Match Report: Iowa City High-Waterloo West

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WATERLOO, Iowa - </strong>Often in volleyball, the final score only tells part of the story. There was a lot more to Iowa City High's four-set victory against Waterloo West Tuesday here at Siddens Gymnasium. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The hosts took the first set, 25-23, in a back-and-forth affair. It foreshadowed how the teams exchanged runs throughout the match. The Little Hawks found a way to win more big points and get out of town with a hard-fought victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sensational Seniors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tuesday's headliners were a trio of standout seniors, two of which appeared in our recently published <a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/08/prep-dig-iowa-24-preseason-super-60/">Preseason Super 60 </a> and another who has a strong case to be on it. Waterloo West's [player_tooltip player_id='508686' first='Jada' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='261074' first='Isabelle' last='Rand'] along with [player_tooltip player_id='215434' first='Emmy' last='McComas'] from City did not disappoint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith was credited with 17 kills, delivering them from both pins. The Northwest Missouri State commitment showed the kind of power that's difficult to dig out on this level if she gets a clean swing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rand held up extremely well under the fire of the Little Hawk swings. She was credited with 32 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McComas delivered all around the court. She swung well from both pins and was the team's top back-row performer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith, Rand and McComas already were at the top of the opponents' scouting reports. Tuesday, they showed why. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Super Sophomores</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This match also featured several of the top sophomores in the Mississippi Valley Conference. They proved that their games can raise their profiles even more this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>City middle [player_tooltip player_id='493658' first='Hattie' last='Galloway'] is bursting for a breakout. Her potential as an athletic, two-way performer at the position is through the roof as we saw in her piling up 10 kills and turning back WaHawk attempts throughout. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaitlin Loria spent a lot of her freshman campaign on the Little Hawk right side. With an opening at the opposite pin, she mounted an impressive, aggressive attack on Tuesday, leading to a team-high 15 kills. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='495803' first='Ava' last='Jones'] flashed her potential as a freshman last year. The versatile 10th-grader appeared more explosiveness than '23 as evidenced by her 11 kills. Her confidence and consistency in the back row also has improved. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Setting the Tone</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A key reason why the hitters produced so well was the play of the teams' setters. Waterloo West junior Allyson Landers and [player_tooltip player_id='531752' first='Hazel' last='Schluckebier'], a freshman from City, were consistently precise with their sets and chipped in elsewhere on the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landers defends well in the back and moves well around the floor. Schluckebier also covers a lot of court, swings well from the right side, and defends in the front and back rows. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->