Missouri River Conference Preview: Abraham Lincoln
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2020 SEASON RECORD: Conference record 5-2, overall record 11-17. This last season the Lynx had it all come to an end playing West Des Moines Valley, a regional powerhouse every season, in their Class 5A – Region 2 Semifinal. This…
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Continue Reading2020 SEASON RECORD: Conference record 5-2, overall record 11-17. This last season the Lynx had it all come to an end playing West Des Moines Valley, a regional powerhouse every season, in their Class 5A – Region 2 Semifinal. This 2020 season was a rebuilding year for Abraham Lincoln and coach Katie Darrington after having 8 seniors graduate in the spring of 2020. Look for lots of growth from this new group in the coming season as they continue to mature players.
COACH: Katie Darrington – Darrington has been coaching at Abraham Lincoln since 2016. She got her team to state following four years of rebuilding a program that had seen better days prior to her arrival. She now has a really well-built program that continually produces top talent in the area.
GRADUATED:
Makayla Brown (S)
Makayla got to play in only 3 sets but got a kill with her one attempt so the only player on the team to have 100% kill efficiency.
Sierrah Beaman (OH)
I watched Sierrah play many positions around the court through her high school years. She could have been a 6 rotation player if necessary but this team was loaded with talent so for her senior year she would play mostly DS. The Lynx lost production in assists, kills, 1.4 DPS, and 20 service aces with the graduation of Beaman.
Kayla Schliefman Kayla Schliefman MB Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln | 2021 State IA (MH)
Kayla was one of my favorite players to watch for the Lynx and for her club team as well, SWI Third Degree 18s. For the school season last year the Lynx gained 2.8 KPS with a .438% efficiency (team-high), 94 total blocks, and 36 digs from Schliefman. I believe this will be the hardest player for Heithoff to replace with the coming season and in combination with Lutz, listed below, it is not a task anyone would relish taking on.
Kerragan Baxter (S)
Kerragan will be missed due to being the player to do whatever Heithoff needed her to do on the court. She is another senior that provided some assists, some kills, 88 digs, and third highest service aces with 20 and a 96.6% serve efficiency. She provided a lot of consistency and stability on the court.
Zoe Lutz Zoe Lutz OH Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln | 2021 State IA (MH)
Zoe was another great player to watch. She committed to Central College and begins playing this fall. She produced 1.3 KPS with a .249% efficiency, 47 total blocks, 50 digs, and 5 service aces. She was a high producer for this team that will be difficult to replace.
Jillian Shanks (OH)
Jillian was a power punch hitter on the outside producing 1.9 KPS, 11 total blocks, a team-high 3.6 DPS, and 19 service aces with a team-high 98.5% efficiency.
This looks like a lot of power to lose in one year. Let’s look at who is coming up this season to try to fill the holes left by this great group of seniors.
RETURNING PLAYERS:
Josi Clark (2023, DS)
In the 27 sets that Josi played in last season, she had 1.9 DPS and we should look for more from her for her junior season. This is usually the big year for development in these athletes and I suspect Josi will be called upon to provide more leadership in the back row for the Lynx.
Azaria Green Azaria Green 6'0" | MB Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln | 2023 State IA (2023, MH)
Azaria has been impressive since her freshman year. She has a great block and really knows how to use it. In her sophomore season, she had a little more than 1.0 KPS with a .355% efficiency, 40 total blocks, and 9 digs. I look for a jump in those numbers in the upcoming season for Azaria. There is so much development between the sophomore and junior seasons and I look for her to really explode this year since she has already been playing exceptional ball since her freshman year on the varsity squad. Azaria Green Azaria Green 6'0" | MB Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln | 2023 State IA ’s club team, Premier NE 16 Black, took 3rd place at USAV Junior National Championships on July 15th, 2021.
Molly Romano (2024, S)
Ever since Molly exploded onto the local volleyball scene a year ago, I have been amazed at her composure and skill. She is a high IQ player who should be setting teammate, Baylee Girres, like crazy this coming season. In her freshman season, she had 6.7 APS, 1.2 KPS with a .335 efficiency, 36 total blocks, 2.2 DPS, and a team-high 31 service aces with a 92.4% serve efficiency. She was pretty impressive, honestly. But I am sure she can do more and I have every confidence she will in her sophomore season.
Baylie Girres (2022, OH)
Baylie is an awesome 6-rotation player for the Lynx. In the 2018 season, her freshman, she burst on the scene with 94 total blocks, 1.2 KPS, and 14 service aces with a 96.2% serve efficiency. In the 2019 season, her sophomore, she had 1.8 KPS with a .381% efficiency, 97 total blocks, 90 digs, and a team-high 53 service aces with a 91.1% serve efficiency. In the 2020 season, her junior year, she had an injury and still had 2.7 KPS with a .301% efficiency, 44 total blocks (playing OH instead of MH), second-highest on her team with 3.5 DPS (6-rotation player now), and 16 service aces. I am so excited to see what she does with her final high school season. I watched her at the summer league in June and saw no injuries in sight. She looks healthy and strong and ready to take on the world.
Savannah Maisel (2022, L)
Savannah plays great defense for the Lynx. In the 2020 season, she had 133 assists, 18 kills, 1 total block, 2.3 DPS, and 27 service aces with a 93.3% efficiency. Excited to see how she steps it up for her senior season.
Also returning for the Lynx will be Rilee Good (2022, OH), Bailey Muhlbauer (2022, MH), and Emma O’Neal (2022, DS). I was fortunate enough to meet some new faces at the summer league at Abraham Lincoln in June. Faith Case (DS, 2023) and Emilee Weseen (OH, 2023) are hoping to get some varsity court time and make an impact for their team.