Closing Thoughts on 15U USAV Nationals '26

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area INDIANAPOLIS - The club volleyball season for the 15U age group wrapped up this past weekend at the Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium with the USAV National Junior Tournament. Iowa teams represented the state well on the sport's biggest stage.   Here's a closer look at how their weekends unfolded:   Iowa United 15-1 Elite   The Iowa City-based club went up against the nation's best in the Open Division, the toughest division in the tournament. United 15-1 finished 31st out of 48 teams in the group. That basically meant they were ranked as the No. 31 team in the country at season's end. They should be proud.   Unfortunately, I did not get to watch United this weekend. I went to its court several times only to find it well behind schedule. As is the case whenever that happens, it was frustrating.   I was able to see this squad play in person multiple times throughout the season, however, and am looking forward to tracking some of the top athletes in Iowa's 2029 Class during the upcoming prep campaign. [player_tooltip player_id='754551' first='Zane' last='Ehler']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/zane-ehler/"></a>, [player_tooltip player_id='754657' first='Cyan' last='Blommer']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/cyan-blommer/"></a>, [player_tooltip player_id='750513' first='Caylee' last='Jensen']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/caylee-jensen/"></a> and [player_tooltip player_id='754537' first='Amelia' last='Guinn']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/amelia-guinn/"></a> are poised for all-state level performances.   Six Pack 15   I pulled up to Six Pack 15's court on Thursday looking forward to tracking an eventful weekend for the Cedar Valley-based club in the difficult National Division. Then, I saw two of its top players, [player_tooltip player_id='781517' first='Hadassah' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='893087' first='Kate' last='Limbaugh'], injured on the sideline.   The remaining athletes fought hard when I watched them a few times. [player_tooltip player_id='887022' first='Quinn' last='Sweeney'], [player_tooltip player_id='785394' first='Hannah' last='Buhman']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/hannah-buhman/"></a>, [player_tooltip player_id='889843' first='Paige' last='Davis']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/paige-davis/"></a> and [player_tooltip player_id='776054' first='Espyn' last='Decker'] performed at their usual high level. [player_tooltip player_id='826318' first='Norah' last='Blanchard'], [player_tooltip player_id='897159' first='Madison' last='Burkhardt'], [player_tooltip player_id='959503' first='Andie' last='Haun'] and Isabella Sorenson raised their level of play in the absence of Smith and Limbaugh.   Like United, Six Pack features talent that will shine in the fall. The performance will be bolstered by the great season these kids enjoyed during the club year. <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/espyn-decker/"></a>   CIA 15 Black   It was a joy watching this team compete throughout the season. That included a few opportunities in Indy, where the Cedar Valley-based outfit ended up ninth out of 48 teams in the USA Division. It won the Silver B bracket on Sunday, knocking off teams from Legacy and TAV Houston. There's no doubt, CIA 15 Black ended the campaign on a high note and proved to be a team closely connected.   It should propel this excellent collection of student-athletes into memorable 2026 prep years. Keep a close eye on [player_tooltip player_id='769693' first='Stella' last='Zmolek'], [player_tooltip player_id='762921' first='Taylor' last='Kriegel'], [player_tooltip player_id='891599' first='Charlee' last='Kirkpatrick']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/charlee-kirkpatrick/"></a>, [player_tooltip player_id='849088' first='Chloe' last='Degroot'], [player_tooltip player_id='782418' first='Claire' last='Scherbring'], [player_tooltip player_id='959452' first='Morgan' last='Adams'], [player_tooltip player_id='893263' first='Brynlee' last='Asche'], [player_tooltip player_id='754872' first='Natalie' last='Rausch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='931424' first='Macie' last='Weber'] at a local gym near you.   [program_tooltip program_id='431948' first='Iowa' last='Rockets'] 15R   The Iowa City-based club jumped out to a fast start with a 2-0 Day 1. It went 1-2 on the second day, dropping a pair of tightly-contested matches before finding out it would be without a top performer for the rest of the tournament. The group stuck together, battling through the adversity to finish 37th out of 96 teams in the American Division.   Rockets received contributions up and down the roster. Middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='890305' first='Johanna' last='Shaffer'] really raised her level of play as a two-way contributor. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='782157' first='Maggie' last='Jensen'] was super sound in the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='760983' first='Finley' last='Batchelder'], [player_tooltip player_id='889863' first='Ainsley' last='Conrad'], [player_tooltip player_id='917911' first='Kaylin' last='Davis'], [player_tooltip player_id='931274' first='Emerson' last='Ehrke'], [player_tooltip player_id='789484' first='Avrielle' last='Ohda'], Audrey Howe and [player_tooltip player_id='917914' first='Maleah' last='Wedo'] all chipped in important plays throughout the weekend.   RVA 15U Gladden   A club operating out of Pella, RVA 15U Gladden matched up with the competition in the American Division. It ended up 59th out of 96 teams. I watched it a few times throughout the weekend and saw what I had during the regular season - a connected group of players competing for each other.   [player_tooltip player_id='959464' first='Jamison' last='Steinkamp'] is a rising lefty right-side hitter playing six rotations for RVA. Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='768896' first='Izabella' last='Skinner'] also hangs tough through six. [player_tooltip player_id='959468' first='Harper' last='Markway'], [player_tooltip player_id='945354' first='Addison' last='Schultz'], Aubryanna Fineran-Zanders and Apollonia Plastina were part of a balanced roster.   CVA 15-1 Kelly   The program sprouting from Ankeny Centennial recorded the highest divisional finish among Iowa teams. It was fifth of 64 entrants in the Freedom Division.   I was unable to match up my schedule to watch CVA at nationals but did see it several times at the Iowa Regional. [player_tooltip player_id='878144' first='Kendall' last='Rinehart']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/kendall-rinehart/"></a> impacted matches as a six-rotation outside hitter, and [player_tooltip player_id='959772' first='Kaiah' last='Starr']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/kaiah-starr/"></a> is a back-rower on which to keep an eye.   WDVB 15-1   The Western Dubuque school-based club also competed in Freedom. It did itself proud, finishing 30th out of 64 teams.   While I did not get a chance to see it in Indy, I watched it in multiple events during the season. It was not surprising that a team led by [player_tooltip player_id='942755' first='Lauren' last='Walker']<a href="https://prepdig.com/player/lauren-walker/"></a> and [player_tooltip player_id='903703' first='Evelyn' last='Biver'] found success on the big stage.

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INDIANAPOLIS - The club volleyball season for the 15U age group wrapped up this past weekend at the Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium with the USAV National Junior Tournament. Iowa teams represented the state well on the sport's biggest stage.