CEDAR RAPIDS — The Big Red Reign continues, for at least two more days.
Fifth-ranked Marion shrugged off three set points in the second game, erased two more in the third and swept No. 4 Pella, 25-13, 27-25, 28-26, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday night at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“We’ve been doing a lot of scenarios like that in practice,” said Morgan Paige, with an extremely hoarse voice. “You have to find ways to score points and make something happen. You can’t fold.”
The defending 3A …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Classes come. Classes go.
But for Michelle Goodall, no class has come along quite like this one. Not in talent, and certainly not in volume.
Eighteen senior players have stuck with the volleyball program at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Nine of them did not dress for the state tournament.
“I think that’s amazing,” said Laura Boenish, who has started since her freshman year. “The girls that haven’t played varsity but have kept playing — I admire them. It shows they really enjoy what they do.”
Boenish and her classmates extended their careers …

Emily Ryan get’s a coach’s perspective on what the tournament is like, re-caps the 4A games — including a 5-match thriller featuring CR Kennedy — and takes a look at what’s to come in the 3A games, starting at 6 tonight.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jessica Gehrke called it “a lesson learned.”
“We kind of relaxed, and we shouldn’t have done that,” she said.
Lesson learned. Lesson survived.
A point away from being forced to a fifth game, second-ranked West scored the final three points and closed out No. 9 Linn-Mar, 25-22, 25-13, 22-25, 27-25, in a Class 4A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“I’m really proud,” said West Coach Kathy Bresnahan. “We haven’t shown a lot of spark the last couple of weeks. We’ve gone through the motions …

Emily Ryan talks about the first matches of the day

We’ve got a few photos from the first day of the state volleyball tournament. Check them out below.

Iowa City West Nick Moore sat down to the table and didn’t say much other than asking for a pen. He then began the ceremony of signing a National Letter of Intent to wrestle next year at the University of Iowa and coach Tom Brands.
Moore, ranked second in the nation at 160 pounds by InterMat, will attempt to become just the 19th 4-time state champion. He has been one of the top preps since he stepped foot in the Trojans wrestling room. He has amassed a 131-1 career mark, winning …

Updated scores Wednesday from the state volleyball tournament:
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CLASS 4A QUARTERFINALS
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West Des Moines Valley (34-7)                19   24   14
Dubuque Hempstead (33-5)                      25   26   25
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Cedar Rapids Xavier (20-19)                      10   16   16
Ankeny (37-1)                                                   25   25   25
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Linn-Mar (26-15)                                          22   13   25   25
Iowa City West (38-2)                                 25   25   22   27
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Council Bluffs A.L. (37-12)                          25   25   16   18   10
Cedar Rapids Kennedy (35-4)                     23   22   25   25   15
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CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS
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Dallas Center-Grimes (25-11)                   16   11   10
Sioux City Heelan (51-5)                             25   25   25
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Marion (37-9)                                                   25   27   28
Pella (39-6)                                                        13   25   26
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Dubuque Wahlert (22-14)                           21   25   22   22
Waverly-Shell Rock (45-5)                         25   18   25   25
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Williamsburg …

Sportswriter Jeff Linder hosted a live chat today to talk about the Iowa state high school volleyball tournament, which opens at 1 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.
Replay his live chat below.
LIVE CHAT: Jeff Linder on State Volleyball, Day 1