Iowa’s Early Staff Stuffers of 2023
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Weekend one is complete with tournaments across the state being completed. From River to River, teams are starting to get batch of matches in and with that, some names are starting to put up some big numbers. Here are some…
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Continue ReadingWeekend one is complete with tournaments across the state being completed. From River to River, teams are starting to get batch of matches in and with that, some names are starting to put up some big numbers. Here are some early season athletes who are making a big impact for their teams.
Kills
Noelle Sutcliffe Noelle Sutcliffe 5'11" | OH Norwalk | 2024 State IA – Norwalk
Senior – Outside Hitter – Uncommitted
No surprise here for Sutcliffe as she was the top returning pin for Norwalk where she is currently leading the state with 109 kills. She has a very active arm, where she can score from anywhere, but she will most likely terminate from the outside. They have had a rugged schedule to start which included a 2-1 loss to a very talented Indianola squad and the Ankeny Centennial Tournament where 14 of the 16 teams were ranked. This strength of schedule will be key for the Warriors as they progress throughout the season with their sights set on Xtream.
Kills and Efficiency
Carlie Willis Carlie Willis 6'0" | OH Grundy Center | 2024 State IA – Grundy Center
Senior – Outside Hitter – Committed to St. Cloud State
Willis is right behind Sutcliffe in kills, but what really blew me away was her .558 hitting percentage. Yikes! She’s scoring a ton of points and is nearly an automatic kill for her squad. Grundy Center rolled through the West Marshall tournament, but their schedule will have some big matches coming up with South Hardin, North Tama Tournament, and a triangular with Dike-New Hartford and Sumner-Fred. These three teams will be heavy favorites to head to the Class 2A State Tournament.
Kills
Delaney Miller – Ankeny Centennial
Junior – Outside Hitter – Uncommitted
Ankeny Centennial just finished the weekend with one of the toughest tournaments in the state where they defeated four top ten ranked opponents before falling to Dike-New Hartford in the finals. Miller has been putting up big numbers for the Jags and can score from anywhere. She has such a great blend of speed and power and is one of the top uncommitted 2025s in Iowa. They will head to the Iowa City High tournament this weekend and will follow that up with a huge match up with another top 5A team in Dowling.
Assists
Maggie Van Schepen – Western Christian
Sophomore – Setter
Next one in. Western Christian stays on brand and just reloads after a state championship run in Class 2A in 2022. This year will look a little different with some key players graduated and now being bumped up to Class 3A. The QB1 for this team will be Magge Van Schepen who is currently leading the state in assists. Western just had their annual trip down to Omaha to take on some of the top teams in Nebraska from the large class. They may have lost four matches, but some of these teams are nationally ranked. The Wolfpack is always battle tested by October and will be ready for another state run.
West Lyon
Let’s add another team to be aware of in Northwest Iowa with West Lyon. They have multiple players who are top ten in the state in multiple categories. Jayla Plotz leads the state with 26 blocks while Jordyn Aeschlimen is in the top ten for kills and total blocks. Kyndra Gramstad is currently second with total digs. West Lyons competes in the Siouxland which is the top conferences in Western Iowa with more than plenty of traditional powers.
Assists
Sofia Parrott – Charles City
Sophomore – Setter
Charles City is putting themselves back in the conversation to compete for an NEC title and a strong postseason run. They swept their home tournament this past weekend and will have a huge conference match on September 5 when they take on New Hampton. One of the big catalysts behind this run is setter Sofia Parrott. Only a sophomore, she is second in the state in assists and leading Class 4A. She has three key attackers she’s going to in Keely Anderegg, Mya Rimrod, and Keely Collins Keely Collins 5'10" | MB Charles City | 2024 State IA .
Blocks
Hattie Galloway – Iowa City High
Freshman – Middle Blocker
I knew Iowa City would be really stacked on the outside with Claire Ernst Claire Ernst 6'0" | OH City | 2024 State IA and Emmy McComas Emmy McComas 6'0" | MB Iowa City | 2025 State IA , but let’s welcome these freshmen in! Hattie Galloway is leading Class 5A in total blocks right now with 23. She isn’t the only freshman on this squad seeing time as Kaitlin Loria has been seeing time too. This group picked up two big wins at the Johnston Quad over Marion and CB Abe Lincoln. They will host their own tournament this weekend with a chance to get some great experience against top competition.