Prairie High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Prairie pops into volleyball rankings

The Cedar Rapids Prairie volleyball team has jumped into the No. 10 spot in the Class 5A state volleyball rankings, the IGHSAU announced Thursday.

The Hawks (9-3) defeated then-No. 6 Linn-Mar in the championship match of the Linn-Mar tournament Saturday, then they topped the Lions again in a Mississippi Valley Conference match Tuesday.

Linn-Mar dropped out of the rankings this week.

The Marion Indians (11-2) stayed in the No. 3 spot in the Class 4A poll. The Xavier Saints (8-4) climbed one notch to No. 9 in Class 4A.

CLASS 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial (18-0), 2. Bettendorf (12-0), 3. Johnston (8-1), 4. Ankeny (10-2), 5. Dowling (12-2), 6. Southeast Polk (20-2), 7. Iowa City High (6-1), 8. West Des Moines Valley (16-4), 9. Council Bluffs Lincoln (13-7), 10. Cedar Rapids Prairie (9-3).

CLASS 4A

1. Harlan (12-1), 2. West Delaware (16-0), 3. Marion (11-2), 4. LeMars (11-0), 5. Charles City (15-2), 6. Clear Creek-Amana (6-4), 7. Sioux City Heelan (6-6), 8. Indianola (11-6), 9. Xavier (8-4), 10. ADM (14-5), 11. Creston (9-0), 12. Boone (6-2), 13. Waverly-Shell Rock (10-8), 14. Lewis Central (5-5), 15. Humboldt (9-3).

Prairie tops No.6 Lions again

The Prairie and Linn-Mar volleyball teams are so evenly matched that both coaches agreed the difference in their well-played battle Tuesday night came down to a mental mind-set.

Down 10-5 in the deciding fifth set on their home floor, the Prairie Hawks aggressively charged back to tie it at 11 and put away the match 15-13.

“These girls just don’t want to lose,” said first-year Prairie Coach Lynnette Stecklein. “But in the end, they were playing not to lose but playing to win. And they did it.”

Second-year Linn-Mar Coach Teresa Kehe, on the other hand, said her Class 5A sixth-ranked squad is struggling with success.

“These kids are not used to being ranked and being a top dog,” she said.

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Warriors claim Mississippi Division golf

The Washington Warriors got a pair of 64's from Frank Lindwall and Jake Patterson Monday and won the Mississippi Division golf meet at Airport National.

The Warriors finished with a four-man score of 267 to edge Xavier (270) and Prairie (271) in a tight race for team honors.

Sam Martin of Xavier took medalist honors with an even-par 63.

Mitch Lorenz led Prairie with a 66.

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Kate Busswitz wins Metro Spotlight Award

Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Kate Busswitz is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Busswitz, who stands 6-foot-1, is one of the top volleyball players in the Mississippi Valley Conference and has committed to play at the University of Northern Iowa.

Busswitz helped Prairie win the Linn-Mar Invitational Saturday, capped by a 21-14, 21-12 victory over sixth-ranked Linn-Mar in the finals. The Hawks won six straight matches in the day-long tournament.

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