Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DUBUQUE – West High did everything it had to do to win a volleyball match on Monday with the exception of one thing.  

And that one thing that eluded No. 11 West High in the Class 5A, Region 7 title match was a big one – finish out sets.

Sixth-ranked Dubuque Hempstead (28-7) fought off set point in each of the first two sets on its way to a 28-26, 26-24, 25-23 sweep of West High at Moody Gymnasium in Dubuque.

“We did everything but close out sets and that is what the elite teams have to do,” West High coach Scott Sanders said. “At this level that is what you have to be able to do.”

Jada Wills had a match-high 17 kills and freshman Corinne Meier added 10 for Hempstead as the Mustangs reached the Class 5A state tournament for the third straight season.

Hempstead is one of four Mississippi Valley Conference teams in the 5A field and will face three-time defending champion Ankeny Centennial (29-7) in the opening round at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

West High held a 43-38 edge in kills over the Mustangs on Monday and had set point in each of the first two sets but couldn’t close them out while finishing the season 22-16.

“There is a ton of fight in these kids,” Sanders said. “You have to stay in the fight and that’s what this team did and I am so proud of them.”

West High appeared poised to seize the momentum early when it rattled off seven straight points to take a 15-9 lead in the opening set.

Colby Greene had a pair of kills and Rylee Fay had two ace serves during the 7-0 West High spurt.

The Women of Troy led 24-21 after back-to-back kills by Greene and senior Emily Burtch but the Mustangs scored the next three points, tying the score on a Julia Meehan ace serve.

A Maddie Laffey kill gave West High another shot at set point at 25-24 but the Mustangs score the next two points and eventually secured the set on an ace by Ella Pettinger.

“I think our passing let up a little bit and they started using the right side a little more,” Sanders said. “They got to us in the cross courts.”

It was more of the same in the second.

West High led 24-23 but Hempstead scored the final three points, as Amber Cooksley fueled the 3-0 spurt with a kill.

The Mustangs bolted to a 16-6 lead early in the third set before a furious West High rally.

West High scored seven straight to pull within 16-13 and used another 5-0 spurt to get as close as 19-18.

West High pulled even at 20-all on a Greene kill but would never get over the hump as Hempstead used a Wills block and Meier kill to put the match away.

“I was so proud of their fight in the third set,” Sanders said. “We were down 10 points and came back and that kind of defines what this team is.”
Greene led West High with 13 kills in her final prep match while Burtch battled through a thumb injury to pound 10 kills.

Junior Cailyn Morgan had seven kills while senior Maddie Laffey had seven and junior Claire Overton added 5.

“These seniors made an impact,” Sanders said. “Every class of seniors does but this class had an impact.”

Dubuque Hempstead            28  26  25

West High                              26  24  22 

(Kills-aces-blocks)

West High

Cailyn Morgan 7-0-2, Rylee Fay 2-2-0, Maddie Laffey 6-0-0, Claire Overton 5-1-2, Emily Burtch 10-0-0, Colby Greene 13-0-1, Team 43-3-5.

Assists – Rylee Fay 30, Keimoney Lang 3, Maddie Laffey 1, Colby Greene 1

Dubuque Hempstead

Jada Wills 17-1-2, Emily Watson 1-0-1, Alana Cooksley 0-1-2, Corinne Meier 10-0-0, Julia Meehan 0-1-0, Megan Hammerand 1-0-0, Amber Cooksley 9-1-1, Team 38-6-8.

Assists – Alana Cooksley 31, Jada Wills 1, Corinne Meier 1, Amber Cooksley 1.