A familiar opponent will face the Mid-Prairie volleyball team across the net tonight in West Liberty as the Golden Hawks travel to meet the No. 7 Comets on their home floor in the class 3A regional semifinals. Mid-Prairie enters action with a 16-13 overall record, getting through the first round by winning a five set thriller against Tipton Monday in Wellman. The Golden Hawks are led on the season by Ella Groenewold’s 197 kills, sixth in the River Valley and 94 blocks, fourth in class 3A, Landry Pacha’s 558 assists, third in the RVC and Dakota Mitchell’s 424 digs, sixth in class 3A.

West Liberty is 35-4 this season. The Comets are ranked No. 4 in class 3A in the final poll of the year from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. They made quick work of Washington in their playoff opener Monday, sweeping the Demons by scores of 25-7, 25-8 and 25-13. On the season, West Liberty is paced by  Macy Daufeldt with 509 kills, second in 3A, Brookyln Buysse with 831 assists, seventh in 3A and the 3A digs leader Monica Morales with 546. This week, Mid-Prairie head coach Sherry Evans talked about the keys for dealing with the Comets. “We have to shut down Macy Daufeldt. That is what we are focused on. She has almost all of their kills. If we can get our block to stay fast, to slow her ball down even, her tempo, we did that against them in the first set at the conference tournament, they were a little confused. They were like ‘woah, where did this team come from?'”

These two teams have met twice this season, with the Comets winning in sweeps in Wellman and Wilton at the RVC championship tournament. West Liberty has won 24 straight matches against Mid-Prairie dating back to 2009, all of them by sweep. The winner of tonight’s match is one game away from the state tournament at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. Action starts tonight at 7p.m. at West Liberty High School.