Hot Hitters Start 2021 Season!
Everybody loves a good offense and these girls have been hitting the hardest in Iowa in the first week of the 2021 season. I have tried to take into account the number of sets they have played, their efficiency, and…
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Continue ReadingEverybody loves a good offense and these girls have been hitting the hardest in Iowa in the first week of the 2021 season. I have tried to take into account the number of sets they have played, their efficiency, and their opponents before crediting these players with being on the hot hitter list this early in the Iowa volleyball season. Let’s take a look at who they are, where they play, and who they play next!
Lily Dykstra Lily Dykstra 6'0" | OH Urbandale | 2023 State #127 Nation IA (2023, OH)
Lily has been on our radar for what seems like years now and already this season has had 158 kills, leading the state of Iowa early on this season. She has already played in 28 sets in the 2021season, playing Des Moines Roosevelt, Ankeny Centennial, and Dallas Center-Grimes for the win, and Dowling Catholic for a loss in the DCG Invitational on August 24th, then Valley and Iowa City Liberty for losses. They then played Sioux City North, Davenport West, Waukee Northwest, and Nevada for wins in the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on August 28th. Dykstra has been consistently assisted by Riley Peters (2022, S/OH) who has already passed out 195 assists this season.
Molly Shafer (2025, OH)
Molly is a freshman 6′ OH at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School and has been killing it lately, every pun intended. She has smacked down a whopping 132 kills the first week of the season with a .425 efficiency off of Kate Shafer who has had an amazing 217 sets during the first week of the season. The Rockets are starting out the season 10-0, after winning in the Fairfield Quad against Hillcrest Academy, Fairfield, and Albia, then playing New London, Regina Catholic, West Branch, Don Bosco, Winfield-Mt. Union in the West Branch Tournament, and finishing that off with a win in a Conference match against Centerville, and finally beating Pella Christian at home on September 2nd.
Payton Petersen (2024, OH)
Payton is in her sophomore season at Dike-New Hartford and has started this season with 115 kills. The Wolverines are starting their season off 10-0, with wins over West Delaware, Independence, Wapsie Valley, Ankeny Centennial, Clinton, Sioux City East, Iowa City Liberty, Dowling Catholic, and winning in the finals of the Ankeny Centennial Invitational finals against Valley, and Hudson last night. That is with a .452 kill efficiency, 14 total blocks, and 2.6 DPS too. She is a very impressive player so far this season!
Ella McLaughlin Ella McLaughlin 5'10" | OH North Scott | 2022 State IA (2022, OH/RS)
Ella is a 5’11” OH/RS hitter who has had a run at the beginning of the 2021 season with 87 kills in 27 sets with a .224 kill efficiency. She is being set by the duo of Alyssa Atzen (2022, S) and Nora Ralfs Nora Ralfs OH State IA (2023, S). They beat Clinton and Iowa City West and lost to Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Prairie in the MVC/MAC Challenge on August 24th. Then they won five in a row in the Maquoketa Invite against Comanche, North Cedar, Northeast, Maquoketa, and Central DeWitt. They then lost to Pleasant Valley and play Bettendorf following the holiday weekend. This team is starting the season off right and McLaughlin is a star!
Kadance Ahn (2024, OH)
Ahn is a 5’11” OH from Newton who has sealed up the fifth spot in this article’s top hitters. She has had 86 kills in 23 sets giving her 3.7 KPS off of freshman setter Macy Lampe, who has set the pace with 138 assists in their first 23 sets played for the 2021 season. So far this season they have beat Des Moines Hoover, Saydel, PCM, Algona, and Grand View Christian. Big things are yet to come for this team and congratulations on a great start to Ahn!