Bracket Breakdown: Clippers Team to Beat in 4A

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released regional volleyball pairings on Wednesday. Clear Creek Amana is the Class 4A favorite after returning most of its roster from last year's state runner-up squad.   Region 1   Top Seed: Lewis Central   Others: Bishop Heelan, Seargeant Bluff Luton, LeMars, Sioux Center, Spencer.   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='215458' first='Brooke' last='Larsen'], Lewis Central; [player_tooltip player_id='251671' first='Anna' last='Strohmeier'], Lewis Central; Ashlynne Havermann, Lewis Central; [player_tooltip player_id='217136' first='Maliyah' last='Hacker'], Heelan; Maddie LaFleur, Heelan; [player_tooltip player_id='493948' first='Melina' last='Snoozy'], Heelan; [player_tooltip player_id='730690' first='Holly' last='McNaughton'], LeMars; Aubree Leusink, LeMars; Bre VanDenTop, Sergeant Bluff Luton; Aussie Obbink, Sergeant Bluff Luton; [player_tooltip player_id='730849' first='Margo' last='Schuiteman'], Sioux Center; Laney Franken, Sioux Center; Addison Hoben, Spencer.   Outlook: Lewis Central must emerge from a regional including two state teams (Heelan, Sioux Center) from a year ago. The Titans would earn a berth for the first time since '17 and look the part with wins against Heelan, Iowa City High (5A No. 12), Sioux City East (5A No. 13) and Council Bluffs Lincoln (5A No. 15). The victory against Heelan was 21-18, 24-22 at the Sioux City East Tournament late last month.   Region 2   Top Seed: Indianola   Others: Glenwood, Carroll, Denison-Schleswig, Winterset, Creston   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='215470' first='Camryn' last='Overton'], Indianola; [player_tooltip player_id='215466' first='Aspen' last='Nelsen'], Indianola; [player_tooltip player_id='193202' first='Tori' last='Runyan'], Indianola; [player_tooltip player_id='214507' first='Charley' last='Hernandez'], Glenwood; [player_tooltip player_id='730673' first='Allison' last='Koontz'], Glenwood; [player_tooltip player_id='730696' first='Ilsa' last='Kemling'], Glenwood; Molly Breeding, Winterset; Addison Inman, Denison-Schleswig; [player_tooltip player_id='730711' first='Olivia' last='Rowedder'], Carroll; Hollynn Rieck, Creston.   Outlook: Indianola is chasing its second consecutive trip to Coralville after ending a seven-year state tournament drought a year ago. It can claim wins against Centennial (5A No. 2), Waukee Northwest (5A No. 3), Waukee (5A No. 11) and Western Christian (3A No. 1) in '23 but has not faced any of the teams in this bracket. Glenwood is ranked 14th in 4A and has competed against a collection of teams from Nebraska.   Region 3   Top Seed: ADM   Others: Dallas Center-Grimes; Fort Dodge, Perry, Humboldt, Storm Lake   Players to Watch: Madison Siefken, ADM; [player_tooltip player_id='168158' first='Marissa' last='Gerleman'], ADM; [player_tooltip player_id='261081' first='Madi' last='James'], ADM; [player_tooltip player_id='493924' first='Gwen' last='Farley'], Dallas Center-Grimes; [player_tooltip player_id='394331' first='Maggie' last='Leifker'], Dallas Center-Grimes; Landry Glasgow, Dallas Center-Grimes; Olivia Totten, Fort Dodge; Tayla Wempen, Humboldt; Maddy Raveling, Storm Lake; Madison Stika, Perry.   Outlook: ADM is the favorite here to reach the state tournament for the first since the Tigers' lone trip in '05. They have victories against Waukee, Council Bluffs Lincoln, North Polk (4A No. 8), Norwalk (4A No. 9), Ballard (4A No. 11) and Nevada (4A No. 12). No. 13 Dallas-Center Grimes has wins versus Council Bluffs Lincoln, North Polk and Ballard. ADM swept the Mustangs Thursday night.   Region 4   Top Seed: North Polk   Others: Norwalk, Gilbert, Boone, Carlisle, Des Moines Hoover   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='251680' first='Kaylee' last='Koudelka'], North Polk; Becca Aagard, North Polk; [player_tooltip player_id='261082' first='Madi' last='Nemmers'], North Polk; [player_tooltip player_id='168192' first='Noelle' last='Sutcliffe'], Norwalk; [player_tooltip player_id='233265' first='Grace' last='Dehmer'], Norwalk; [player_tooltip player_id='261064' first='Elizabeth' last='Iverson'], Norwalk; AshleeKay Christensen, Carlisle; Abby Barry, Carlisle; Haley Loonan, Gilbert; [player_tooltip player_id='251661' first='Erin' last='Ades'], Boone; Jenna Johnson, Boone.   Outlook: Eighth-ranked North Polk and No. 9 Norwalk occupy the same region, which should make for an interesting match if they meet up in the final. It would be their first meeting this season. North Polk can claim wins against Johnston (5A No. 7) and Council Bluffs Lincoln. Norwalk has victories versus Valley (5A No. 6), Council Bluffs Lincoln and Dallas Center-Grimes.   