Volleyballers to Watch at Iowa State Basketball Tournament

<!-- 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>Our freshman daughter decided this week to compete in track. It made her a three-sport athlete. It made me happy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's absolutely nothing wrong with focusing on one activity. It's not like teenagers have a ton of free time. Find what works for you, not anybody else.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm a proponent of playing multiple sports for as long as you can, however. They usually complement each other physically. Competing as much as possible also creates growth and leads to overall success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's why I'm looking forward to seeing the volleyballers I cover get after it at the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament in Des Moines next week. Here's a closer look student-athletes to watch:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='361168' first='Averie' last='Lower'], 2026, Clear Creek Amana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Iowa Girls Volleyball Coaches Association named Lower a Class 4A all-state first-teamer after she led the Clippers to the state tournament with 344 kills (.285), 296 digs and 50.0 blocks. The senior has continued dominating on the court this winter with team-bests in scoring (24.2 PPG) and rebounding (9.8 RPG) on a Clipper basketball squad scheduled to face Carlisle in the first-round of the state tournament on Tuesday. Lower, who is committed to Arizona State for hoops, is shooting 43.8 percent from behind the three-point arc. [player_tooltip player_id='493660' first='Bailey' last='Simpson'], an all-state volleyball player, is a member of the basketball rotation, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389933' first='Ellie' last='Muller'], 2026, West Des Moines Dowling Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A second-team all-state pick in volleyball during the fall in helping Dowling Catholic reach the state tournament, Muller is leading the Maroon basketball team scoring (17.5 PPG) and rebounding (12.7 RPG). It will be taking on rival Valley Monday in the first round of the Class 5A state basketball tournament. The Missouri hoops pledge came up with team-highs in kills (186. .348) and blocks (82.0) for the volleyball team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389079' first='Bailey' last='Boeve'], 2026, Hinton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>According to the box scores on Bound, Boeve has not played in the postseason, her last appearance coming in the regular-season finale on Feb. 10. I searched to see if she's been injured but could not find out why she's been sidelined. Hopefully, she suits up for No. 1 Hinton when it faces West Lyon in the first round of the state basketball tournament. Boeve leads the Blackhawks in rebounding (7.8 RPG) and ranks second in scoring (13.2 PPG). The Creighton volleyball commitment led Hinton to a runner-up finish at the state volleyball tournament in November. [player_tooltip player_id='833710' first='Karlyn' last='Kovarna'] and [player_tooltip player_id='902966' first='Addison' last='Dunkel'] also have been key members of the Hinton volleyball and basketball teams this school year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493980' first='Melina' last='Snoozy'], 2027, Bishop Heelan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's safe to say that Snoozy is one of the state's top high school athletes. The junior leads unbeaten Heelan into next weekend's state basketball tournament as its top scorer (20.2 PPG) and rebounder (8.0). The Crusaders also are receiving 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals from Snoozy, who reports hoops scholarship offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, TCU, Clemson, Purdue, Marquette, Utah, Oklahoma State, Montana and Harvard. The talented 11th-grader earned all-district honors in volleyball during the fall, when she piled up 338 kills (.188), 211 digs and 27.0 blocks in 109 sets. Heelan freshman [player_tooltip player_id='897309' first='Reagan' last='Hensley'] was a volleyball starter and is in the hoops rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'], 2027, Waukee Northwest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a fall that saw her power the Wolves to a Class 5A state volleyball championship, Vogt has started for a hoops squad that will face Iowa City West in the first round of the state basketball on Monday afternoon. The 6-foot-2 junior has averaged 4.9 rebounds, the second most on the squad, along with 5.5 points and 2.2 assists. Vogt, an Iowa State volleyball commitment, earned Elite All-State recognition by the Iowa Girls Volleyball Coaches Association after pounding out a team-high 353 kills (.285), coming up with 182 digs and blocking 55.0. Fellow Northwest volleyball standouts [player_tooltip player_id='812248' first='Cassidy' last='Danburg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] also are in the hoops' rotation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='574225' first='Addy' last='Wolfswinkel'], 2027, Cherokee Washington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wolfswinkel is the leading scorer (19.4 PPG), stealer (2.5 SPG) and assister (3.8 APG), and ranks second in rebounding (5.9 RPG) on a hoops team that will face top-ranked Mount Vernon in the state tournament. That high-end production follows an all-state season in volleyball when she came up with 232 kills (.249) 217 digs and 44.0 blocks in 95 sets for a squad that reached the state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='950565' first='Lizzy' last='Frazell'], 2027, Waverly-Shell Rock</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frazell leads Waverly-Shell Rock to Des Moines next week for a state tournament meeting with Dallas Center-Grimes. She's the team's top scorer at 19.0 points per game, and also is averaging 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.0 steals. The junior paced the Go-Hawks in kills (293, .208) to go with 183 digs and 35.0 blocks in 104 sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='730390' first='Ava' last='Smid'], 2028, Dallas Center-Grimes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smid ranked third among Mustangs with 219 Kills (.188) and second in digs (272) during their trip to the state volleyball tournament, where they fell to eventual 4A champion North Scott. The sophomore has played a major part in DCG being in the state basketball tournament, which starts with a game against Waverly-Shell Rock. She leads the team in rebounding (6.9 RPG), assists (3.4 APG) and steals (3.5 SPG), while ranking second in scoring (12.1 PPG). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='610472' first='Josie' last='Austen'], 2029, Iowa City West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A freshman starter on Iowa City West volleyball and basketball teams reaching the state tournaments is a great foundation on which to build. Austen produced 104 kills, 176 digs and 26.0 blocks as a right-side hitter in the fall, when the Trojans played at state for the first time since 2016. They're back at state basketball for the first time since '21 with the ninth-grader having started 17 of the 21 games in which she's appeared, averaging 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='812578' first='Cora' last='Widel'], 2026, Maquoketa</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='829942' first='Ava' last='Carlson'], 2026, Norwalk</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831701' first='Ellah' last='Wagenbach'], 2026, Mediapolis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bryn Wright, 2026, Mediapolis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexi Isebrand, 2026, Forest City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jenna Dontje, 2026, Forest City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827473' first='Mylee' last='Thurm'], 2026, Denver </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389012' first='Channing' last='Johnson'], 2026, Denver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389009' first='Grace' last='Mullihan'], 2026, Denver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389017' first='Bailey' last='Mullihan'], 2026, Denver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='753939' first='Rachel' last='Schany'], 2026, Emmetsburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haevyn Ranschau, 2026, Rock Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='389941' first='Nora' last='Konz'], 2026, Treynor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kate Harthoorn, 2026, Lynnville-Sully</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hailey Kipp, 2026, Dunkerton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814108' first='Jacey' last='Johnston'], 2026, Saint Ansgar</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaelynn Petersen, 2026, Exira-EHK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='555712' first='Sophia' last='Meester'], 2027, Mount Vernon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lucy Lueken, 2027, Wahlert Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>&nbsp;Dylan Fiene, 2027, Emmetsburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adalee Klein, 2027, Regina Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Graclyn Eastman, 2027, Bishop Garrigan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493976' first='Kylee' last='Pexa'], 2027, Dunkerton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rylee Hogrefe, 2027, Newell-Fonda</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='913854' first='Quinn' last='Osgood'], 2027, Saint Ansgar</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brooklynn Rutledge, 2027, St. Albert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taryn Petersen, 2027, Exira-EHK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='730449' first='Kylee' last='Suhr'], 2028, Williamsburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='902966' first='Addison' last='Dunkel'], 2028, Hinton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ayda Vander Zee, 2028, West Lyon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addison Mauer, 2028, Treynor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->