Independence Falls To Xavier In 4A Quarterfinals

Cedar Rapids Xavier look everything like a championship contender at the Iowa High School State Girls State Volleyball Tournament Tuesday night (Nov. 7, 2017).

The top-seeded Saints (32-9) controlled the opening two sets of their Class 4A quarterfinal match against Independence and rolled to a 3-0 win over the Mustangs. Set scores were 25-16, 25-10 and 25-23.

As the score indicates, Independence (33-8) didn't leave the tournament without a battle. The Mustangs took No. 1 Xavier to the limit in the third set.

Trailing 10-3 in the elimination game, the Mustangs fought back to take a 15-13 lead. They also owned a 20-15 advantage before the Saints put the match away.

Madison Larson led the Independence attack, finishing the night with six kills, nine digs and three blocks. Sydney Hearn also had a match-high 16 digs for the Mustangs. The junior teammates are part of a young line-up that should be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years, as the Independence roster featured only five seniors.

The tournament appearance was the second in program history for the Mustangs, whose only other trip to state was in 2013. As the eighth-seed, Independence took on  a veteran Xavier squad that featured five starters who led the Saints to a state berth a year ago.