Knights live up to their billing, sweep Cyclones

 CARROLL -- Kuemper Catholic demonstrated early and often why it should be considered a serious state title contender in 3-A volleyball Tuesday night, starting fast and showing late grit in a 25-9, 25-22, 25-19 sweep of Harlan Community.
 The 2nd-ranked Knights dominated the opening set with authority, scoring eight of the first nine points and racing to a 19-3 lead, but the 10th-ranked (4-A) Cyclones were much more competitive the rest of the way and even led for a majority of the third set.
 With the score at 20-19, Kuemper finished off HCHS with a strong 5-0 surge, getting a kill and two ace serves from junior Kalee Peter and a kill and a block by talented sophomore Aimee Adams.
 The Knights improved to 9-0 overall and 3-0 inside the Hawkeye Ten Conference. The Cyclones, meanwhile, slipped to a deceptive 5-8 overall and 1-1 in league play, with all eight losses coming to teams ranked in the top 12 of their respective class.