2025 Club Team Spotlights: RVA 16 Verona

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2027 in this state is loaded with good volleyball players. The claim is supported by the amount of competitive 16U club teams this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RVA 16 Verona was a team I did not rank in a <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/02/ranking-top-5-in-iowa-for-14u-through-18u/">recent rundown</a> of top squads in the state. It's a roster that could make that exclusion look foolish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You won't find it in the USAV Rankings or AES Power Rankings. It could beat a lot of teams in them, however. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dowling Catholic's [player_tooltip player_id='500340' first='Kaylie' last='Klein'] stands out as one of the headliners for RVA. She is coming off of a sophomore season during which she earned third-team all-state honors after leading the Maroons with 322 kills and ranking third with 192 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'] proved to be one of the better back-row performers within the borders last season. The sophomore led state-finalist Waukee Northwest with 354 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='555796' first='Lydia' last='Burrell'] was on the Wolves varsity roster as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='758828' first='Sophia' last='Heither'] worked in the Centennial rotation in 2024. The sophomore contributed 133 kills and 60.0 blocks in helping the Jaguars reach the state semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Iowa Volleyball Coaches Association tabbed Des Moines Christian's [player_tooltip player_id='555837' first='Skyler' last='Van Der Pol'] as an all-district selection. The sophomore registered 203 kills (.334) and 68.0 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='555797' first='Marlee' last='Ellison'] (121 kills, 49.0 blocks) and [player_tooltip player_id='555795' first='Gracyn' last='Adams'] (448 assists, 169 digs) played key roles in Ankeny returning to the state tournament. They're joined on this team by fellow Hawk 10th-grader [player_tooltip player_id='555800' first='Teagan' last='Moyer'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roland-Story's [player_tooltip player_id='493981' first='Brookelyn' last='Jondle'] picked up all-district honors last season. The sophomore piled up 325 kills and 260 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='555799' first='[player_tooltip player_id='523167' first='Natalie' last='']' last='Marzen'] recorded 149 kills and 120 digs at Van Meter in '24. Fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='555801' first='Sienna' last='Murphy'] joined her on the Bulldogs' varsity squad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='555806' first='[player_tooltip player_id='523166' first='Haley' last='']' last='New'] saw action as a sophomore on the Indianola varsity. That team won 38 matches, the most among 5A schools. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->