WASHINGTON, Iowa - Kasey VandenBosch has attended the state volleyball tournament in Cedar Rapids since she was a little girl.

This time she won't have to buy a ticket.

VandenBosch played a strong match Tuesday night as the ninth-ranked Xavier Saints swept Fairfield, 25-21, 25-13, 25-15, in the Class 4A regional finals on a neutral court in Washington.

The Saints (26-11) will face top-ranked Charles City (42-1) in the opening round of the state tournament next Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena at 6 p.m.

VandenBosch, a 5-foot-9 junior, excelled in the third game against Fairfield with a series of kills and finished the match with her 14th smash of the night.

Now instead of sitting in the stands at the state tournament, she'll be on Court 1 with her teammates next Wednesday.

"I've been watching the state tournament since I have been like 6 years old," she said. "It's so much fun.

"Especially at the U.S. Cellular Center, I would just go up in the top row and I'd watch all the teams. I felt that I needed to get there someday. It was like a motivational factor for me."

VandenBosch won't get to play at the U.S. Cellular Center because the arena in downtown Cedar Rapids is closed for renovation for the second straight year, but many of the teams that played in
the state tournament at the Ice Arena last year said they actually enjoyed the cozier venue better.

VandenBosch didn't just sit in the top row and casually watch all those state tournaments. She studied the players and wanted to emulate them.

"I would always look at the rosters and see who had the highest kill efficiency and then I'd watch her," she explained, "watching to see how she did it and what she did to be so good."

Her older sister, Kristin, played volleyball at Xavier but never got to play in the state tournament. She learned to love the sport by watching her sister.

"I grew up going to all her tournaments," VandenBosch said. "Volleyball has been a part of my whole life."

Now she'll get to compete for a state title.

"It's so exciting," she said. "A lot of my family lives really close, so a lot of them are planning to come watch us play at state, so I'm really excited.

"I think it's going to be incredible to walk out on that court. It's going to be indescribable."

The Saints got off to a slow start against Fairfield and trailed, 14-8, in the first game before getting untracked. A kill by VandenBosch completed a 7-1 spurt as they pulled even at 15-15 and a kill by Kayla Torson finished the first game.

Xavier cruised in Games 2 and 3, then relished the thrill of making the state meet.

Coach Barb Sullivan will be taking the Saints to the state tournament for the third time in four years, qualifying in 2009, 2010 and now 2012.

"It's exciting," she said. "It's never the same. It's a different group of girls every time.

"And with this group of girls, it's really special. They've worked so hard and they deserve to go there."

Torson led Xavier with 16 kills and had nine digs. Sarah Homan collected 32 assists and Halle Heying had 20 digs.

The Class 4A state tournament will be played next Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If the Saints defeat Charles City, they'll face either No. 4 Waverly-Shell Rock or No. 5 North Scott in the semifinals.

Xavier was the only Metro team to make the state tournament this year. Kennedy and Washington lost in the Class 5A regional finals Tuesday night.

CLASS 4A STATE TOURNAMENT
At Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 7
Quarterfinals
Xavier (26-11) vs. Charles City (42-1), 6 p.m., Court 1
Solon (31-4) vs. Harlan (32-5), 6 p.m., Court 2
North Scott (27-5) vs. Waverly-Shell Rock (44-7), 7:30 p.m., Court 1
West Delaware (31-11) vs. Bishop Heelan (35-10), 7:30 p.m., Court 2

FRIDAY, NOV. 9
Semifinals at 1:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 10
Finals at Noon