NICL Final Four, A Prelude To The State Tournament

It’s happening. The final four of the North Iowa Cedar League is going down at Dike-New Hartford with four teams who are in the top ten of 2A and what is essentially a mini state tournament. The NICL is one of the top small school conferences in the nation (yes, I’m being bold and saying the nation). The number of athletes from this conference that are competing against top collegiate programs of all divisions across the nation is astounding. There is tradition that doesn’t graduate with these programs. Tonight will be a packed house that will feature Dike-New Hartford vs. Sumner-Fredericksburg and Denver vs. South Hardin with the winners to meet in a conference take all title match.

[player_tooltip player_id="79236" first="Morgan" last="Brandt"] attacking against DNH at the Class 2A State Tournament

Dike-New Hartford vs. Sumner-Fred

Dike-New Hartford comes in as the heavy favorite with a 37-1 record with many wins over top Class 4A and 5A opponents. Their only loss has come to Iowa City Liberty who is currently ranked number one in Class 5A. The Wolverines are led by the Petersen Twins, Payton and Jadyn who have combined for nearly 700 kills this season. But wait, there’s more. Madelyn Norton Madelyn Norton 5'8" | S Dike-New Hartford | 2023 State IA is a 2023 setter who orchestrates it all where she can dish and also attack with a big left handed swing. There are two big blockers that are making their presence known with Lillian Barrett and Maryn Bixby. These two teams have faced off once earlier this season where DNH won 2-0. This is also a rematch of the first round of the state tournament in 2020 where DNH won the quarterfinal match 3-0.

Sumner-Fredericksburg is currently sixth in Class 2A with a 29-5 record. The Cougars are led by one of the top all around players in the state in Morgan Brandt Morgan Brandt 6'0" | S Sumner-Fred | 2022 State IA who does it as a setter and attacker. She currently has 345 assists and 218 kills. Her favorite target? Isabelle Elliot who has over 300 kills on the season and is one of the top sophomores in Class 2A.

Dike-New Hartford will have the edge with it being on their homecourt and at this point in the season, taking a set off Dike is a victory for most teams. Dike moves on to the finals.

South Hardin vs. Denver

[player_tooltip player_id="79666" first="Ellie" last="Anderson"], 2023, OH, South Hardin High School.

South Hardin is walking into this match at 28-0. That’s an impressive record. Is a loss good for teams at this point in the season? Or is it best to just keep trailblazing ahead? The Tigers are led by Ellie Anderson Ellie Anderson 5'11" | OH South Hardin | 2023 State IA with over 200 kills, but they have four other attackers who have over 100 kills in Ava Paige, Ava Salvo, Rylee Nelson, and Drue Luiken. Paige and Salvo are freshmen. They also have a solid combination with the first two touches with Northwestern (IA) commit Jaidyn Teske Jaidyn Teske 5'5" | DS/L South Hardin | 2022 State IA at libero and setter, Emma Salvo. This team has state tournament experience, but do not have the loaded schedule that the likes of Dike-New Hartford, Sumner-Fred, and Denver may have.

Denver is going to come in extremely hungry. With a loaded Senior class, these athletes are absolute gamers where they have experience in state volleyball and state basketball. Reese Johnson Reese Johnson 5'9" | S Denver | 2022 State IA is the setter on this squad where she can dish to all positions, she is one of the top uncommitted setters in the Class of 2022 in Iowa. Her top two targets are Kayla Knowles Kayla Knowles 5'11" | OH Denver | 2023 State #161 Nation IA and Allison Bonnette Allison Bonnette 5'10" | OH Denver | 2022 State IA . Bonnette just went over 1,000 kills in her career and is another top 2022 available prospect. The Cyclones have been battle test this season with their losses coming to West Delaware (#1 3A), Dike New Hartford twice, Osage (#13 2A), Sumner-Fred, and Mount Vernon (#7 3A).

With the experience of Denver and the motivation to give South Hardin their first lost, I lean towards a tight 2-1 victory for the Cyclones to meet Dike-New Hartford in the final.

What Happens In The Final?

I think this will be a great match. This will be a battle of two highly athletic and skills squads, well coached, and two communities who are passionate about their high school sports (who isn’t in the NICL?). What makes Dike-New Hartford so hard to best? They don’t give you free points. They don’t even give you many chances to run a free ball. Their ball control is the best in the state and when you have an organized defense who is always in control, it makes it really tough to score points and go on runs and to generate momentum. Denver is great, but Dike-New Hartford is just that good. Either way, this is so exciting for the conference and the Cedar Valley area.

How Does This Impact The Postseason?

I love going down a rabbit hole of matchups. However, before we get too deep into potential regional matchups, lets be thankful that the IGHSAU is flexible and splits the top teams up so they have a chance to get to the state tournament. In most cases in other states, the NICL Tournament would essentially be a regional to the state tournament. These final four teams are top teams in 2A, however in this same area, there is also Osage (who is scary explosive) and Beckman who has had some impressive victories this season and Kiersten Schmitt Kiersten Schmitt 6'0" | OH Beckman | 2022 State #103 Nation IA , an Iowa State commit who can take over a match. How many ways can you slice the Cedar Valley.