on a .357 hitting percentage and 14 digs for a double-double. Setter Jenna Gremmel dished out 58 assists and 15 digs for a double-double of her own while Krystal Tranel picked up 27 digs along with Maddie Mccarron‘s 10. Mykenna Horchak added another 18 kills in the win while Anna Sherman recorded 10 kills.
4A All-Tournament Team
- Krystal Tranel – Dubuque Wahlert
- Madison Harms – Sergeant Bluff-Luton
- Kat Poore – Lewis Central
- Charlotte Richards – Cedar Rapids Xavier
- Jenna Gremmel – Dubuque Wahlert
- Kylee Christensen – Sergeant Bluff-Luton
- Aliyah Carter – Dubuque Wahlert (captain)
3A – Waterloo Columbus Catholic
- Waterloo Columbus Catholic def. Sioux Center 3-0, (25-21, 25-20, 25-21)
- Box Score
Waterloo made their third straight appearance in the state tournament and their first in 3A after being in 2A last year. They made a statement in their new class by taking the state title over Sioux Center in straight sets for their first title in program history. Last season in 2A, they were the state runners-up and returned three players from that team.
For Waterloo, Anna Sinnott led the way with 24 kills and 11 digs for a double-double while Avery Kroll posted another 11 in the win. Kate Shannon picked up 13 kills along with Ana Ortiz’s 11.
3A All-Tournament Team
- Olivia Fain – Waterloo Columbus Catholic
- Jordyn VanMaanen – Sioux Center
- Kelsey Havel – Osage
- Aimee Adams – Kuemper Catholic
- Kate Shannon – Waterloo Columbus Catholic
- Alexis Toering – Sioux Center
- Anna Sinnott – Waterloo Columbus Catholic (captain)
2A – Dike-New Hartford
- Dike-New Hartford def. Western Christian 3-0, (25-15, 25-21, 25-17)
- Box Score
Dike-New Hartford made their 11th straight state tournament appearance and 28th overall. They are 6-1 in their last seven state title runs, winning last year in 3A but were moved down due to a decrease in school size. The team’s head coach, Diane Harms now has six state championships under her belt, tying Teresa Bair and Will Bauman for fourth on Iowa’s all-time list.
Two players recorded double-doubles – Baylee Petersen with 16 kills on a .424 hitting clip and 10 digs while Morgan Weber added in another 11 kills on a .4-9 hitting performance with 13 digs. Amber Rickert posted another 12 kills while Sydney Petersen picked up a match-best 20 digs.
2A All-Tournament Team
- Morgan Weber – Dike-New Hartford
- Jessi De Jager – Western Christian
- Sydney McLaren – Council Bluffs St. Albert
- Kylie Willis – Grundy Center
- Ashtyn Veerbeek – Western Christian
- Baylee Petersen – Dike-New Hartford
- Sydney Petersen – Dike-New Hartford (captain)
1A – Janesville
- Janesville def. Gehlen Catholic 3-0, (25-14, 25-16, 25-19)
- Box Score
Janesville won their third straight 1A title in the sweep over Gehlen Catholic and fourth overall. Head Coach Shelley Sorensen now has four state titles under her belt to make her the 11th coach to do so in Iowa.
Kennedy Meister posted a double-double in the win with 14 kills and 11 digs while Bree Thompson recorded another 18 kills and eight digs. Lily Liekweg picked up a team-best 14 digs in the win.
1A All-Tournament Team
- Alisa Bengen – Janesville
- Chloe Bunkers – Gehlen Catholic
- Emily Box – Holy Trinity Catholic
- Madi Wagaman – Springville
- Kennedy Meister – Janesville
- Katie Peters – Gehlen Catholic
- Bree Thompson – Janesville (captain)
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