Region 5   Top Seed: Cedar Rapids Xavier   Others: Charles City, Decorah, Mason City, Webster City, Waverly-Shell Rock   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='215392' first='Libby' last='Fandel'], Xavier; Molly Garrison, Xavier; [player_tooltip player_id='215386' first='Carley' last='Jonker'], Xavier; [player_tooltip player_id='455729' first='Sofia' last='Parrott'], Charles City; [player_tooltip player_id='393706' first='Keely' last='Collins'], Charles City; Mya Rimrod, Charles City; Adeline Tesdahl, Webster City; Sydney Bienemann, Waverly-Shell Rock; Ellie Rolfs, Decorah; Megan Tobin, Mason City.   Outlook: Defending state champion Xavier looks poised for a run to its eighth state appearance in a row. While not as dominant as last season, the Saints still claim triumphs against Iowa City Liberty (5A No. 10), North Scott (4A No. 5) and Marion (4A No. 7). No. 15 Charles City owns victories over Decorah (twice) and Wavery-Shell Rock.   Region 6   Top Seed: North Scott   Others: Nevada, Central DeWitt, Clinton, Knoxville, Newton   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='215406' first='Abbey' last='Hayes'], North Scott; [player_tooltip player_id='206931' first='Kaci' last='Johnson'], North Scott; [player_tooltip player_id='251656' first='Sydney' last='Skarich'], North Scott; Mady Gibson, Nevada; [player_tooltip player_id='500120' first='Rachel' last='Borwick'], Nevada; [player_tooltip player_id='730796' first='Allie' last='Dittmer'], Nevada; [player_tooltip player_id='168157' first='Brittany' last='Bacorn'], Knoxville; [player_tooltip player_id='493967' first='Abbie' last='Keitges'], Knoxville; Kadance Ahn, Newton; Isabelle Pierce, Central DeWitt; Amelia Tubbs, Clinton.   Outlook: Fifth-ranked North Scott is seeking to punch its ticket to state for the fifth season in a row. The Lancers are a proven contender with wins this season against Pleasant Valley (5A No. 5), Iowa City High (5A No. 12) and Marion, and they own 3-0 sweeps against Central DeWitt and Clinton. No. 12 Nevada claims one of the toughest schedules among 4A schools and a victory against Ankeny.   Region 7   Top Seed: Marion   Others: Ballard, Western Dubuque, Maquoketa, Bondurant-Farrar, Pella   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='168178' first='Michaela' last='Goad'], Marion; [player_tooltip player_id='447490' first='Carlee' last='Webber'], Marion; [player_tooltip player_id='168180' first='Natalee' last='Hartman'], Marion; Ellie Volkmann, Ballard; Brooklyn Baumgardner, Ballard; [player_tooltip player_id='389077' first='Brenna' last='Baumgardner'], Ballard; Jacki Baas, Bondurant-Farrar; Kai Arens, Bondurant-Farrar; Ally Reuter, Western Dubuque; Ava Ramler, Western Dubuque; [player_tooltip player_id='389942' first='Katie' last='Scheckel'], Pella; Hunter Hughell, Pella.   Outlook: Marion ranks seventh in 4A at the time of publishing and is competing for its third consecutive trip to state. The Wolves have wins against Council Bluffs Lincoln, West Delaware (3A No. 10) and Linn-Mar with a five-set loss to Cedar Falls also on the resume. Eleventh-ranked Ballard claims a victory against Johnston (5A No. 7), a 3-2 triumph against Bondurant-Farrar and a loss against Pella.   Region 8   Top Seed: Clear Creek Amana   Others: Oskaloosa, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, Fort Madison, Burlington.   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='168155' first='Bliss' last='Beck'], CCA; [player_tooltip player_id='168156' first='Meg' last='Berkland'], CCA; [player_tooltip player_id='361168' first='Averie' last='Lower'], CCA; [player_tooltip player_id='432378' first='Sam' last='Schrage'], CCA; Lily Bonnett, Oskaloosa; Hannah Quang, Oskaloosa; [player_tooltip player_id='730717' first='Annalise' last='Buxton'], Burlington; Mara Smith, Fort Madison; Alex Scott, Mount Pleasant; Makenna Altgilbers, Keokuk; Kendra Boatman, Keokuk.   Outlook: Clear Creek Amana appears on its way to a fifth-ever state tournament berth and the first back-to-back trips ever. The Clippers remain unbeaten with an impressive collection of victories, including wins against Iowa City Liberty (5A No. 10), Bishop Heelan (4A No. 10), Ankeny (5A No. 8) and Dowling (5A No. 1). They have only three lost sets on their resume this season. Oskaloosa has wins against Linn-Mar and Dallas Center-Grimes (4A No. No. 13).

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released regional volleyball pairings on Wednesday. Clear Creek Amana is the Class 4A favorite after returning most of its roster from last year's state runner-up squad.