Iowa 2025’s Ready For Breakout HS Season
In this article:
Sophomore year is usually when we start to see athletes rise to the elite. The freshman year jitters are long gone, the newness of being in high school, playing in a varsity sports becomes a habit. These athletes had a…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSophomore year is usually when we start to see athletes rise to the elite. The freshman year jitters are long gone, the newness of being in high school, playing in a varsity sports becomes a habit. These athletes had a taste their freshman year, but are ready for a big, breakout sophomore year where they will have hardware on the horizon for their high school team. Take a look at some of the sophomores from the Class of 2025 who will be ready to breakout this season.
Chloe Meester Chloe Meester OH Mount Vernon | 2025 State #37 Nation IA – Mount Vernon – Outside Hitter
Meester is going to be a special recruit to come out of Iowa. Seeing her play for her Adrenaline club team at Nationals, they had all the instate schools on her court as well as other big time Division 1 programs watching her and her teammates enroute to 15 USA Division National Championship in Indianapolis. Meester is long, strong, and extremely athletic and physical at the net. She can pass to attack and has a blend of skill where she can find the open spot as well as use the block to her advantage. Mount Vernon had an early exit at the state tournament last year with a quarterfinal loss to West Liberty, but with a strong core returning and a year of experience under Meester’s belt, the Mustangs will be dangerous.
Kate Shafer Kate Shafer S Eddyville-Blakesburg Fremont | 2025 State IA – Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont – Setter
Molly Shafer Molly Shafer OH Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont | 2025 State IA – Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont – Outside Hitter
The Shafer twins were one match short of the state tournament last year and will be eyeing a trip to Coralville where they lit up the stat line all throughout their freshman season. They were essential parts to a big season for Club Ignit Select 15 Blue out of the Grimes/West Des Moines area where they have developed a more overall, well rounded game. Of Kate’s nearly 900 assists, Molly was responsible for 2/3s of them. This should be an exciting season for this squad.
Annalise Grant Annalise Grant 5'5" | DS/L Dowling Catholic | 2025 State IA – West Des Moines Dowling – Libero
Ella Rogers Ella Rogers 6'1" | S Dowling | 2025 State IA – West Des Moines Dowling – Setter
Grant is one of the top liberos and overall prospects out of the Class of 2025. She was a major pieces to the puzzle as Dowling made their way to the state tournament again. She has great footwork, platform awareness, and knows how to succeed at a high level. Grant played for the Six Pack 16U squad who were USAV National Division Runner-Up finishers. Her high school teammate, Ella Rogers Ella Rogers 6'1" | S Dowling | 2025 State IA is one of the top setters out of the Class of 2025. Long, athletic, and a high IQ, Rogers is a pure playmaker who gets things done on her side of the court. She was part of the Six Pack 15U team who were open qualifiers this past summer at USAV in Indy.
Maliyah Hacker Maliyah Hacker 6'1" | OH Sioux City Heelan | 2025 State IA – Sioux City Bishop Heelan – OH/MB
Maddie Lafleur Maddie Lafleur 5'9" | S Heelan | 2025 State IA – Sioux City Bishop Heelan – S/DS
Heelan made it back to the state tournament in 2021 and had some freshmen play some key roles for their squad. Hacker is a 6’1 physical attacker who controls the front row. She was also a big part of MVP United out of Sioux City and a successful summer bringing home an AAU national title. LaFleur adds a major spark to the court with her presence defensively as well as a setter. She was part of a 6-2 system for Heelan that had a very balanced attack. With the experience of these two along with Heelan’s other returners, the Crusaders will have their eyes on the prize come late October/early November.
Abbey Hayes Abbey Hayes 6'2" | OH North Scott | 2025 State #82 Nation IA – North Scott – OH
Absolutely electric. Watching Hayes play for Six Pack this past club season, she was consistently a point scorer in the front and backrow. She was a key target for Ella Rogers Ella Rogers 6'1" | S Dowling | 2025 State IA all season. North Scott had a loaded team of talented seniors in 2021 which resulted in a final four appearance. The Lancers ‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] will look to reload with the likes of Hayes who is going to be one to score points, lighting up the scoreboard with kills. The MAC is tough though, as they will have plenty of teams on the schedule who have state tournament experience.
Carley Craighead Carley Craighead OH Ankeny Christian | 2025 State IA – Ankeny Christian – OH
Katie Quick Katie Quick 5'7" | S Ankeny Christian | 2025 State IA – Ankeny Christian – S
Anna Weathers Anna Weathers OH Ankeny Christian | 2025 State IA – Ankeny Christian – Pin
Ankeny Christian has entered the chat in regards to top teams to watch in Class 1A and a lot of their key players are new names on the state volleyball landscape. Craighead, Quick, and Weathers are going to be extremely key sophomores for this team where Craighead and Weathers had over 200 kills while Quick had nearly 200 kills as a setter. Quick had nearly 700 assists as a freshman. Ankeny Christian had a deep run in the postseason where they advanced to the regional final before dropping a three set match to Gladbrook-Reinbeck. With their experience and being extremely close to a state berth, it could be a big season with plenty of motivation for this squad.