Scouting Reports, Photos: South Tama County 2026

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   The high school volleyball years create wonderful life memories for everyone involved. Connections are strong.   That thought was the impetus behind creating these scouting-report/photo pieces a few seasons ago to act as yearbook pages. I've written as many of them as I could based on watching teams play in person. Hopefully, they capture that squad in words and pictures, and can be accessed years down the road.   Today, we look at South Tama County, who I watched play at the early-season Grinnell Invite after seeing it at the Prep Dig Sizzle in early August. The Trojans won their pool to advance to the Gold Pool at Grinnell, where it held up well against strong teams in Solon, Clear Creek Amana and Ballard.   STC is a growing program that's made excellent progress during the last few years. Watching the Trojans compete at the Prep Dig Sizzle last year and seeing where they are now is impressive. The skills are sharper, the connection tighter and attack more powerful.   Here's a closer look at student-athletes standing out followed by photos of STC:    Zmolek has emerged as one of her class's top players during the last few years, and the South Tama County junior also owns some of its highest upside. She showed that throughout my multiple scouting opportunities during the last club season, when the squad enjoyed one of the best finishes among Iowa teams at the USAV Nationals. Zmolek stood out through six rotations as an opposite pin. Her height, long arms, explosion off the court and power in her swing were vital to success. Her contributions were even greater when watching her compete at the Grinnell Invite early in the prep campaign. Again, Zmolek is leaned on through six rotations. She keeps meeting that challenge by working hard on her overall game. A college would be wise to invest in the ceiling here.     I scouted Ridout for the first time at the Grinnell Invite early in the 2026 season. The junior impressed with her all-around game and broad set of skills. She really caught my attention when rising up from the 10-foot line and ripping attacks with velocity. From there, she showed an aptitude to work effectively through six rotations. She moved very well in the back row with sharp reflexes and a solid platform. Ridout was technically sound when picking up the dig or when attacking from the pin. Her vertical leap has to be up there. Ridout is a good athlete with emerging volleyball skills and potential in the sport. She reached the state track meet in the 100 meters.     There are good players everywhere. That's proven to be the case time and time again when scouting club and prep volleyball. It happened again when checking out the Grinnell Invite early in the 2026 prep season. It was the first time seeing Rucker play in person. She handed the setter position with skill and aggressiveness. Rucker consistently puts the ball in locations where her attackers get an optimal swing. Her performance in that aspect is aided by her fluidness moving around the court to spots to deliver the ball. With good height and long arms, Rucker can defend at the net, attack or expose holes in the defense. She also holds up well in serve-receive and defending against the attack in the back.     Bro stood out throughout the club campaign while playing up in the Fearless program. She'd carried that momentum over into the early high school season at the Grinnell Invite. The senior was leading a young South Tama County squad into the Gold Pool, where it went toe-to-toe with Clear Creek Amana, Solon and Ballard. Having watched Bro in club and high school, one of her best attributes is versatility. She can put the ball down from either pin and probably can do the same from the middle and 10-foot line. Bro generates a lot of power in her swing and does well in reading the block. She's really improved her back-row skills and operates effectively through six rotations.    <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/137A9240.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1036910" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Tama County's [player_tooltip player_id='806710' first='Maylee' last='Rucker']. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/137A9224.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1036909" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Tama County's [player_tooltip player_id='798628' first='Scout' last='Ridout']. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/137A9148.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1036906" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Tama County's [player_tooltip player_id='769693' first='Stella' last='Zmolek'] (8) and [player_tooltip player_id='777355' first='Shelby' last='Johannsen']. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/137A9146.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1036905" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Tama County's [player_tooltip player_id='912453' first='Paisley' last='Bro']. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/137A8949.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1036886" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Tama County's [player_tooltip player_id='806710' first='Maylee' last='Rucker']. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure> </figure>

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