The Norwalk volleyball team will open postseason play tonight, hosting Sergeant Bluff-Luton in a Class 4A, Region 1 semifinal at 7:00 p.m. inside the school’s new gymnasium.

The 10th-ranked Norwalk Warriors, who bring a 23-10 overall record into the contest, received a first round bye on Tuesday night while the Warriors of SB-L improved to 7-21 with a 3-0 sweep at Glenwood. The two teams met once during the regular season, with Norwalk winning two sets to one at the Waukee Tournament.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton has experienced a down year so far in 2022, but has been a frequent state tournament qualifier during the past decade and won the 4A state title in 2019.

Norwalk junior libero Grace Dehmer says that the season has been a blast so far, and she is excited for the Warriors to host a tournament game in the new NPECC as they take aim at making a state tournament run.

Dehmer says that Sergeant Bluff-Luton has some really good servers and very capable hitters, so she lists serve receive, blocking and out-of-system play as some keys to the match for Norwalk.

“I think that if everything is on, we have a really good shot at winning,” Dehmer said. “We have to work as a team, and hopefully we will.”

Tonight’s winner will advance to the Region 1 final on Tuesday, October 25, against either ninth-ranked Lewis Central (26-7) or No. 14 Bishop Heelan (22-14). The regional final will be played at the site of the highest-ranked team.