What To Know On Day 1 of the IGHSAU State Tournament
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I’m a block away from Xtream Arena, feeling the anticipation of the first IGHSAU State Tournament to be held in Coralville. There are teams hanging out on this beautiful day, the shops near the stadium are going to crush it,…
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Continue ReadingI’m a block away from Xtream Arena, feeling the anticipation of the first IGHSAU State Tournament to be held in Coralville. There are teams hanging out on this beautiful day, the shops near the stadium are going to crush it, perfect for teams to walk around in this unseasonably warm weather. This is the perfect storm for this area.
As for volleyball – same. Iowa truly has a unique experience from the number of teams who get to participate, how the IGHSAU gets the best teams to state, and the branding around the whole area that makes these athletes feel first class. It truly makes the state tournament an experience. This is why I love coming back to cover Iowa events.
What Do People Need To Know About in 5A?
Class 4A and 5A kick off play today and hometown Iowa City Liberty heads into day one as the favorite in Class 5A. They had an early exit, an upset in the 2021 quarterfinals and will have their eyes on the prize. There will be two future UNI Panthers going head to head with Cassidy Hartman Cassidy Hartman 5'10" | MB Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State #130 Nation IA of Iowa City Liberty and Lily Dykstra Lily Dykstra 6'0" | OH Urbandale | 2023 State #127 Nation IA for Urbandale, two of the top 2023 prospects in the state of Iowa.
The Dowling Catholic/Ankeny Centennial match is going to be very intriguing. Dowling has a really talented and young roster that is led by Junior Kenzie Dean Kenzie Dean 6'3" | OH Dowling Catholic | 2024 State #145 Nation IA who is heading to Kansas along with Emma Tallman Emma Tallman 6'2" | MB Dowling | 2023 State IA going to North Dakota State. However, Ella Rogers Ella Rogers 6'1" | S Dowling | 2025 State IA is only a sophomore will be a prospect a lot of coaches will be looking forward to recruiting, one of the top setters in the state. They also have a freshman in Ellie Muller Ellie Muller 6'3" | MB Dowling Catholic | 2026 State IA who will be one of the top players in her class. On the other side of the net is a really balanced attack for the Jaguars. Dowling won the conference dual 3-2 back in September.
Pleasant Valley is back as the defending Class 5A state champions and they have a roster full of athletes. Halle Vice Halle Vice 6'0" | OH Pleasant Valley | 2023 State IA is a Marquette basketball recruit, but they also have some big time players out of the middle in Evansville commit Chloe Cline Chloe Cline 6'1" | MB Pleasant Valley | 2023 State IA and Western Kentucky recruit Isabelle Van De Wiele Isabelle Van De Wiele 6'5" | MB Pleasant Valley | 2023 State IA . They will take on Waukee Northwest who is making their first appearance as a high school. To think ten years ago there was no Waukee Northwest or Iowa City Liberty, and twenty years ago no Ankeny Centennial.
Valley is coming to the state tournament with a little bit of Cinderella magic as they beat Cedar Falls, a perennial state tournament team, on the road. They have a really dynamic freshman in Kaelyn Wieland Kaelyn Wieland 5'8" | S West Des Moines Valley | 2026 State IA who leads the team in assists and also has nearly 200 kills on the season. They will take on Ankeny who is all too familiar with the state tournament, however this arena is new to everyone. Ankeny has defeated Valley four times already this season.
What Do People Need To Know About in 4A?
4A seems extremely wide open to me. Everyone had played a tough schedule, they’ve all had their share of big wins and some tough losses along the way.
Xavier comes in as the top seed and are solid all the way around. Omaha commit Anika Ivester Anika Ivester 6'3" | MB Xavier | 2023 State IA is a blocking machine and their defense, led by libero Brooklyn Miller Brooklyn Miller 5'5" | DS/L Xavier | 2023 State IA is really clean and controlled. They always find a way to stay in system. Bishop Heelan is on fire right now. They made the long trip to Norwalk for the regional final and made quick work winning 3-0. Sophomore Maliyah Hacker Maliyah Hacker 6'1" | OH Sioux City Heelan | 2025 State IA is a key player for the Crusaders averaging just over three kills per set.
Indianola is a new team to the state tournament and have quite the youth movement leading the Indians. Aspen Nelson is part of a really talented Class of 2025 and is leading the team with 3.4 kills per set. They will take on defending state champions in Western Dubuque who had some question marks at the beginning of the season with a lot of new positions to fill after losing key players to graduation off the title team. Ella Meyer Ella Meyer 5'5" | DS/L Western Dubuque | 2023 State IA has played in eight state tournament matches for the Bobcats and Libby Lansing Libby Lansing 6'0" | MB Western Dubuque | 2023 State IA is extremely dynamic out of the middle and will be key to scoring points as well as making a presence blocking.
Bondurant-Farrar beat North Polk on the road to advance to state and will take on North Scott. The Jays have a really talented squad and a middle blocker who has potential to be an impact player at the next level. Hannah Ditsworth Hannah Ditsworth 6'2" | MB Bondurant-Farrar | 2023 State IA is 6’2, long, athletic and creates a lot of havoc in the front row. North Scott is back again, but a lot of new names for the Lancers ‘ last=”]’ last=”]. Abbey Hayes Abbey Hayes 6'2" | OH North Scott | 2025 State #82 Nation IA is one of the top outside hitters in the sophomore class and will be key to scoring points.
Avery Van Hook Avery Van Hook 5'9" | S Marion | 2023 State #134 Nation IA will be leading Marion again into her third state tournament. She is the most dynamic player in the state as a left handed setter who can do it all. The Wolves have experience, a tough defense led by libero Natalee Hartman Natalee Hartman 5'7" | DS/L Marion | 2024 State IA , and are always very gritty. CCA is a new team to the tournament and the crowd will be excited to see Bliss Beck Bliss Beck 6'2" | MB Clear Creek Amana | 2024 State #141 Nation IA . Beck is a Drake commit and can score from multiple spots on the court. Marion defeated CCA a few weeks ago in the WAMAC tournament.