More State Powers Collide at WDM Valley

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Of the teams at this tournament, all have been in a state tournament in at least the past two years.&nbsp; Here is a quick look at the seven teams battling at Valley.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Des Moines Valley </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 <strong>Elise Jaeger and [player_tooltip player_id='111992' first='Brenna' last='Gion']</strong>.  A new athlete to keep tabs on is<strong> Kaelyn Wieland.</strong>  She has been in high school all of a week or two, but is already making an impact on the volleyball court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":222802,"width":462,"height":308,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/DSC00873.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-222802" width="462" height="308" /><figcaption>Ankeny from Class 5A State Tournament in 2021</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waukee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 <strong>Lilly Gehling</strong>, <strong>Jenna Jones</strong>, and another freshman that needs to be talked about in <strong>Maggie Craig.</strong>  <strong>Hannah Thole and Finley Curra</strong>n have been splitting the setting duties where they will be able to find a plethora of athletes who can score points.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ankeny </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='168153' first='Aowyn' last='Schrader'] </strong>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 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='168190' first='Tanith' last='Roush'], [player_tooltip player_id='79700' first='Parker' last='Olson'], [player_tooltip player_id='135812' first='Myra' last='Carlson'], and Ava Wille</strong>.  Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='136423' first='Jesa' last='Wallace']</strong> runs the show where they also have a solid first contact by senior libero <strong>Sidney Otto</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iowa City Liberty </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":222800,"width":410,"height":274,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/DSC00639.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-222800" width="410" height="274" /><figcaption>[player_tooltip player_id='79685' first='Cassidy' last='Hartman'] from Iowa City Liberty</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='79685' first='Cassidy' last='Hartman'] (Northern Iowa) and [player_tooltip player_id='79689' first='Shelby' last='Kimm'] (St. Cloud State)</strong>.  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 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215429' first='Asta' last='Hildebrand'].</strong>  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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waukee Northwest&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='135811' first='Brooklyn' last='Halbur']</strong> 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 <strong>Chloe Jones, Sadie Maas, Kamryn Vogt, and Katrina Pelds</strong>.  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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":222801,"width":417,"height":278,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/DSC00968.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-222801" width="417" height="278" /><figcaption>[player_tooltip player_id='168151' first='Kenzie' last='Dean']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Des Moines Dowling</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='168151' first='Kenzie' last='Dean']</strong> will be the outside hitter others will key on, the Kansas commit will surpass 100 kills on the season this weekend.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='135831' first='Emma' last='Tallman']</strong> will be out of the middle and is a recent North Dakota State volleyball commit. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='193203' first='Megan' last='Frischmeyer']</strong> will be another attacker teams will have to recognize this weekend.  A sophomore to star in the scouting report will be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215412' first='Ella' last='Rogers']</strong>.  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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":222803,"width":429,"height":286,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/DSC01600.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-222803" width="429" height="286" /><figcaption>Unity Christian</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Unity Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.  <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='79706' first='Gracie' last='Schoonhoven']</strong> 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 <strong>​​Tyra Schuiteman</strong> and <strong>Molly Zylstra.</strong>  The Northwest corner is extremely tough between Class 2A and 3A squads.  They will be battle tested all season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->