Iowa Girls High School Volleyball State Semifinals Roundup

Following two days of back-and-forth action from the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, the Iowa girls high school state volleyball championships have been set.

Semifinal action took place on Wednesday in all five classes, as finals will be contested starting early Thursday morning.

Here are recaps of all the Iowa girls high school state volleyball semifinals starting with Class 5A.

Iowa Girls High School State Volleyball Roundup

Semifinals

Class 5A

Waukee Northwest 3, Ankeny 0

Waukee Northwest had little trouble earning a spot in the state championship, sweeping Ankeny. Scores were 25-12, 25-15 and 25-20.

Avery Vogt had 19 kills, 10 digs and four blocks, as Piper Ludwig added 10 kills. Both juniors have already committed to play volleyball for Iowa State University.

Avery Vogt, a Drake commit, had 38 assists with five digs. London Taylor chipped in 16 digs and Avery Cordes had six kills and five blocks.

Waukee Northwest is going for a second state title in the last three seasons.

For Ankeny, Hailey Wiederin tallied seven kills and Macie Kohl had 11 assists.

Ankeny Centennial 3, West Des Moines Valley 0

Standing across from Waukee Northwest in the finals will be a familiar face in Ankeny Centennial, as the Jaguars knocked off West Des Moines Valley. Scores were 25-18, 25-19 and 25-20.

During the regular season, Ankeny Centennial lost all four meetings to the Wolves.

Tatum Schmidt and Sophia Heither each had eight kills, Ellie Pollock recorded seven and Mady Ott had six. Maegan Cheeseman finished with five kills and 15 assists. The Jaguars have won four previous state championships.

Thia Raridon led the Tigers with 11 kills and Kaelyn Wieland had eight kills, 18 assists and 15 digs.

Class 4A

North Scott 3, Clear Creek-Amana 2

McKenzie Moeller recorded 31 kills to lead North Scott to an upset of No. 1 and top-ranked Clear Creek-Amana. Scores were 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 18-25 and 15-13.

North Scott, Iowa high school volleyball — North Scott players celebrate after advancing at the Iowa girls high school state volleyball tournament. | IGHSAU

Moeller, who has committed to Southern Illinois University, also had 17 digs in the match. Adalynn Johnson added 14 kills and Kamilah Eller had 12. Addison Allen racked up 55 assists with 22 digs.

The Lancers have won two previous state titles, with the most recent competing in 2023.

Averie Lower, an Arizona State University basketball commit, led the Clippers with 19 kills and 22 digs. Bailey Simpson tallied 13.

Sioux Center 3, Pella 0

A balanced attack led Sioux Center to its second state volleyball championship game with a sweep over Pella. Scores were 25-20, 25-12 and 25-23.

Courtney Schmidt had 10 kills, Maryn Franken nine and Adison Brantsen eight. Taylor Holverson dished out 16 assists and Schmidt added eight digs.

Sioux Center placed second back in 2022.

Pella, a runner-up last year, was led by Katie Scheckel’s 15 kills. Brooke Schulte added seven.

Class 3A

Humboldt 3, Western Christian 2

A day after winning its first-ever state volleyball game, Humboldt punched a ticket to its first-ever volleyball final, knocking off No. 1 Western Christian in five. Scores were 16-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19 and 15-13.

Adelynn Goodell tallied 21 kills, Mia Schluter had 11 and Addie Waldorf finished with 42 assists and 15 digs to lead the Wildcats. Claire Dieleman had 19 digs and Kendall Works seven kills.

For the Wolfpack, who were in the semifinals for a 25th consecutive season, Morgan Kooiman had 25 kills and Breslyn Kooima 25 digs.

Davenport Assumption 3, Kuemper Catholic 1

After losing the first set, Davenport Assumption rallied, eliminating Kuemper Catholic. Scores were 21-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-16.

Ellah Derrer finished with 18 kills, Belle Cotton added 11 and Karsyn Kelley had nine with 11 digs. Kelley also recorded 39 assists in the match for Assumption.

Addy Anthofer led the Knights with 11 kills and 10 digs, as Elsa Tiefenthaler had 27 assists and 19 digs.

Class 2A

Denver 3, Grundy Center 1

Denver, Iowa high school volleyball — Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont's Molly Shafer (1) attacks as Denver’s Grace Mullihan (17) and Channing Johnson (1) defend in the Class 2A state volleyball championship Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The pressure felt as the No. 1 seed with just one loss this year did not bother Denver, as the Cyclones moved into the finals with a four-set win over Grundy Center. Scores were 25-16, 25-17, 19-25 and 26-24.

Bailey Mullihan and Adeana Murch led four players in double figures with 15 kills each, as Grace Mullihan added 12 and Channing Johnson 11 with 43 assists and 14 digs. Mackenzie McEwan also had 17 digs and Lexie Benham 15.

Ryanne Brubaker led Grundy Center with 14 kills and Lauren Zajack had 19 assists.

Hinton 3, Dike-New Hartford 1

Behind a strong performance from Bailey Boeve, Hinton reached the championship match by eliminating Dike-New Hartford. Scores were 25-23, 25-21, 19-25 and 25-17.

Boeve was on all match long, pounding out 30 kills with 16 digs and even three assists. Addison Dunkel and Katelyn Hoefling each had 24 assists, as Adalyn Ortregren added 13 kills and 14 digs.

For Dike-New Hartford, Abby Jensen had 15 kills, Aubrey Asche 11 and Keely Kauten 10.

Class 1A

Saint Ansgar 3, Dunkerton 0

There was no denying top-seed Saint Ansgar a spot in the finals, as the Saints swept Dunkerton. Scores were 25-13, 25-19 and 25-22.

Lindsay Kruse and Ava Falk each had 17 kills, as Falk added 10 digs. Sofia Parrott had 39 assists.

Taylor Kipp led Dunkerton with 11 kills and Delaney Toneff had 27 assists.

Janesville 3, North Tama 0

Freshman Quinn Sweeney powered Janesville to a sweep over North Tama. Scores were 25-19, 25-19 and 25-14.

The Wildcats, who won five state volleyball titles between 2013-18, are back in the finals for the first time since that incredible run under head coach Shelly Sorensen.

Keke Smith added eight kills and Jayden Anderson finished with seven, as Sweeney also had two solo blocks and three block assists.

For North Tama, Alaney Sienknecht had 11 kills and Isabelle Gropper 15 assists.