Janesville derails Timberwolves

ALLEMAN — Southwest Valley was on the verge of tying the match at 1-1 against No. 7-ranked Janesville Wednesday night in the Class 1A Region 6 final at North Polk High School.

After dropping the first set 25-19, Southwest Valley started strong in set two with a 4-0 lead and had a five-point advantage at 14-9. Janesville (24-17) then closed it out on a 16-6 run for a 25-20 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. That seemed to take the wind out of any momentum Southwest Valley had and the Wildcats finished the sweep with a 25-17 win.

“We started out very tense and hesitant in that first set,” Southwest Valley coach Lisa Sparks said. “We played very well at the start of set two. We were improving our passing and giving our offense some options. Things were clicking. Then they got a couple blocks on us and went on a run that deflated us pretty quick. Losing set two was the turning point.”

Janesville advances to the state tournament for the 15th time in school history, the first since 2021.

Ranked 13th in Class 1A, Southwest Valley ended its season at 30-4, including a Pride of Iowa Conference championship. It’s the best volleyball season since the school was formed in 2013, combining the Corning and Villisca districts. Wednesday’s loss in set one was the first set Southwest Valley had lost since a 3-1 victory over Creston on Oct. 8.

Seniors in uniform for the final time Wednesday were Morgan Shuler, Marley Gray, Katey Lillie, Maddie Bevington, Delaney True, Sadie Groszkrueger, Natalia Zimmerman and Gracelyn Bain.

“It’s been a dream season for these girls,” Sparks said. “I challenged them at the start of the season to leave a legacy. They definitely left a legacy that will be remembered.”

Southwest Valley struggled to get in system much of the night, resulting in relatively low offensive statistics. Tied for the team lead with four kills each were Ray Helvie, Gray, Lillie and Mackenzie Fast. Janesville senior 6-foot senior Zoey Barnes had a match-high 12 kills and lefthanded teammate Keke Smith was also a force at the net for the Wildcats. A mix of hard attacks and tips to open spots kept the Timberwolves’ defense off balance.

“They are a very smart team and when they run that quick tempo offense it allows them to see where the defense is set up,” Sparks said. “Their overall balance as an attacking team was probably the best we’ve faced. Our defense has been strong all year, but they have some good swingers. They have some tough servers, too, so it wasn’t easy to get that first pass up.”

Gray led the Southwest Valley defense with 15 digs and Fast had 12. Helvie had a team-high three blocks. Bevington connected on two ace serves and Shuler ended with 14 assists.

Those returning from Southwest Valley’s starting lineup include junior libero Ada Lund, middle hitter Helvie (sophomore) and Fast, a junior hitter.

Southwest Valley statistics

Kills — Ray Helvie 4, Marley Gray 4, Katey Lillie 4, Mackenzie Fast 4.

Blocks — Helvie 3, Maddie Bevington 2, Fast 2.

Digs — Gray 15, Fast 12, Morgan Shuler 7, Ada Lund 6.

Setting assists — Shuler 14.

Ace serves — Bevington 2, Fast 1, Lund 1.