Iowa’s “Fab Five” of The Class of 2026
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I’m guessing a lot of these athletes don’t even have a drivers license (maybe a school permit – I hope Iowa still has those). However, they have already made an impact at the state level and some the national level…
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Continue ReadingI’m guessing a lot of these athletes don’t even have a drivers license (maybe a school permit – I hope Iowa still has those). However, they have already made an impact at the state level and some the national level in the world of volleyball. Some have raised trophies at the state tournament and they are very motivated by more opportunities to come. Here are the “Fab Five” of Iowa’s Top Athletes in the Class of 2026.
There is something a little different for Bailey Boeve Bailey Boeve 6'0" | OH Hinton | 2026 State IA . She jumps like a deer, can attack from every position, and is real solid in the backrow. Her skill set is unique and she has been utilized in multiple ways to be successful at the high school and club level. At Hinton, she was a key piece to her team’s final four run in Class 2A in her freshman campaign. She took the state tournament floor and stole the show, earning all tournament honors. Same could be said for her and her club team in MVP out of Dakota Dunes with plenty of Siouxland stars where I was able to see a couple matches of hers in Chicago. They brought home a USA Division title from USAV where she was one of the top players where she was playing up a division. There were plenty of college coaches on her court where she is still plenty of time away from officially starting the recruiting process.
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Naeve is one of the top outside hitters in the Class of 2026, but she might have an interesting recruiting path ahead of her in regards to what position she could be in college. She has racked up plenty of kills so far in her career, but her future could be as a libero. Her ball control skills are elite from serve receive to taking pace off the ball to keep her side in system. She has made her mark in the state playing for the Iowa HP All Star squad and is a key piece to what is a surge in the Iowa City Regina high school program. She is teaming up with Kiley Devery Kiley Devery 6'1" | MB Iowa City Regina | 2026 State IA who is a top 15 middle in the class of 2026.
West Des Moines Valley was a little bit of a surprise getting to state in 2022 when Wieland was a freshman. She wasn’t phased by the bright lights of the stage where they upset Ankeny in the first round to advance to the final four. Wieland is a pure playmaker where she can set, swing, and defend. She can come up with the big kill or the key set to an open attacker. The other side of the net always has to know where she is and what she is doing in that particular rotation. A true swiss army knife type player.
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The upside to Kremer is scary. She is already a proven winner where she was a starting right side for the Pleasant Valley state runner up squad in volleyball in 2022. She was on the state championship basketball team last winner. On the volleyball court, she has been playing on the right side where she has a really high contact point. At 6’2, she can terminate and block and as she expands her backcourt game, it will be really dangerous when she can score out of the backrow. With her overall athleticism, it won’t take long for her to be terminal from the outside. She is a mismatch nightmare for the other side, especially out of serve receive because she can score from so many different routes on the front line.
Stepping into a program the likes of Cedar Falls as a freshman to run the show is no easy feat. They have plenty of banners in their gym and trophies in their case. However, they fell short of getting to the state tournament which I know will fuel the fire this season for the Tigers. As a freshman she had just over 900 assists as a freshman and so far in her sophomore campaign she is one of the top sophomore setters in the state with over 200 assists so far. Cedar Falls always plays a tough schedule and one match that should be very exciting is on September 12 when they take on Iowa City Liberty at Xtream Arena in Coralville.