On to state

The Red Oak volleyball team defeated Gilbert in four sets tonight 25-21, 20-25, 27-25, 25-20. The Red Oak Tigers came out strong and aggressive in the first set, leading 11-5 before Gilbert went on a run of its own. The Red Oak Tigers regained control and took its score to 18 before allowing Gilbert to steal the momentum. Gilbert ran from 14 to 21 unanswered before a service error gave Red Oak control. That was all Red Oak needed as the Tigers kept control the rest of the set.

In set two, the teams exchanged leads and seven ties before Red Oak stopped at 20, and the Gilbert Tigers continued to roll to victory.

In set three, Red Oak held a 4-2 lead before losing control and allowing Gilbert to go on a five-point run. Red Oak answered with a five-point run of its own, then the set went back-and-forth in points. With some extended volleys, the Red Oak Tigers continued to add to the lead, and at 22-17, Gilbert took a time out. That was enough to switch the momentum of the set, and Gilbert came to within one point at 23-22. The teams exchanged points until the Red Oak Tigers were able to get the two-point lead needed to win.

Red Oak took care of business quickly in the fourth set, avoiding a race to the finish with a 10-point run in the middle of the set. As Gilbert began to decrease the gap, Red Oak reached the 20 point, and the atmosphere changed in the gym. Red Oak addded three consecutive points before giving up one point to Gilbert, and continued the exhange of single points until Red Oak reached 25.

The Red Oak Tigers advance to the state volleyball tournament for the first time since 2014. Red Oak (23-13) will play Sioux Center (32-5), seeded number one, on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at noon in Cedar Rapids.

A full story complete with stats will be in the Nov, 7 edition of The Red Oak Express