By: Matt Scher, matts@977thebolt.com
Coralville, IA – The No. 5 Humboldt Wildcats are headed back to the Class 3A state volleyball semifinals for the second consecutive year after defeating No. 4 Solon in four sets Tuesday, November 3, at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Humboldt defeated the Spartans 25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-17 to advance to the semifinals and improve to 39-4 on the season. The Wildcats will face top-seeded Western Christian at 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, in a rematch of last year’s Class 3A semifinal.
Humboldt controlled the opening two sets before Solon responded with a 25-22 victory in the third. The Wildcats regrouped and took control in the fourth set, hitting .324 to close out the match.
Humboldt head coach Kara Waldorf was pleased with how her team followed its game plan, particularly with its passing, defense and serving.
“Our three goals for today were passing, I thought the back row did a wonderful job,” Waldorf said. “And obviously we have a very strong offense, so when we can pass well, just, we can beat a lot of teams.”
Junior Adelynn Goodell led Humboldt with 21 kills, eight blocks and two service aces. Junior Jazzie Dodd also delivered a big performance with 18 kills and 20 digs, while sophomore Callie Olsen contributed nine kills.
Junior Addie Waldorf recorded 44 assists, 10 digs and four block assists. Freshman Ryan Cirks added 19 digs.
After Solon claimed the third set, Waldorf said she wanted her players to maintain an aggressive approach rather than allow the momentum shift to carry into the fourth.
“Just because they won that set doesn’t mean anything. We are still up, so we should be playing aggressive and like we are winning, instead of like we just lost a set,” Waldorf said.
The Wildcats responded with a 25-17 fourth-set victory to secure their spot in the semifinals.
Goodell’s 21-kill performance continued a strong postseason stretch for the Humboldt junior. Waldorf praised her ability to attack from different angles and use a variety of shots to keep opposing defenses off balance.
“She hits those angles, she takes different shots, and that’s really what makes her hard to defend,” Waldorf said. “She had a fantastic night and we needed that from her.”
Dodd also provided an important offensive option for the Wildcats. Waldorf said the senior stepped up with strong attacking, defensive passing and shot selection, helping Humboldt get through rotations when Goodell was in the back row.
The victory sets up another meeting with Western Christian, the tournament’s top seed. Humboldt defeated the Wolfpack in five sets in last year’s Class 3A semifinal to advance to the state championship match, where the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up.
Dodd said the team is excited for another opportunity against Western Christian and to experience the atmosphere surrounding the state semifinal.
“I’m really excited to play them again and just, like, have all the energy and, like, the environment around us just to rematch them and see if we can pull it off again,” Dodd said.
Goodell also expressed confidence in the Wildcats’ ability to repeat last year’s semifinal result.
“Obviously we played them last year and we won it as a great game, 5 sets, and I think that we know that we can do it again,” Goodell said.
Waldorf said she does not want her team approaching Wednesday’s matchup with an underdog mentality, despite Humboldt’s fifth seed and Western Christian’s top seed.
“I really, truly think this team is so talented that I don’t want them to think of it as like an underdog mentality,” Waldorf said. “Like, I think we can play with any top team in the state.”
The Wildcats and Western Christian are scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, at Xtream Arena in Coralville. A victory would send Humboldt back to the Class 3A state championship match for the second consecutive season.