Update on the Top NW Iowa and SE South Dakota Teams
The 2018 volleyball regular season is already halfway over for high school, nearing post-season play in less than a month. Here’s an update on how the top teams of Northwest Iowa and Southeast South Dakota are doing. Northwest Iowa…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe 2018 volleyball regular season is already halfway over for high school, nearing post-season play in less than a month. Here’s an update on how the top teams of Northwest Iowa and Southeast South Dakota are doing.
Northwest Iowa Top 5 Teams:
1. Western Christian
Western Christian is 11-2 overall, logging big wins over Nebraska cross-over matches at the Bellevue Invite against Skutt Catholic and Papillion-LaVista as well as a South Dakota match-up versus Sioux Falls Christian. Coached by Tammi Veerbeek, the Wolfpack is undefeated in conference. Western Christian’s offense is directed by junior Olivia Granstra Olivia Granstra 5'7" Western Christian | 2020 State IA with 197 assists and junior Macay Van’t Hul Macay Van’t Hul OH Western Christian | 2020 State IA with 104 kills, with senior Madison Hofman manning the back row with 209 digs. The team faces a big match-up against Sergeant Bluff-Luton on Thursday.
2. Unity Christian
Unity Christian is 12-4 on the season, earning big wins over MOC-Floyd Valley, Sioux Falls Christian, and Southwest Minnesota Christian. The Knights, coached by Patty Timmermans, recently faced tough competition at their home tournament, falling to Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Kuemper. Undefeated in conference, the Lady Knights face Hinton on Tuesday. The team is led by senior Corrina Timmermans Corrina Timmermans 5'11" | MB Unity Christian | 2019 State IA in kills with 84, senior Erin Wieringa with 191 assists, and 75 digs by sophomore Janie Schoonhoven.
3. MOC Floyd-Valley
Coached by Kate Boersma, MOC enters the week with a 10-2 overall season record. The team earned big victories over Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Sheldon early in the season, later falling to Sioux Falls Christian and Unity Christian. The squad faces tough rival match-up against Sioux Center this Tuesday. The team is led by sophomore Jazlin De Haan with 153 kills, senior Jadeyn Schutt running the offense with 287 assists, and sophomore Kiernan Groendyke with 93 digs in the back row.
4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton
This 18-2 squad is coached by Renee Winkel and is currently undefeated in Missouri River conference with a big recent win over Unity at the Unity Christian Tournament. The Warriors are led by sophomore Kenzie Foley Kenzie Foley 5'11" | OH Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2020 State IA in kills with 220. Close behind is Madison Harms Madison Harms 6'2" | MB Sergeant Bluff Luton | 2019 State IA (2019 South Dakota commit) with 164 kills, 468 assists by senior Maya Schmidt Maya Schmidt Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2019 State IA , and sophomore Mia Gamet Mia Gamet DS/L Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2021 State IA manning the back row with 158 digs.
5. Bishop Heelan
The Crusaders, coached by Mary Miller, are 10-3 on the season. After a tough preseason at the Bellevue Invite where they lost match-ups to Skutt Catholic and Millard South, Heelan is undefeated in the Missouri River Conference. The team will face in-conference rival, Sergeant Bluff-Luton on October 9th. Senior Nicole Jacobson Nicole Jacobson Sioux City Heelan | 2019 State IA leads the Crusaders in kills with 214, sophomore Jordyn Knapp running the offense with 304 assists, and sophomore Taylor Wilshire directing the defensive with 272 digs.
Southeast South Dakota Top 3 Teams:
1. Sioux Falls Christian
The Chargers, coached by Darci Wassenaar, hold the #1 ranking in South Dakota Class A with an 11-4 record on the season. SFC played a tough Iowa cross-over schedule, capturing a victory over MOC Floyd-Valley and losing to Western Christian and Unity Christian. The team is led by senior Kylie Van Egdom (2019 Northern State commit) in kills. SFC will face fellow in-conference rival EPJ, also undefeated in conference, this Thursday.
2. Elk Point-Jefferson
15-2 overall, the EPJ Huskies are undefeated in conference play with a big match-up against the #1 team in Class A, Sioux Falls Christian on Thursday. EPJ is coached by Traci Kollbaum and competes in the DAK12 conference. The Huskies took down rival Dakota Valley in 5 sets earlier this season, the first time they’ve done so since 2011. EPJ also played local Iowa team, Sioux City West, defeating the Wolverines in 3. Lead by Carlie Corder in kills and setter Karly Marx directing the lethal offense, the Huskies are paving the way to do big things post-season.
3. Dakota Valley
Currently 11-5 on the season, the Lady Panthers are ranked 10th in the state in Class A. Also a DAK12 contender, the team has faced a tough early schedule, losing to Elk Point-Jefferson in 5 and Sioux Falls Christian in 4. Coached by Amy Wiseman, the Panthers competed in a NW Iowa cross-over tournament earlier this season where they defeated top Iowa teams: LeMars, Gehlen Catholic, Hinton, and Lawton Bronson, ending the tournament with a loss to Sergeant Bluff-Luton. The team is led by Rachel Wente in kills and directed by setter Ally Beresford (2020 Sioux Falls commit). Dakota Valley will begin post-season play the final week of October.