Sarah Homan is a calming influence on the court and Kayla Torson is a killer.

Together, they hope to lead the Xavier Saints to the Class 4A state volleyball tournament in two weeks.

Homan collected 37 assists and Torson had 25 kills Thursday night as the ninth-ranked Saints moved a step closer with a 25-16, 25-21, 27-25 victory over Clear Creek Amana in the regional semifinals at Xavier.

The Saints (25-11) will face Fairfield (27-7) in the regional finals Tuesday night on a neutral court in Washington, Iowa, with the winner claiming a berth in the state tournament at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Nov. 7-10.

Homan, a 5-foot-6 senior, went to the state tournament with Xavier as a sophomore in 2010, but the Saints missed the tournament last year. She's looking forward to the regional finals and a chance to make it back.

"It's going to be a battle," she predicted. "If we play like a team, I think we can move on."

Homan leads all Class 4A players in the state with 932 assists. When things get hectic on the court, she helps keep the team headed in the right direction.

"I think a lot of the girls look to her, on and off the court, for leadership and for that calming presence," Xavier Coach Barb Sullivan remarked. "She does tend to be a little bit of a 'mom' on the court. She does it in a very positive way."

Many of Homan's passes were directed to Torson, a 5-foot-10 sophomore with tremendous leaping ability and a lethal right arm.

"People have always told me I can jump really high and I can just hang there. I don't really notice it," she said modestly. "I just know I get up there and hit it."

The Clear Creek Amana players were lucky they didn't go home with bloody noses when Torson sent rockets heading in their direction.

"She's just so athletic," Sullivan said. "I think it's her nature. She sees the court really well and knows exactly what to do. She's just very, very poised."

Torson ranks eighth in Class 4A with 364 kills.

Xavier controlled Thursday's match from start to finish, but the Clippers (21-14) made it interesting in the third set. Sullivan said the Saints play better when they're loose and relaxed, but she likes the way they've responded in tight situations this season.

"They seem to excel under pressure," she said. "This is not the first time we've had a game go past 25, so they know what to do."

Torson played on the varsity last year as a freshman. The Saints lost to Kennedy in the regional semifinals after making the state tournament in 2009 and 2010.

"I was definitely looking forward to going to state last year, but I also knew we'd lost a lot of seniors from the year before," she said.

"Not going last year was definitely a disappointment, as it is for any team," Sullivan said, "but I think it adds even more motivation to get there this year.

"That's obviously our ultimate goal. Everybody knows it," the coach said. "But at the same time, the girls realize it's one step at a time."

Kasey VandenBosch had 15 kills for Xavier Thursday night. Halle Heying had 14 digs, Torson finished with 12 digs and Emma Barta had eight digs.