×

No. 8 Knights fight off Stormin’ Pointers for trip to state tournament

Aubrey Gates (center) and Jaidyn Bush (right) celebrate alongside their teammates following the Knights' win, 3-1, over the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers in La Porte City on Wednesday, October 25 for the Class 3A Region 4 Championship. The Knights are now headed to the state tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Union senior Aubrey Gates (10) smiles with relief following the completion of the four-set match against Center Point-Urbana for the Class 3A Region 4 Championship in La Porte City on Wednesday night. The Knights fought off the Stormin’ Pointers, 3-1, for the championship and a trip to the state tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Union outside hitter Aubrey Gates (10) seemingly flies while dishing up a kill against the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers during the Class 3A Region 4 Championship on October 25 in the Union High School gym. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Knights senior Aubrey Gates waves to someone in the crowd moments before the start of the first set Wednesday night in La Porte City during the Class 3A Region 4 Championship. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Senior outside hitter Jaidyn Bush (9) returns a Center Point-Urbana serve early in the Class 3A Region 4 Championship match on October 25 in La Porte City. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Knights setter Avery Knoop sets up a teammate during the fourth set against Center Point-Urbana for the Class 3A Region 4 Championship in La Porte City on Wednesday night. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Union sophomore Avery Knoop (left) receives a congratulatory embrace from teammate Jaidyn Bush (9) early in the match against Center Point-Urbana on October 25 in La Porte City. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Knights freshman Reagan Glenn serves during the third set of the Class 3A Region 4 Championship on October 25 in the Union High School gym. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
Union junior Gracie Klima serves of the final kill of the third set for a win, 25-22, against the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers during the Class 3A Region 4 Championship in La Porte City on Wednesday night. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER
That's a big W for the Class 3A No. 8 Union Knights volleyball team – now state bound. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

In four blood-pumping sets on their hometown court that featured a fight for practically every point, the eighth-ranked Union Knights volleyball team managed to ward off the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers, 3-1, for the Class 3A Region 4 Championship Wednesday evening and are now headed to the state tournament.

Following a fairly routine defeat, 25-16, of the Pointers in the first set – a set that showcased senior outside hitter Aubrey Gates’s killer spike and seeming ability to fly – CPU took the reigns in the second, executing strategic plays in order to work around Gates’s fire.

CPU won the second set, 25-22.

The third set started out similarly to the second with the Pointers benefiting from both errors and outright misjudgments on the part of the Knights.

But the Pointers also seemed to have figured out the formula for blocking Gates’s gunfire spikes – repelling several with seeming ease.

With the set tied 17-17, Union began to turn things around, switching up their strategy and not going for the kill every time.

Knights junior outside hitter Gracie Klima put the third set to sleep, 25-22, with a kill. The fourth set was now make or break for Union.

The Knights managed to hold onto the lead for the entire fourth set but the Pointers did not make the final win easy – managing dig after dig and blocking like a team that hadn’t dropped out of the rankings in the final week.

With the score 24-14 in Union’s favor, it seemed the Knights finally had their regional championship wrapped up but it took five more complete rallies before they would seal the deal.

Just after 8:30 p.m., senior outside hitter Jaidyn Bush made the final play – a hit the Pointers could not return.

Union won the fourth set, 24-19.

After an initial burst of excitement from the Knights amid the boisterous boom of the hometown crowd, a look of pure, perfect relief unfurled across the face of Gates as she led her team to the post-game handshake.

The Knights will next appear at the IGHSAU 2022 Volleyball State Tournament set for October 31-November 3 in Coralville at the Xtream Arena. Union will face Des Moines Christian (45-5) in the Class 3A quarterfinals on November 1 at 10:00 a.m. on Court One.

Union volleyball ends their 2022 regional run 42-9 on the season.