More State Powers Collide at WDM Valley
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West Des Moines Valley will be hosting the Marj White Classic where some of the top teams in the state will be colliding in Central Iowa. Top teams in the East are heading to Mount Vernon, where top Central Iowa…
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Continue ReadingWest Des Moines Valley will be hosting the Marj White Classic where some of the top teams in the state will be colliding in Central Iowa. Top teams in the East are heading to Mount Vernon, where top Central Iowa squads, along with Iowa City Liberty and Unity Christian will come to town as well. Of the teams at this tournament, all have been in a state tournament in at least the past two years. Here is a quick look at the seven teams battling at Valley.
West Des Moines Valley
For the first time in a while, Valley will not have a Kubik in the lineup. Madi Kubik and Hayden Kubik were the mainstay pins for the Tigers the past seven years and are now on the roster of one of the top teams in the country at Nebraska. Valley will always have depth and this year they will return two attackers in Elise Jaeger and Brenna Gion Brenna Gion 5'11" | MB West Des Moines Valley | 2023 IA . A new athlete to keep tabs on is Kaelyn Wieland. She has been in high school all of a week or two, but is already making an impact on the volleyball court.
Waukee
Waukee had back to back state tournament appearances in 2019 and 2020, where they had a sweet taste of the postseason. They will once again be competitive in the metro which is loaded once again this year. Balance will be key for the Warriors as they will rely on a trio of attackers in Lilly Gehling, Jenna Jones, and another freshman that needs to be talked about in Maggie Craig. Hannah Thole and Finley Curran have been splitting the setting duties where they will be able to find a plethora of athletes who can score points.
Ankeny
There is no shortage of history with the Ankeny High volleyball program and this year they will once again be one of the top contenders in the state. They have depth and balance which is always needed to be among the best in Class 5A. Aowyn Schrader Aowyn Schrader 6'1" | OH Ankeny | 2024 State #147 Nation IA highlights the list of attackers where she is one of the top in the Class of 2024 out of Iowa. She had a big time club season for Nebraska Premier out of Omaha in 2022. Other attackers who are going to put the ball down are Tanith Roush Tanith Roush 6'0" | RS Ankeny | 2024 State IA , Parker Olson Parker Olson 5'7" | OH Ankeny | 2023 State IA , Myra Carlson Myra Carlson 5'10" | MB Ankeny | 2023 State IA , and Ava Wille. Senior setter Jesa Wallace Jesa Wallace 6'0" | S Ankeny | 2023 State IA runs the show where they also have a solid first contact by senior libero Sidney Otto.
Iowa City Liberty
The Lightning are on a mission this season after a surprising and early exit from the state tournament in 2021. Liberty was the top seed and lost a tough quarterfinal match to Johnston. This season, they are coming back with more depth and experience with two of the top outsides in Iowa’s senior class in Cassidy Hartman Cassidy Hartman 5'10" | MB Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State #130 Nation IA (Northern Iowa) and Shelby Kimm Shelby Kimm 6'0" | OH Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State IA (St. Cloud State). These two have combined for plenty of kills over the years and have played in a lot of big matches. Hartman already has over 100 kills on the year, with plenty of connections to setter Asta Hildebrand Asta Hildebrand S Iowa City Liberty | 2025 State IA . The Lightning have a big win over Dowling and will look to seek some revenge when they take on Ankeny again this weekend after losing to the Hawks last weekend at the Centennial Early Bird.
Waukee Northwest
Waukee Northwest is in year two of competition after opening its doors to a new high school in 2021. They might be a young school, but the program has a lot of savvy veterans where Brooklyn Halbur Brooklyn Halbur 5'4" | DS/L Waukee | 2023 State IA will highlight the squad with her first contact as a top libero in Central Iowa. They have four junior attackers who are making a really quick impact this season with Chloe Jones, Sadie Maas, Kamryn Vogt, and Katrina Pelds. The Wolves will have a loaded schedule with top opponents from across the state. For all of these Central Iowa teams, every match counts when they are trying to get a favorable regional road to the state tournament.
West Des Moines Dowling
Dowling is a scary matchup for most teams. They are the only ones to give Dike-New Hartford a loss this season and have a lot of solid ball control and length upfront. Kenzie Dean Kenzie Dean 6'3" | OH Dowling Catholic | 2024 State #145 Nation IA will be the outside hitter others will key on, the Kansas commit will surpass 100 kills on the season this weekend. Emma Tallman Emma Tallman 6'2" | MB Dowling | 2023 State IA will be out of the middle and is a recent North Dakota State volleyball commit. Megan Frischmeyer Megan Frischmeyer 5'9" | OH Dowling | 2023 State IA will be another attacker teams will have to recognize this weekend. A sophomore to star in the scouting report will be Ella Rogers Ella Rogers 6'1" | S Dowling | 2025 State IA . Rogers is a setter who could also swing if needed. However, she is a true quarterback where she can get her attackers in the right position to score. At 6’1, she can be a force at the net with her block and can be offensive when needed.
Unity Christian
Unity Christian will be making the big trip from Orange City in Northwest Iowa to West Des Moines. They will leave their trophy case full of state tournament trophies and will return another state caliber team. The Knights return plenty of depth from last year’s state tournament squad, but also athletes who have contributed to state tournament teams in basketball as well as participants in state track. Gracie Schoonhoven Gracie Schoonhoven 5'11" | OH Unity Christian | 2023 State IA has been a standout in three sports for the Knights and will look to cap off a strong Senior season after being one of the top outsides in Class 3A the past couple seasons. They will also return attackers in Tyra Schuiteman and Molly Zylstra. The Northwest corner is extremely tough between Class 2A and 3A squads. They will be battle tested all season.