WILTON — The Wilton volleyball team advanced to the Regional Final for the second straight season after beating North Cedar 3-0 on Thursday, October 31. Wilton improved to 34-3 overall and will play West Branch in Durant on Tuesday, November 5 with a trip to the state tournament on the line. The Knights end the season 21-20 and have had seven straight seasons with a winning record. North Cedar had been looking to return to a Regional Final match for the rst time since back-to-back trips in 2015 and 2016.
The Beavers have shown dominance this season, having only lost seven sets the entire season entering the match. They did not drop a set to the Knights despite close scores. Wilton won the rst set 25-20 to take a 1-0 match lead. The Beavers took a 2-0 match lead, winning the second set 25-17. The Knights battled in the nal set, but Wilton held them o , winning the last set 25-21 to complete the match sweep. The two teams did not play in the regular season but met in the quarter nals of the championship bracket play at this year’s River Valley Conference tournament on October 17. There, Wilton won 2-0 on their way to the Finals of the tournament.
The Knights nearly won the first set. Trailing 16-11, the Knights went on an 8-4 run to cut the Wilton lead to 23-20, but Wilton nished o the set to win by ve points. The second set would see the biggest lead by Wilton in the match, eight points, but North Cedar hung in, trailing by three, 20- 17 before Wilton nished on a 5-0 run to claim the set. The third set produced an uncommon moment when the ball was lodged in the ceiling and could not be retrieved. Wilton led 10-8 at the time. Wilton would take a 12-8 lead on their way to the set win. Each team scored 13 points from that point on.
Wilton sophomore Kelsey Drake led the Beavers in kills with 19 in 34 attacks. She had only two hitting errors in the match. Drake was one of three Beavers with double digit dig totals with 10 and served 13-for-13 with three aces. Ella Caffrey had 22 assists, 10 digs, six kills and served 12-for-13. Wilton served 73-for-74 in the match led by Alexa Garvin who was 18-for-18 with a team high four aces. Wilton had eight ace serves in the match. Mallory Lange led in digs with 13. The Beavers had seven blocks at the net in the match with Drake and Ca ery each with three. The Knights lost to Mediapolis 3-1 at Iowa City West in 2016 and to Wapsie Valley in 2015 3-0 in a match played at Center Point-Urbana High School. North Cedar went 3-2 and nished strong in their last ve matches of the season after su ering a season worst ve-match losing streak in mid-October.
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