Metro Sports Report

Ahcan lifts RoughRiders in OT

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Jack Ahcan scored at the 4:09 mark in overtime Friday night to give the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders a 4-3 victory over Bloomington in a USHL game before 1,611 fans in Bloomington, Ill.

The RoughRiders jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Hugh McGing and Pavel Tkachkov, but Bloomington responded with three straight goals for a 3-2 lead late in the game.

McGing scored again at the 15:28 mark of the third period to tie the game, 3-3. Ahcan got his game-winner on an assist from Jacob Hayhurst. Ahcan had two assists in the game. Ross Colton also had two assists.

Cougars top Ankeny for state berth

As she was clutching “Vaughn the Monkey,” the stuffed animal team mascot for her Kennedy volleyball squad, junior Gabbie Meyer had to be told what it meant for the Cougars to “get the monkey off their back.”

All she knew was that the girls collectively before the season started a nonsensically-named “V-Ball Monkey” twitter account to whimsically communicate among themselves.

Meyer’s well-worn childhood toy monkey has been on the Kennedy bench ever since.

It’s turned into a good luck charm because Tuesday night on their home floor the inspired Cougar girls did indeed get the monkey off their back by advancing to next week’s state tournament after losing in the regional finals each of the past three years.

Senior team leader and setter-extraordinaire Anna Fluent needed no explanation for what that meant.

Coe volleyball falls in semifinals

WAVERLY - The Coe women's volleyball team lost to Wartburg, 25-18, 28-26, 25-21, in the semifinals of the Iowa Conference tournament Thursday night in Waverly.

Brianna Smith and Lauren Himan led the Kohawks with seven kills. Lindsey Koch and Olivia Leisinger had six kills.

Mackenzie Harbaugh collected 30 assists for Coe. Madi Miller had 17 digs.

Coe finished the season with a 23-13 record.

Marion sweeps to state volleyball meet

WASHINGTON, Iowa - The Marion High School volleyball team cruised to a 25-12, 25-14, 25-9 victory over Fort Madison in the Class 4A regional finals Tuesday night and earned its second straight trip to the state tournament.

Marion (31-8) will face Lewis Central (32-5) in the quarterfinals of the state tournament at 6 p.m. Tuesday on Court 1 at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Indians reached the semifinals of the state tournament a year ago.

Fort Madison committed 17 errors in the first set Tuesday night in a match played in Washington, about halfway between the two schools. Marion played a strong game on offense in the second set for a 2-0 lead, then rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the third set to post a convincing victory.