2029 Rankings Debut: Scouting Fantastic Freshmen

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/iowa-prep-dig-team-rankings-for-week-6/">Iowa Prep Dig Team Rankings for Week 6</a>   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/weigh-in-wednesday-whos-tops-on-the-right-side/">Weigh-In Wednesday: Who's Tops on the Right Side?</a>   If you've been on the site recently, you may have noticed the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/updated-2029-iowa-rankings/">rankings debut for the 2029 Class</a>. It contained more than 100 student-athletes from across the state.   As mentioned before on Prep Dig Iowa, I'm familiar with this year's prep freshmen because our daughter is among them. It's a blast watching them succeed during their first years of high school.   For now, everyone in the group is on the Watch List. That means those kids are being evaluated by folks working on these rankings moving forward.   You've got time before names are assigned numbers. The 2028 Class is awaiting its initial numerical rankings, which should drop not long after the high school season concludes.   I've written about 2029s throughout the fall. You can find write-ups on that collection of players below:   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/names-to-know-in-iowas-freshman-class/">Names to Know in Iowa's Freshman Class</a> ([player_tooltip player_id='892895' first='Harper' last='McGraw'], [player_tooltip player_id='892907' first='Adrienne' last='Wall'], [player_tooltip player_id='890305' first='Johanna' last='Shaffer'], [player_tooltip player_id='754872' first='[player_tooltip player_id='523167' first='Natalie' last='']' last='Rausch'], [player_tooltip player_id='892918' first='Eden' last='Horn'], [player_tooltip player_id='765171' first='Dillynn' last='Moore'])   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/more-iowa-2029s-making-their-mark/">More Iowa 2029s Making Their Mark</a> ([player_tooltip player_id='891576' first='Julia' last='Settles'], [player_tooltip player_id='891586' first='Alaney' last='Sienknecht'], [player_tooltip player_id='891592' first='Macie' last='Charlson'], [player_tooltip player_id='891595' first='Braxtyn' last='Rettinger'], [player_tooltip player_id='891599' first='Charlee' last='Kirkpatrick'], [player_tooltip player_id='891609' first='Lexie' last='Fink'])   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/09/fabulous-freshmen-making-noise-in-2025/">Fabulous Freshmen Making Noise in 2025</a> ([player_tooltip player_id='781517' first='Hadassah' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='893087' first='Kate' last='Limbaugh'], [player_tooltip player_id='759977' first='Abbey' last='Kirk'], [player_tooltip player_id='785394' first='Hannah' last='Buhman'], [player_tooltip player_id='760328' first='Cashtin' last='Reisner'], [player_tooltip player_id='754537' first='Amelia' last='Guinn'])   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/09/scouting-iowa-freshmen-playing-fantastic/">Scouting Iowa Freshmen Playing Fantastic</a> ([player_tooltip player_id='889843' first='Paige' last='Davis'], [player_tooltip player_id='889855' first='Reese' last='Harlan'], [player_tooltip player_id='889860' first='Andrea' last='Genskow'], [player_tooltip player_id='889863' first='Ainsley' last='Conrad'], [player_tooltip player_id='887022' first='Quinn' last='Sweeney'], [player_tooltip player_id='750513' first='Caylee' last='Jensen'])   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/underclassmen-setters-standing-out-in-2025/">Underclassmen Setters Standing Out in 2025</a> ([player_tooltip player_id='754551' first='Zane' last='Ehler'], [player_tooltip player_id='884220' first='Aubrey' last='Wehr'])   Here's a closer look at six more freshmen of note:    Asche was a part of a strong CIA team that I saw a lot during the club campaign. Her play in the middle of the net was exemplary for the level and gave her squad an advantage over most opponents. Asche is athletic and tall with long arms. Natural instincts for being a two-way player up front are present. Asche stands out for her defense right now, which led to leading all of the state's freshmen in blocks (62.0, 23 solo) through the Raiders' first 69 sets. She contributed 48 kills (.264) and 157 digs, illustrating her broad range of volleyball skills. Asche's development is one to monitor as a prospect packed with potential.     Friessen is a dynamic volleyball player capable of impacting matches from all locations on the court. In addition to her broad base of skills, the Hinton freshman has a feel for the game beyond her years. It's all led to 82 kills (.386) and 44.0 blocks, ranking her second among the Blackhawks in both categories. As a ninth-grader, Friessen has provided what her team has needed in the attack and defense at the net. It's coming off of a club season with MVP that had her setting for an outfit that found a lot of success in reaching nationals. It will be interesting to see how Friessen's game evolves during the next few years.     Davis has joined a solid program this fall and impacted it as a freshman. She had 78 kills (.249) and 29.0 blocks with 29 digs during the regular season. Davis compensates for a lack of traditional height at the net with bounce and athleticism. She explodes off of the court and gets her arm through the zone quickly, which helps beat the block. Davis surveys the floor well as play unfolds and finds advantages against the defense in directing the attack. Davis utilizes the traits that lead to her success offensively to throw up an effective block. With further room to develop, Davis is one to monitor moving forward.     Timmermans stands out for her versatility in being able to attack effectively from both pins. That could foreshadow a bright future for the freshman. She already is impacting the competition with 68 kills and 25.0 blocks through the Little Cyclones first 59 sets. Timmermans leans on her height and long arms in being a two-way contributor at the net. From the outside, she has a smooth, repeatable operation finishing with a swing that generates power. Her attack is quicker from the right side, where she does a nice job beating the block. Timmermans times her blocks well after getting a good read on the opposing attack.     O'Neal played an important role as a freshman on a squad that won a Hawkeye Ten Conference championship in 2025. Through the Tigers' first 79 sets, the ninth-grader contributed 65 kills, 8.0 blocks and 32 digs. O'Neal jumps well and generates power in her lefty swing from the opposite pin. Her body is positioned well to challenge spots in the defense most vulnerable to the attack. O'Neal does well in reading the block, figuring out ways to avoid it or use it to her advantage. O'Neal shows a good feel for throwing up the block with potential for more growth in that area and others.     I've watched Decker compete with Six Pack for the last few years. She's stood out for her work in the back row, covering a lot of ground and helping keep one of the better teams in the age group in system. Wapsie Valley has expanded her role. Through 79 sets as a freshman in 2025, Decker had produced 56 kills to go with 202 digs. It's pretty cool watching her swing from the pin, using explosive athleticism and a technically-sound operation to put the ball down on opponents. Decker is most advanced in the back row, however. She reads the attack well, getting into advantageous positions to defend. Her movements and reactions also lead to success in serve-receive.

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