1A State Bracket Breakdown, Interesting Storylines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;howe30&nbsp;in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/5a-state-bracket-breakdown-main-storylines/">5A State Bracket Breakdown, Interesting Storylines</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/10/4a-state-bracket-breakdown-interesting-storylines/">4A State Bracket Breakdown, Interesting Storylines</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/11/3a-state-bracket-breakdown-interesting-storylines/">3A State Bracket Breakdown, Interesting Storylines</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/11/2a-state-bracket-breakdown-interesting-storylines/">2A State Bracket Breakdown, Interesting Storylines</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With three-time defending state champion Ankeny Christian bowing out in the regional finals, the Class 1A state tournament could be a wild ride based on what we've witnessed to date. Top-seeded Saint Ansgar faces a bracket filled with teams capable of a run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at interesting storylines followed by a bracket breakdown with predictions...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can the Saints go marching to the program's first-ever state title? </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar is making its third trip in a row to the state tournament. This run ended a state tournament drought dating all the way back to 1988.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Saints still are chasing their first championship. They'll be trying to reach the semifinals for the first time in this recent streak, falling as the second seed a year ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They're hoping to build off of that experience with a veteran group. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='552892' first='Lindsay' last='Kruse'] leads the charge with 270 kills (.541) and 67.0 blocks in 81 sets. [player_tooltip player_id='814108' first='Jacey' last='Johnston'] and Quinn Osgood also are effective attackers, [player_tooltip player_id='455737' first='Sofia' last='Parrott'] is a seasoned setter, and [player_tooltip player_id='796795' first='Makenna' last='Norby'] and [player_tooltip player_id='796474' first='Maci' last='Mayer'] hold it down in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar took down the No. 2-seed, Janesville, 2-1, in their only meeting this season. The Saints also own a victory against 2A state qualifier Wapsie Valley and have swept their last seven matches overall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Janesville, North Tama, BCLUW back for more. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of these three teams were in last year's state semifinals. Sixth-seeded BCLUW swept No. 7 Janesville in advancing to the title match, where the Comets were swept by Ankeny Christian. North Tama dropped a heart-breaking, five-setter to Riverside in the opening round. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This trio's experience and ability should have Saint Ansgar on upset alert. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Janesville enters the action as the second seed. The Wildcats are tested against a tough schedule and own victories against 2A state qualifiers in Grundy Center and Wapsie Valley, and multiple wins against fellow 1A qualifiers Dunkerton and North Tama. Janesville freshman [player_tooltip player_id='887022' first='Quinn' last='Sweeney'] has accounted for 289 kills and 59.0 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='518035' first='Hayden' last='Anderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='805728' first='Honor' last='Hovenga'], [player_tooltip player_id='826988' first='Lauren' last='Meaney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='840511' first='Keke' last='Smith'] also contribute to a balanced attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Tama is the third seed here. The Redhawks have a pair of 2-1 setbacks against Janesville on their resume, but they were competitive in those matches and other difficult ones on the schedule. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='389013' first='Kruiz' last='Ewoldt'] has 396 kills in 106 sets, and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='891586' first='Alaney' last='Sienknecht']'s 286 kills rank second on the squad. Lily Sell and [player_tooltip player_id='842174' first='Cayleigh' last='Heller'] also are keys on the attack, and [player_tooltip player_id='389932' first='Addison' last='Hochstetler'] has 447 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>BCLUW topped three-time defending 1A champion Ankeny Christian, 3-1, in the regional final. The Comets earned the fifth seed here, getting a very intriguing matchup with Dunkerton in the quarterfinals. [player_tooltip player_id='807939' first='Grace' last='Farnsworth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='836706' first='Olivia' last='Peters'] each enters the tournament with more than 300 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='879803' first='Brinna' last='Benson'] has 347 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dunkerton earned its way. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Raiders ended up in a regional with another highly-ranked team in Holy Trinity Catholic. After dropping the first two sets by 25-17 scores, they stormed back, winning the last three sets for a reverse sweep. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It continued the recent rise for Dunkerton, which faced other top teams in this field while building a solid resume. It took down BCLUW twice at the Iowa Star Conference Tournament before losing to Janesville in the championship match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched the Dunkerton-HTC match via stream. The Raiders showed an incredible amount of fight against a talented team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='493976' first='Kylee' last='Pexa'] was a problem at the pin for the Crusaders. Her 419 kills (.383) indicated it wasn't an isolated incident. [player_tooltip player_id='800346' first='Daisy' last='Fettkether'] and Taylor Kipp combined to add 526 kills, and Hailey Kipp had 151. [player_tooltip player_id='740538' first='Delaney' last='Toneff'] dished out 1,009 assists, and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='893263' first='Brynlee' last='Asche'] contributed 250 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BRACKET BREAKDOWN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Full disclosure, I have not watched a lot of Class 1A action this season. For that reason, take the following predictions with a grain of salt. I've scouted student-athletes in club ball and via video highlights but don't have a great handle on how these teams have gelled. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar boasts a strong collection of individual talent that's performed well all season. If it plays to its potential, it likely emerges victorious. Doing that will be made more difficult by teams highlighted during our discussion of 1A storylines. Again, without having watched much 1A, I wouldn't be surprised if any of the top five seeds won it all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With that in mind, here's how I see it playing out...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":900469,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/11/Class-1A-State-Tournament.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-900469" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->