Union Upsets Top-Seeded Assumption In Five-Set Classic
Generally speaking, the lowest seeded team in a tournament field isn't supposed to beat an opponent that's favored to win the championship. No one told La Porte City Union.
On the brink of being swept in the Class 3A quarterfinals of the 2019 Iowa High School Girls State Volleyball Tournament, the eighth-seeded Knights stormed back to stun No. 1 Davenport Assumption in a five-set thriller. Set scores were 15-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-21 and 15-9.
Down two-sets-to-none and trailing 24-21 in the third, Union scored five-straight points to avoid the shutout and extend the match. Then, the Knights forced the tie-breaker by winning four of the last five points in set four.
Each team traded points early in the fifth set, before Union went on a 6-0 run to build a 9-4 advantage. After Assumption cut the margin to 10-7, Union scored six of the final eight points to claim the victory.
Jasmyn Bush tallied 26 kills in the match and, in the process, recorded the 1,000th of her career. She entered the quarterfinals needing only nine to reach the milestone.
With the victory, Union (30-11) moves on to the 3A semifinals Thursday afternoon. The Knights will face Mount Vernon (34-10) at 2 PM at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. The Mustangs advanced with a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over West Liberty.