Postseason Volleyball
The 2024 state championship matches are in the books and despite the dramatic nature of the contests, only one of the game’s made it to a fourth set.
Class 5A’s state championship bout featured last year’s champion #6 Waukee Northwest taking on #1 Pleasant Valley. The Spartans would curtail any thought of a repeat as they went on a 10 to 1 run in the fourth set to win their program’s second championship (25-20, 24-26, 25-22, 25-16). Isabelle Kremer led the team with 24 kills as she was named All-Tournament Team Captain.
#2 Bishop Heelan cruised to their fourth state championship in a sweep of #5 Pella (25-10, 25-13, 25-17) in the Class 4A championship. The Crusaders were led by a trio of All-Tournament team nods, Maddie LaFleur’s 36 assists fed Maliyah Hacker and Ava Lloyd as they finished the game with a combined 34 kills in the victory.
Class 3A featured a rematch of last year’s championship game where #2 Western Christian pulled off the upset and downed #1 Mt. Vernon in four sets. The Mustangs were on a mission to not allow that to happen again, sweeping the Wolfpack (25-17, 25-17, 25-18). The Mustangs finished with an impressive kill efficiency of 0.343 as they collected their 5th state championship in program history.
#1 Denver was not going to be denied in their pursuit of their first state championship as they defeated #2 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in a sweep (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) in the Class 2A championship contest. Molly Shafer’s historic run came to an end as the senior collected 26 kills in the loss and 88 over the course of the postseason, including a state record 41 kills in their semifinal win. The Cyclones were led by Channing Johnson’s 38 assists.
#1 Ankeny Christian had never been to the state tournament before 2022, the Eagles are now three-time state champions after taking down #6 BCLUW in straight sets last night (25-15, 25-13, 25-13). Katie Quick, who was named All-Tournament Team Captain for the third year in a row, collected 36 assists and 10 kills as Macey Nehring led the team with 17 kills.
Postseason Football
In Class 2A, Mid-Prairie will take on PCM tonight at 7 on the road.
In Class 3A, #5 Mt. Vernon will travel to take on Algona tonight at 7 pm.
Southeastern Community College
The men’s basketball team will compete in the Midwest JUCO challenge today with a game against Mineral Area College.
College Football
Iowa will travel to UCLA tonight at 8:05 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast.
#17 Iowa State will look to get back in the win column against Kansas on the road tomorrow, November 9th, at 2:30 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.
College Basketball
The Iowa men’s team kept Southern at arm’s length the entire night to secure an 89-74 victory. The Sandfort brothers led the charge with Pryce throwing in a game-high six threes for 22 points, while Payton put up 17 points and collected eight rebounds. The Hawkeyes will stay at home to take on South Dakota on Tuesday, November 12th, at 8 pm.
The #6 Iowa State men’s team will face off against Kansas City at home on Monday, November 11th, at 7 pm.
The #8 Iowa State women’s team hosted a block party in last night’s 64-42 victory over Indiana State, swatting 10 shots. Audi Crooks continued to dominate the post, tallying her 34th straight game of double-digit points with a team leading 16 points. The Cyclones will host Southern on Sunday, November 10th, at 2 pm.
The Iowa women’s team will travel to Virginia Tech on Sunday at 4:30 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1966 – Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles outfielder, selected as AL MVP, first player to win MVP in both leagues.
1966 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs an anti-trust immunity to the AFL-NFL merger.
1970 – Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints kicks a then-NFL record 63 yard field goal. The record stood for 43 years.