Iowa Regional 17s – Teams, Top Players, and Storylines To Know

Iowa Regionals at Drake University are two weeks away and there will be an energy that is just different compared to other tournaments.  Many of these athletes have competed against each other for years on the high school and club courts.  The combination of teams for this event has plenty of top athletes who will go head to head in order to snag a bid to Vegas at the USAV National Junior Championships in late June.  

Future Missouri Valley Conference Athletes For Iowa Rockets 17-R 

This group of 17s for Iowa Rockets have been playing together for years.  They have a team chemistry and cohesiveness that is tough to match.  For many of these athletes, they will continue their volleyball careers in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

Macy Daufeldt Macy Daufeldt 5'10" | OH West Liberty | 2022 State IA - Drake

Gabbie Schroeder Gabbie Schroeder 5'7" | DS/L Iowa City Liberty | 2022 State IA - Drake 

Kora Ruff Kora Ruff 5'9" | S Pleasant Valley | 2022 State IA - Evansville

Calia Clubb Calia Clubb 5'10" | RS Clear Creek-Amana | 2022 State IA - Illinois State

Ella Ramsay Ella Ramsay 6'1" | MB Moline (IL) | 2022 State IA - Loyola-Chicago

Another commit who is heading to the Summit League is Alexis Moses Alexis Moses 6'3" | MB Cedar Rapids Prairie | 2022 State IA who will play for South Dakota.  There are still available athletes on this squad in Ella McLaughlin Ella McLaughlin 5'10" | OH North Scott | 2022 State IA , Macy Daufeldt Macy Daufeldt 5'10" | OH West Liberty | 2022 State IA - Drake Gabbie Schroeder Gabbie Schroeder 5'7" | DS/L Iowa City Liberty | 2022 State IA - Drake  Kora Ruff Kora Ruff 5'9" | S Pleasant Valley | 2022 State IA - Evansville Calia Clubb Calia Clubb 5'10" | RS Clear Creek-Amana | 2022 State IA - Illinois State Ella Ramsay Ella Ramsay 6'1" | MB Moline (IL) | 2022 State IA - Loyola-Chicago Another commit who is heading to the Summit League is Alexis Moses Alexis Moses 6'3" | MB Cedar Rapids Prairie | 2022 State IA who will play for South Dakota.  There are still available athletes on this squad in Ella McLaughlin Ella McLaughlin 5'10" | OH North Scott | 2022 State IA , Kelsey Drake Kelsey Drake 5'7" | OH Wilton | 2022 State IA , and Meredith Bahl Meredith Bahl 5'10" | OH Western Dubuque | 2022 State IA .  This team is coming off a huge event in St. Louis for Presidents Day where they defeated some of the top clubs in the country in the 17 Open Division which included Milwaukee Sting, Michio (Chicago), and Rockwood Thunder out of St. Louis.    On The Rise  Iowa Select 17 Mizuno was another team to have some statement wins in St. Louis and will be heading into Iowa Regionals with a full squad.  They have had a balancing act of basketball athletes on their squad which includes one of the top 2023 prospects in Ava Schubert Ava Schubert 6'1" | RS Assumption | 2023 State IA who will play in the state basketball tournament next week for Davenport Assumption.  After a tough day one in St. Louis, which included a narrow loss to Milwaukee Sting 17 Gold 19-17 in three sets, they finished the weekend with four straight wins.  They will look to Ella Caffery Ella Caffery 5'9" | S Wilton | 2022 State IA , a recent commit to Northwest Missouri State to run the show as well as big time attackers in Schubert, Morgan Barker Morgan Barker 5'9" | OH Davenport Central | 2022 State IA , and Hannah Copeland Hannah Copeland 6'1" | MB Geneseo (IL) | 2022 State IA out of the middle.   Street #18 Powerful Pin Combo  CIA 17 Black has a new compared to prior years with new athletes and combination that will be fun to watch in Des Moines.  Iowa State commit, Kiersten Schmitt Kiersten Schmitt 6'0" | RS Beckman | 2022 State IA is playing on the outside, a new position for her where she will be able to score points in a hurry.  A big time jumper, she can hit over most blocks. Maddie Harris Maddie Harris 5'9" | OH Western Dubuque | 2022 State IA is another outside hitter who brings a powerful swing and has a major impact at the net.  Meredith Street Meredith Street 5'5" | OH Osage | 2022 State IA , a UNI commit, can play anywhere from libero to right side or outside.  She packs a punch with her aggressive style and knows how to compete at a high level.  Schmitt and Street will both be looking to have a stellar track season as well.  Ready To Break Through  Iowa PowerPlex, IPVA, Six Pack, Adrenaline, and Platform Elite are on the cusp of breaking through and are more than capable of knocking off plenty of teams who will be in the 17s Division at Iowa Regionals.  PowerPlex has played an Open level schedule and are accustomed to seeing the power teams in a big atmosphere.  IPVA won their last four of five matches at the Omaha Presidents Day Classic and with a setter who can run the show and score points from the right side in Madison Geise Madison Geise 6'0" | S Roland-Story | 2022 State IA , there is always a chance.  Six Pack is still a little bit of a question mark, but with a full squad after basketball season it will be interesting to see how they come together heading into Regional/Qualifier season.  They do have a solid first two contacts in Alivia Bronner Alivia Bronner 5'5" | DS/L Cedar Falls | 2022 State IA (UNI) and Morgan Brandt Morgan Brandt 6'0" | S Sumner-Fred | 2022 State IA (Iowa State) who will lead the way.  Adrenaline will be fun to watch with a setter who can run the show in Madison Maahs Madison Maahs 5'8" | S Western Dubuque | 2022 State IA and dynamic attackers in Chloe Van Etten Chloe Van Etten 5'11" | OH North Linn | 2022 State IA and Faith Freshwater Faith Freshwater 6'0" | MB Waterloo Columbus | 2022 State IA .  Platform Elite has a long, athletic lineup where they will look to Arra Cottrell Arra Cottrell 6'0" | OH Pleasant Valley | 2022 State IA from the pin and Carly Rolf Carly Rolf 5'9" | S Davenport Assumption | 2022 IA who can set and also hit on the right side when needed.   Don’t Sleep On These “Two”  Iowa Rockets 17-1 and Club Ignit Select 17 Green are the second team within their club, but these two squads can compete with anyone in the region.  The 17s at Club Ignit Select are extremely deep with their 17 Blue team being one of the top teams in the country and will not be playing at Iowa Regionals.  Both of these teams had a big weekend over Presidents Day where they finished second in the club division with an overall record of 9-1 with their only loss coming to Missouri Juniors in the championship.  Iowa Rockets 17-1 finished in the top eight of the Premier Division in St. Louis with an overall record of 5-3.  They have plenty of big swings with Katy Stephens, Carly Puffer Carly Puffer 6'0" | MB Wilton | 2022 State IA , and Alexis Richards Alexis Richards 5'9" | OH North Scott | 2022 State IA .