K-P swept in state volleyball debut
By Terry Hersom | Posted: Friday, November 14, 2008
K-P's Briana Schaeuble, center, hits over Tripoli defenders during Kingsley-Pierson's Class 1A quarterfinal match Thursday. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Eleven losses or not, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union should have known better than to leave Tripoli out of its final Class 1A Top 15.
The unranked Panthers showed their indignance in a regional semifinal, knocking off top-ranked Wapsie Valley, the two-time defending state champs in the small-school division.
And, Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center, tradition-rich Tripoli showed their talents off to Kingsley-Pierson, a state tournament newcomer, sweeping another team of Panthers 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 in a first-round matchup.
Unranked?
Tripoli Coach Will Baumann thinks his team plays as tough a schedule as any Class 1A squad in the state. And, not many people would argue with that.
The Panthers certainly didn't look like a typical unranked team Thursday, making their second trip to state in three seasons since Baumann accepted that very tough act to follow -- succeeding Teresa Kehe, who led Tripoli to six state titles in seven years from 1999 through 2005.
"We were able to stay under the radar pretty well with those 11 losses,'' said Baumann, who brought Galva-Holstein to state in 2003, then came back the following year as an assistant to his brother, Gabe, at Bishop Heelan.
"Probably not any more, though,'' he added.
Tripoli, 27-11, needed just 54 minutes to end the tournament debut for K-P, bowing out at 22-8.
"It was one of those things where we didn't have our best game ever, that's for certain,'' said Kingsley-Pierson Coach Jon Mouw. "And they're a great team.
"When one or two things started going their way, our serves got a little easier and theirs got a little tougher. They were definitely more comfortable down here than we were.''
A youthful Tripoli team featured nine kills each from 6-foot freshman Megan Gilbert and 5-8 junior Kalie Kirchoff, getting another seven of their 32 for the match from 5-10 junior Micah Wedemeier.
Kingsley-Pierson, meanwhile, had little offense to back up 6-1 senior Briana Schaeuble, a former state high jump champ who accounted for 13 of the Panthers' 18 total kills.
"We just let them get into our heads and kind of fell apart,'' said Schaeuble, who is considering a scholarship offer from Division I Oral Roberts. "They were just totally on tonight. No matter how we served, they got their pass, which gave them a lot of options, hitting-wise.''
K-P trailed only 16-15 in Game 1 before Tripoli began to take charge and finished with a 9-2 surge.
Tripoli was more dominant in the two remaining games, leading from start to finish.
"I don't think either team, us or them, really played well,'' said Baumann, whose mother, Marlene, coaches volleyball at River Valley. "It's a large, open space and it takes a little bit to get used to.''
Tripoli now faces Springfield, 30-10 and another unranked team, in Class 1A's second Friday night semifinal, following No. 3 New London and No. 4 Ackley AGWSR, the only rated teams remaining in 1A.
Photo gallery
See photos of the Kingsley-Pierson vs. Tripoli game
Audio slideshow
Hear audio from the coach and see photo highlights from the Kingsley-Pierson game.
The unranked Panthers showed their indignance in a regional semifinal, knocking off top-ranked Wapsie Valley, the two-time defending state champs in the small-school division.
And, Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center, tradition-rich Tripoli showed their talents off to Kingsley-Pierson, a state tournament newcomer, sweeping another team of Panthers 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 in a first-round matchup.
Unranked?
Tripoli Coach Will Baumann thinks his team plays as tough a schedule as any Class 1A squad in the state. And, not many people would argue with that.
The Panthers certainly didn't look like a typical unranked team Thursday, making their second trip to state in three seasons since Baumann accepted that very tough act to follow -- succeeding Teresa Kehe, who led Tripoli to six state titles in seven years from 1999 through 2005.
"We were able to stay under the radar pretty well with those 11 losses,'' said Baumann, who brought Galva-Holstein to state in 2003, then came back the following year as an assistant to his brother, Gabe, at Bishop Heelan.
"Probably not any more, though,'' he added.
Tripoli, 27-11, needed just 54 minutes to end the tournament debut for K-P, bowing out at 22-8.
"It was one of those things where we didn't have our best game ever, that's for certain,'' said Kingsley-Pierson Coach Jon Mouw. "And they're a great team.
"When one or two things started going their way, our serves got a little easier and theirs got a little tougher. They were definitely more comfortable down here than we were.''
A youthful Tripoli team featured nine kills each from 6-foot freshman Megan Gilbert and 5-8 junior Kalie Kirchoff, getting another seven of their 32 for the match from 5-10 junior Micah Wedemeier.
Kingsley-Pierson, meanwhile, had little offense to back up 6-1 senior Briana Schaeuble, a former state high jump champ who accounted for 13 of the Panthers' 18 total kills.
"We just let them get into our heads and kind of fell apart,'' said Schaeuble, who is considering a scholarship offer from Division I Oral Roberts. "They were just totally on tonight. No matter how we served, they got their pass, which gave them a lot of options, hitting-wise.''
K-P trailed only 16-15 in Game 1 before Tripoli began to take charge and finished with a 9-2 surge.
Tripoli was more dominant in the two remaining games, leading from start to finish.
"I don't think either team, us or them, really played well,'' said Baumann, whose mother, Marlene, coaches volleyball at River Valley. "It's a large, open space and it takes a little bit to get used to.''
Tripoli now faces Springfield, 30-10 and another unranked team, in Class 1A's second Friday night semifinal, following No. 3 New London and No. 4 Ackley AGWSR, the only rated teams remaining in 1A.
Photo gallery
See photos of the Kingsley-Pierson vs. Tripoli game
Audio slideshow
Hear audio from the coach and see photo highlights from the Kingsley-Pierson game.
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Neal wrote on Nov 14, 2008 8:28 AM: