CEDAR FALLS – The task in front of the Fort Dodge volleyball team is a tough one.

The Dodgers open Class 5A regional play in a semifinal here this evening against No. 1 Cedar Falls. Match time is set for 7 p.m.

Fort Dodge (15-22 overall) closed the year strong, winning the Woodward-Granger Invitational where they went 4-1, including a win over ranked Grand View Christian.

Overall, Tonia Burrell’s squad has won six of their last eight.

Junior Beth Murman, who captured a state tennis doubles title this past spring, leads the Dodgers in kills (244), aces (36) and digs (260). Sophomore Kacee Gollob has 77 total blocks, including 33 solos, and 185 kills, while senior Hannah Amhoff has 52 blocks, 30 aces and 58 kills.

The Tigers (36-3) had their 27-match win streak come to an end against Iowa City West recently. Earlier this year, they swept the Dodgers in the FDSH gym.

Taylor Lynch, a junior, paces Cedar Falls with a team-high 295 kills, while fellow classmates Cynthia Wolf (211) and Grace Burken (208) are right behind. Claire Gerdes, another 11th-grader, has 67 blocks and junior Tayah Mahi has 906 assists.

The winner meets either Sioux City East or Sioux City West for a state tournament berth on Monday.