8 things we learned from Iowa high school volleyball regional finals in 5A, 4A and 3A

Xtream Arena in Coralville awaits 40 teams to arrive and partake in some high-stakes volleyball for the Iowa high school volleyball state tournament, which kicks off on Monday, Oct. 30.

Before that, teams had to emerge in their respective regions. Here’s what we learned about the contenders for a state championship in the large classes after their regionals completed Tuesday night.

More: Here's the Iowa high school volleyball state tournament brackets for 5A, 4A and 3A

1. Powers of each class take care of business

No surprises here, the best of the best in each class so far this season held their own.Dowling Catholic won all six of their sets played in regionals against Des Moines Lincoln and then Linn-Mar in the final. Junior Ella Rogers was a standout in the regional semifinals against Lincoln, with 25 assists and three aces.

The same goes for Clear Creek Amana, who smoked their opponents in the regionals to secure the top seed in the 4A state tournament. They head to Coralville with a 45-0 record, trailing only Dike-New Hartford in total wins this season (46).

Mount Vernon in 3A had a tough challenge in facing Anamosa in the regional final, but they had zero issues on their way to winning all three sets to move onto the state tournament. They’ll face some serious competition in Coralville, which we’ll dive into here in a moment.

All three squads here are the top seed of their class and should be expected to do some damage.

2. Ankeny Centennial, Ankeny to face off in first round of state volleyball tournament

The last time these two teams played, Ankeny Centennial dropped the first two sets before turning around and winning three in a row to escape with a win.

Now, they’ll face each other with a bit more at stake.You couldn’t ask for a matchup with more storylines to follow as these two rivals face off. What will be interesting to follow is the balanced attack of Ankeny (seven players averaging over a kill per set, only one over three per set) and Delaney Miller of Centennial leading the charge with 4.2 kills per set.

More: Ankeny Centennial volleyball has high expectations, but embraces 'family environment'

Who emerges here will likely start with the depth of Ankeny against the stars of Centennial, whichever can shine the brightest will have the advantage to advance.

3. Johnston continues its hot streak

We’ve touched on the Dragons before, but they just continue to impress.Coming into the 5A state tournament, they have won 19 straight and have only dropped four sets since Sept. 30. In their region, they defeated Marshalltown and Waukee in every set played, propped up by Jadeyn Pundt recording 40 assists against the Warriors in the regional final.

They’ll face Pleasant Valley in the first round of the state tournament, a tough first test, but they have to be among the most feared teams in the state at this point.

4. Norwalk springs upset on North Polk, will face Clear Creek Amana in first round

One of the few upsets thus far, Norwalk upended North Polk for a regional title in a five-set thriller.Freshman Hadley Michael was the standout, posting 48 of Norwalk’s 54 assists in the match. She was often setting senior Noelle Sutcliffe up for kills, as Sutcliffe finished the night with 23.

Despite this being an upset by seed, Norwalk has been a steady competitor all year and heads into the tourney with a 26-14 record. They’ll have a much bigger upset to pull off when they take on top-seed Clear Creek Amana in the first round of the state tournament.

5. Indianola makes way through tough regional, draws Marion

Indianola had a tough draw facing a 30-11 Glenwood squad in the regional title match, but they handled it just fine by sweeping their competition in three sets. Senior Tori Runyan had 36 of the team’s 37 assists in the match, as well as five kills and 10 digs of her own to round out a complete performance.

They’ll take on Marion in the first round, who heads into the state tournament at 26-12 after toppling Ballard in three sets in the regional final.

6. Xavier takes care of business, can the reigning 4A champions repeat?

Xavier defeated Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock in their region to advance to the 4A state tournament, keeping their hopes of winning back-to-back state titles alive. Last season, Xavier defeated Clear Creek Amana in the 4A state title match by three sets to one, but the Clippers are at a different level this time around.

If the Saints can pull this off, it’ll be behind the duo of senior setter Molly Garrison and junior outside hitter Libby Fandel. This season, Garrison is averaging 9.6 assists per set, often setting Fandel for a kill who is averaging a 4A-best 4.9 kills per set.

7. Des Moines Christian, Assumption to clash in first round

These two teams made the semifinals in last year's 3A state tournament and Assumption went on to win the whole thing, but someone is going to have to fall short of that this year.The star power between Des Moines Christian senior Gabby Lombardi and Assumption’s Ellie Schubert is one to watch. Lombardi leads the Lions in assists (4.2 per set), kills (3.1) per set and averages two digs per set. She sets the tone for the Lions in nearly every aspect, while Schubert leads her team with 8.8 assists per set. Because of Schubert’s play from the setter spot, six players for Assumption average over a kill per set.

This is perhaps the most competitive first-round match we'll see in the state tournament, barring something else coming together in 2A and 1A.

8. Western Christian tone setters for class 3A after dominating region

The reigning 2A champions moved their way up to 3A this year, but that didn’t stop them from rolling into the state tournament. In three matches played, the Wolfpack won all nine sets in the regional tournament.

In the regional final against 27-6 Forest City, Western Christian got major contributions from several players. Senior Shayna Van Dyken and sophomore Bentley Bliek added 27 kills between them, while senior Breya Van Kley pitched in 26 assists.

It’s a crowded room in 3A with the aforementioned Mount Vernon, Assumption and Des Moines Christian, but the Wolfpack seemed poised to make a run here.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What we learned going into Iowa high school volleyball state tournament