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Washington Evening Journal
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Fairfield takes down West Liberty
Trojans end regular season with non-conference win
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Fairfield made a statement with its final set of the regular season. The Trojans limited Albia to just four points to finish off a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-4) victory Thursday.
The Lady Dees threatened in the second set before the Trojans slammed the door in the third. For a sixth time this season, the Trojans held an opponent to single digits in a set.
It was a balanced effort in attack for the Trojans. Eight players had at least one kill led by eight from Natalie Steele. Leah Helmick added seven kills and Faith Jones tallied 26 assists.
Fairfield finished the match below its season average of 90.2% from the service line. Despite only connecting on 84.3% of its serves Thursday, the Trojans still tallied 16 aces. Jones led the team with six and Iris Lane had four.
Fairfield (22-12, 7-3 Southeast Conference) concluded a strong regular season that included a third place finish in SEC play behind Burlington and Washington. The Trojans achieved their best overall record since the 2018 season when they went 31-5 and have hit the 20-win mark in two of the past three seasons.
The Trojans will next face West Liberty in the first round of the Class 3A Region 7 quarterfinals. The two teams met in the regular season Sept. 13 at the Williamsburg Volleyball Tournament. The Titans came away with a 1-2 (21-14, 18-21, 9-15) victory.
The rematch between Fairfield and West Liberty is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at West Liberty High School. The winner will move on to play the winner between top seed Mid-Prairie and Davis County on Oct. 23.
Mid-Prairie, Keota wrap up regular seasons
Mid-Prairie breezed through the River Valley South tournament on Oct. 13 and reached the finals Thursday. The Golden Hawks fell in a three set thriller in the championship match 1-2 (25-23, 23-25, 16-18) to River Valley North side Anamosa.
The Golden Hawks reached the finals with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-6) victory over Camanche and 2-1 (19-25, 25-22, 15-8) win over Beckman Catholic. Jovi Evans racked up 46 kills across all three matches and finished with double digits in assists against the Trailblazers and Blue Raiders. Avery Helmuth tallied 54 assists on the night.
Keota picked up a 3-2 (14-25, 25-17, 25-27, 26-24, 15-10) win over Belle Plaine on Thursday. The Eagles ended the regular season winning five of their final six matches.
Full list of area high school first round playoff matches HERE.
