State tournament action got underway this afternoon in Cedar Rapids. In less than 12 hours, I'll be on the road headed to the glorious US Cellular Center to watch some of the best teams in the state battle in the big dance.

And I couldn't be more excited.

Not only do I get to cover Kingsley-Pierson in its first ever state volleyball tournament and cheer on a fellow Northwestern alum - Jon Mouw - as he coaches his talented squad.

I also get to watch my sister play in the 2A bracket Thursday evening.

With the benefits of media access, I hope to be able to bring you all some sort-of live coverage from the state tournament.

Not sure if I'll be able to blog during the actual game, but I will for sure give everyone some updates throughout the day.

If you want to check out some live action, visit http://www.iowaprepsports.com/volleyball... for a live blog from the big dance.

And here is a little update from today's action.

In 4A, Iowa City West defeated Dubuque Hempstead in three sets and Ankeny sent Pleasant Valley packing with a 3-0 win. West will face Ankeny on Friday at 1 p.m. In the bottom bracket, CR Kennedy went to five with Urbandale before grabbing the win. The top team in the state - Johnston - took out Cedar Rapids Prairie in four games. Kennedy and Johnston face off Friday at 2:15.

In 3A, Heelan advanced with a 3-1 win over Winterset. They will face Marion who downed Fairfield in three on Friday at 1. Nevada went to five sets with West Deleware to advance while top-ranked Mount Vernon pounded Pella in three games to send the Dutch home. Nevade and Mount Vernon will play Friday at 2:15.

Look for an update tomorrow afternoon. K-P kicks off tournament action against Tripoli at 2:15 p.m.

Of other local interest, Unity Christian and Western Christian face off at 6 p.m., while Pella Christian faces IKM-Manning on the opposite court at the same time.