Iowa state volleyball: 4A sees first big upset of tourney, as Sergeant Bluff-Luton knocks off No. 1 CR Xavier

Warriors stun top-seed Saints in five-set thriller to advance to semifinals

North Scott advanced to the Class 4A semifinals on Monday, a year after winning the title. / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Regardless of the sport, once you reach the state tournament, everybody is capable of running the table. Sergeant Bluff-Luton proved that on Monday, knocking off top-seed and No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier in the first round of the Class 4A Iowa state volleyball tournament.

The Warriors punched their ticket to Wednesday’s semifinals with a thrilling five-set victory inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville. Scores were 25-18, 25-18, 21-25, 18-25 and 15-13.

Izzy Schaap had 16 kills and Bre VanDenTop added 13 for Sergeant Bluff-Luton, as Bailey Ball recorded 34 assists and 13 digs. Kaitlyn Hardie had 29 digs and the Warriors recorded 20 block assists. 

For the Saints, Libby Fandel had 17 kills, Macie Lupkes added 13 and Carley Jonker had 11. 

Sioux City Bishop Heelan and North Scott both earned sweeps to move on and face each other for a spot in the finals. 

Heelan topped Carlisle, 25-19, 25-22 and 25-18, as both Ava Lloyd and Maliyah Hacker had 13 kills. Addison Kleis added seven with 13 digs. 

The Lancers were led by Abbey Hayes and McKenzie Moller, who combined for 31 kills in a 25-11, 25-13, 25-16 win over Glenwood. 

Awaiting Cinderella Sergeant Bluff-Luton in the final four will be Pella, who stormed back to oust Clear Creek-Amana. After falling behind 2-1, the Dutch rallied, advancing with a 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 28-18, 15-9 victory.

Katie Scheckel had 23 kills and 25 assists, adding 25 digs with two aces and a solo block. Both Emma Eekhoff and Abbie Brand had 11 kills, as Eekhoff also recorded 16 assists.

Averie Lower led the Clippers, recording 20 kills and three aces to go along with 24 digs.  

Sergeant Bluff-Luton (22-13) vs. Pella begins at noon on Wednesday with Sioux City Bishop Heelan (42-3) and North Scott (30-4) starting at 12:25 p.m. The finals are Thursday at 12:15 p.m.

The 5A quarterfinals were played earlier in the day, with Pleasant Valley among those teams advancing.