I had tentatively planned to spend part of my days in Cedar Rapids last week attending the state volleyball tournament. I wound up there each day, which usually means good things, yet it was for different reasons than anticipated.
All three of the teams in our newspaper group — Wilton, West Liberty and North Scott — made state, which was remarkable. All received high seeds, which was better still.
I think all of us locally were eagerly awaiting the run of the Wilton volleyball team as its core group of seniors embarked on their fourth straight state trip. Yet the cruel reality of high-level state tournament sports is that adversity is around every corner. Often, results don't play out as we envision.
As was the case for Wilton, as the Beavers spent four years climbing a mountain, only to see their time near the peak last a mere 63 minutes in their final state tournament match, as Osage swept them in the opening round. Clearly, everyone invested in the team, including me, wondered what just happened.
Yet it's not uncommon to see low seeds beat top seeds. My heart aches for our girls, who cemented quite a legacy at Wilton in terms of milestones and body of work. See our coverage on pages 7-10 and you'll see what I'm talking about.
We'll forever be a bit confused by the final 63 minutes, but don't forget the cumulative four years.
West Liberty had the opposite kind of week, upsetting its way through No. 1 seed Assumption and making the state finals in Class 3A, where the Comets won the opening set before falling 3-1 to West Delaware.
Macy Daufeldt is truly someone special. I attended both matches, soaking in every powerful kill along the way. A more humble elite athlete you'll never meet. She truly deserved the praise and spotlight she received out there while taking her team on a magical run. I have so many more thoughts, but a limited amount of space. To be continued...
