Wolverines, Spartans one step away from state return

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's state volleyball tournament will have a complete field by the end of Halloween night.
 
Dike-New Hartford and Grundy Center are both trying to get back to the state tournament, competing in Class 2A regional finals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The top-ranked Wolverines will play Bellevue in Delhi while No. 3 Grundy Center battles Pella Christian in Grinnell.
 
The winners of the Class 2A regional finals will advance to the Class 2A state tournament, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.
 
Region 5
No. 3 Grundy Center vs. Pella Christian
At Grinnell High School
 
At a glance: The Spartans (35-6) want to make it seven state appearances in the last eight seasons with a win on Tuesday. Kylie Willis leads a diverse Spartan attack with 2.83 kills per set on a team where five different players average at least 1.5 kills per game. Grundy Center doesn't lean solely on its offense, however: The Spartans also have the fourth-most ace serves of any team in 2A this season and have accumulated the most blocks of any remaining team in the 2A field with 339 total stuffs. Willis and Brooke Flater have 84 and 82 total blocks, respectively. Bekah Horstman is the go-to hitter for the Eagles with 4.06 kills per set and Pella Christian is strong at the net, too, with 295 total blocks, led by Danielle Vande Voort's 85 total blocks. Pella Christian is looking to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2010.
 
Region 7
No. 1 Dike-New Hartford vs. Bellevue
At Maquoketa Valley High School, Delhi
 
At a glance: The Wolverines (46-3) are looking for an 11th-consecutive trip to the "Cell" in this clash with the Comets. Baylee Petersen and Morgan Weber lead D-NH's offense with 3.79 and 3.54 kills per set, respectively, but the Wolverines have many ways to score; meanwhile, University of Texas commit Sydney Petersen anchors the D-NH defense with 4.08 digs per set. Bellevue (21-12) outlasted North Cedar in a wild five-set semifinal last Thursday in Cascade, rallying from a 2-1 deficit. Bellevue senior Rebecca Schroeder averages 4.14 kills per set to lead the Comets. Giana Michels contributes 5.01 digs per set for Bellevue. The Comets are in search of their first state tournament berth in school history.