Middle Hitters Mogging at USAV 15U Iowa Regional

<!-- 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/2026/03/united-reigns-supreme-at-usav-15u-iowa-regional/">United Reigns Supreme at USAV 15U Iowa Regional</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/03/photo-gallery-i-usav-iowa-regional-15u-tournament/">Photo Gallery I: USAV Iowa Regional 15U Tournament</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/03/photo-gallery-ii-usav-iowa-regional-15u-tournament/?itm_source=parsely-api">Photo Gallery II: USAV Iowa Regional 15U Tournament</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/03/photo-gallery-iii-usav-iowa-regional-15u-tournament/">Photo Gallery III: USAV Iowa Regional 15U Tournament</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/03/photo-gallery-iv-usav-iowa-regional-15u-tournament/">Photo Gallery IV: USAV Iowa Regional 15U Tournament</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weekend 2 of the USAV Iowa Regionals went down this past weekend at the RecPlex in West Des Moines. The 15U Division featured really good teams and players competing at a high level throughout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the next installment of the Prep Dig Iowa positional rundowns from the event, we take a closer look at a middle hitters that make it a prime position in Iowa's 2029 Class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>*A note on who's featured in this write-ups: They're student-athletes I'd not yet written evaluations for this club season. Plenty of players stood out in West Des Moines that have evaluations from the campaign.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["887022"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cdc02b5692a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Before the USAV Iowa Regional in late March, my previous time scouting Sweeney in person was during last club season. I watched her on-line when she stood out as a freshman during Janesville's run to the Class 1A state championship match in the fall. She paced the Wildcats with 325 kills (.340) and 66.0 blocks. At regionals, she dominated and intimidated in the middle of the net for a Six Pack outfit that took second place and earned an America Division bid to this summer's USAV Nationals in Indianapolis. Sweeney is every bit of 6-4 with long arms and an unusually heavy swing for a player her age. She can wind up and hammer a traditional set and also is capable of putting down a quick thanks to sharp reflexes. Speed, agility and strong fundamentals also lead to Sweeney being a major obstacle for the opposing attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["750513"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cdc02b569c3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jensen has steadily improved through the years to the point where's a college prospect as a high school freshman. She flashed that potential in a big way during the USAV Iowa Regionals is late March, when her United 15-1 Elite team won the title and earned an National Division bid to this summer's national tournament in Indianapolis. It was the first time I'd scouted her in person since last club season. In between. Jensen led North Cedar with 234 (.371) kills and tied for the team lead with 56.0 blocks last fall. She's adept at getting her hands on the ball when throwing up the block. Sometimes, Jensen catches it clean and turns it around. She slows up the opposing attack to keep her team in system or forces opponent errors on quite a few other occasions. Jensen still is developing as a attacker and has a lot of room to get better there, which adds to her considerable potential as a prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["781517"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cdc2822dd68"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There isn't a middle in the state of Iowa with more upside than Smith. An explosive athlete with quick-twitch traits, the Cedar Falls freshman is just beginning to tap into her considerable potential as a prospect. That's exciting news for programs on the next level. When I saw her play in person during the high school season, it looked like she'd taken a step forward since watching her the last club campaign. More progress had been made when catching her at the USAV Iowa Regional in late March, when she played an integral part in a second-place finish and earning a nationals bid. Smith can get up in the air, hang and drop the hammer. She generates power and hits with precision. Those traits along with quickness, agility and court sense make her an effective blocker. Smith ranked second among Tigers with 251 kills (.317) and led the way with 71.0 blocks last fall. She's on a pretty special trajectory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["849088"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cdc41e2b310"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Degroot has been one of the most improved players in Iowa's 2029 Class during the last year. She'd taken a big step forward from the previous club campaign when I scouted her at the USAV Iowa Regional Tournament in late March. The Benton ninth-grader was a key player in CIA finishing third and earning an American Division bid to this summer's national tournament in Indianapolis. Degroot is a physical presence in the middle of the net for CIA. It's a power game on the attack, where there's a heavy swing and efficiency. She reads the block well and is precise with her hits. Degroot has a good feel for throwing up the block, flowing with the play and getting into position to get her hands on the ball. She communicates well with teammates, which helps keep everybody connected and on the same page.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["697463"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cdc61955d90"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've watched Small develop her game throughout the last several years, when she's created a path to playing the sport in college. She's always been tall for her age, which helped her succeed. Small has worked hard on her volleyball skills and agility to take advantage of her natural gifts, though. I saw that in the fall when she contributed a lot to an Iowa City West team that returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2016. She'd progressed from when I saw her last club season. The same could be said when watching her compete at the USAV Iowa Regional in late March. Her United outfit won the championship and earned a National Division bid to this summer's national tournament in Indianapolis. I thought Small was playing confidently and aggressively. It showed up an intimidating attack and an effective block. Small is agile and moves well laterally. She can hit the slide attack and put down quicks. There's a lot to like about her game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->