Prep Dig Chris Takes On Top Moments Of 2019 Iowa Volleyball
I take great pride in writing for Prep Dig Iowa. Growing up in North Iowa, following high school sports my whole life, making it a tradition to attend state tournaments of all kinds with my dad growing up, and now I get to tell the story of Iowa athletes who are doing what they love and pursuing their dreams of playing volleyball at the next level. Covering volleyball at the high school and club level has allowed me to connect with people all across the state. I guess that’s what I love about Iowa and about volleyball is that there is always a strong sense of community. Here are a few highlights from 2019 that happen to involve volleyball, but more so involved a lot of great people around the top events of the year.
What a ride this weekend for @CISvolleyball – you can just tell this team plays for each other, has great chemistry, and is well coached. To finish second at this tournament is a great representation of the high quality of volleyball in Iowa and the Midwest pic.twitter.com/bEEcfLNXt4
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 18, 2019
Central Iowa Select 15M Finished 2nd at Triple Crown
Each match just got that much bigger. These athletes from the Des Moines area were up against those from Houston, Orlando, Cleveland, and eventually the neighbors to the West in Omaha. The Triple Crown Invite in Kansas City is one of the top tournaments in the country over Presidents Day to kick off the live recruiting period for Division 1 schools. This tournament draws the top teams across the country and the kids from Des Moines were among the best. They just found a way to close. There were stories within this team with the likes of Hayden Kubik, the younger sister of Madi Kubik at Nebraska making a name of her own, Coach Tina Carter leading the team with her daughter Lauren being one of the top setters in the state, and athletes such as Chloe Largent who plays for ACGC (Adair-Casey-Guthrie Center), a proud representation of how athletes from small towns can compete with the best in the country. Many of the same athletes from this team will compete for Club Ignit Select this upcoming club season and will be making a return appearance to the Triple Crown Invite this February.
@6packvbc takes the 17s championship and a National Bid @usavolleyball pic.twitter.com/EmqqNVIlxy
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) March 17, 2019
Iowa Regionals
It is very rare for a state or region to have all of their teams compete in one place at a venue such as the Knapp Center at Drake where its a gauntlet to claim a bid to nationals. To see six courts at the Knapp Center with top athletes on every court and with plenty at stake each match this tournament definitely provides an atmosphere with a sense of urgency, not only with national implications but bragging rights too. Rival clubs are playing each other, its geographical areas competing against each other, and it makes for a pretty special weekend with some of the top athletes in one spot.
The coaches here are 🤯🤯🤯 with volleyball knowledge @NUVball @Central_VB @LorasWVB @UNIVolleyball @GrandViewUniv @KohawkVball @iowaselectvbc @CISvolleyball and more pic.twitter.com/965BhMM6Xx
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) June 8, 2019
Iowa High Performance
I have never felt so welcome when I attended this camp. From interactions with the staff to the athletes, everyone involved, I can’t tell you how impressed I was with this whole event. The staff is enthusiastic to be involved with some of the top coaches around the region and to see boys get involved in the game is something that wasn’t even a thought at one point. Boys volleyball is the fastest growing sport in the country and I love the game is growing in Iowa. For athletes to get the camp experience with some of the best athletes around the state along with top coaches, it’s a must-do experience for up and coming volleyball athletes in Iowa (for boys and girls!)
Iowa State Tournament
I know I’m not the only person to say this, but it would be hard to find a state that does it better than Iowa when providing an experience for the athletes involved in the state tournament. From the “Pink” carpet to the amazing fan support, this is something that is above and beyond most states. After following high school volleyball is a variety of states, there are some that are playing split court in a big high school gym – it’s not….Iowa. For teams who drive the three to four hours from Western Iowa to support their teams day after day is something special. The volume and just number of people during the Waverly-Shell Rock/West Delaware and Xavier/Western Dubuque was one of the loudest moments of any state tournament I’ve been at for any sport. The crowd was electric and for most athletes in Iowa at the state level, that’s normal – and in other parts that is definitely not the case.
What a day. From the athletes to the parents to the coaches who were able to join, so much fun at the Iowa Top 250 – a few top plays from today! pic.twitter.com/Hm69McBz0K
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) December 8, 2019
Iowa Top 250
Our Top 250 Showcases are really a unique event. The name “Top 250” comes from the number of athletes within a four-year span that will go on to play at the college level. At our event in Iowa we had over 60 athletes from the graduating Classes of 2020-2023 with 20 who were named All-District or All State. The talent at the Ignit Center was something special where there were 20 college coaches in attendance. I watch a lot of these athletes at various events and to see them come together at this event is pretty special. We had athletes from Dubuque to Sioux City, the Lincoln, Nebraska area to the Quad Cities. For these athletes to come together and get the quality touches at a high level and for us to have a front row seat to see it all come together will be something I will always enjoy.
🚨Volleyball Prospects🚨
Registration is now open for the Tour of Iowa Showcase!
📅 1/24
📍 The Volleyball Factory
🗣️ Open to ALL Class of 2020-2023 prospects!
🔥 Play in front of college coaches!
SIGN-UP NOW ⬇️https://t.co/3s47NDpqYI pic.twitter.com/Fnh71GufWk
— Prep Dig Iowa (@PrepDigIA) December 18, 2019