Prep Dig Iowa Sizzle Overview

<h4 class="wp-block-heading">If you're anything like me, you've been itching for the return of volleyball. As much as I love club, I always find myself so excited to get school ball rolling. There's something so enticing about the rivalries, the mix of players, the student sections, and just the overall atmosphere. So when I was asked to cover the Prep Dig Sizzle, I jumped at that opportunity.</h4>   This year, fourteen amazing high school teams showed up ready to compete at this year's Iowa Sizzle. Although it is the first week of the season, you could tell these athletes came to compete. I have so many posts to write about this event, but I wanted to start with an overview of the teams that competed as well as some standout athletes.     Cedar Rapids Kennedy- CR Kennedy brought two teams to this Iowa Sizzle this week, and both squads showed a lot of promise. The Cougars showcased the fact that they have quite the depth this season. There were various times throughout the tournament where I saw lots of glimpses of stellar plays and solid connections. I think that once this group starts to really mesh, they'll be a tough team to beat. I am extremely eager to see what this season has in store for the Cougars.   Humboldt- There is no doubt that the Wildcats are on the hunt for a State Champion title this year after falling just short last year. After watching their performance this week, I can definitely see them making that run in November. The most notable thing that came from watching Humboldt was their strong connections and the fact that everyone at the net was putting the ball away. I was expecting nothing less of the Wildcats, but seeing them already starting with their best foot forward should make for a very promising season for this group.    There's a reason why Addi Waldorf is ranked so high in her class. With the way she plays the game, you'd never guess that she is only a junior. Waldorf plays with an impressive sense of maturity that you don't see in many setters. She did a phenomenal job making those connections with her hitters and wasn't afraid to be an offensive threat at the net either. I am very excited to watch Addi continue to contribute to the Humboldt program these next two years.    Davenport Central- Although they didn't have the greatest season last year, they showed they weren't going to let that slow them down going into this season. I was incredibly impressed by this group, especially since the majority of their team was underclassmen. My biggest takeaway after watching this team was the amount of potential they have and how aggressive their hitters were, especially their two sophomore outside hitters. When the Blue Devils were in the groove, it seemed like they wouldn't let anyone or anything stop them. I think once they gain a little more confidence and start building that team chemistry, they are going to be a very fun group to watch.     Clear Creek Amana- Although the Clippers graduated some great talent, they have done an amazing job filling those pieces and pushing forward. CCA showed aggression in every aspect of the game. I think the biggest shift for this group will be strengthening their setter-hitter connections, but once that is locked down, they are going to be indestructible. I know the Clippers are working for that 4A title, and after watching them this week, I think they are definitely on the right track.    Although CCA is an all-around great team, you can't help but give a lot of props to Julia. I don't think there has been a time that I've watched her play and not been amazed. She is such an amazing, well-rounded athlete with a competitive drive like no other. With Julia now being an upperclassman, I am excited to see how she grows in the leadership aspect.    Iowa City High- The Hawkettes had a strong group of returners this week, and it showed. City High showed a lot of defensive grit and absolute power at the net. This team definitely has a high ceiling for this season, but also has some work to do to get there. This group was also trying out some new lineups and changing some positions, which I think could very well catch some teams off guard. I am very eager to see how this team has grown when the postseason comes around.     Cedar Rapids Jefferson- Although this team didn't have as much depth as some of the other teams, the girls that they did have knew how to get it done. They have definitely been putting in the work this summer, and it shows. They have made notable progress from last season, and I think they are going to keep pushing onward and upward. This group did a fantastic job with their team cohesion, which I think is a great quality to have going into this season.    Haller once again made an amazing impression at the Prep Dig Sizzle this week. For me, it goes far beyond her skill; what impresses me the most about Lexi is her amazing leadership skills. It is so obvious that she leads and plays with a team-first mentality, and that's something that can truly make or break a team. No matter what the score or the result of the match was, Haller always remained positive and uplifting for her teammates. She ran her offense beautifully and always played two steps ahead of her opponents.    Bettendorf- I was so incredibly impressed by this group, and there were so many notable takeaways from the two days. The two biggest ones had to be their block as well as their back row. Although Bettendorf graduated quite a few hitters, you would've never been able to tell with how well their front row looked. Between Harrell and Petersen, it seemed like nothing was getting through their block. They were even shutting down some of the top-ranked hitters in the state. I also think that the Bulldogs had one of the strongest back rows at this event. Not only are Ramstack and Dykstra both outstanding DSs, but they also have an amazing balance and awareness of each other, making it extremely hard for opposing hitters to score on them. I always want to note that after talking with head coach Macy Moore, I learned that a majority of her "starters" were coming off of some sort of injury, and this doesn't even include starter [player_tooltip player_id='575805' first='Dyllan' last='Harn'], who is still out for a few more weeks. If that is how they look just coming off of injuries, I am extremely pumped to see how this group performs in a few weeks when they are at 100%.   Assumption- This was another team that I was very interested to see play. After graduating an insanely strong group of seniors (Carsyn Kelley, Ellah Derrer, Erin Robbins, Kathryn Snyder, Delylah Graves, Camden Cornish), I was unsure of what to expect of them at this event. But to say they were restocked and reloaded is an understatement. With the way they played and their team cohesion, you would've never guessed that their team was primarily made up of underclassmen. You could tell that the setter-hitter connections weren't fully there quite yet, but they were close, and when they do get it, they are going to be a scary bunch. Although this team is moving up to 4A, I think they have a pretty good shot of making a run at state.    We didn't get to see a whole lot of Stevens last year, so I'm excited to see how she contributes to the team this year. She did a phenomenal job showcasing her hitting range and always found a way to score. She did an amazing job working in transition and still being lethal no matter where she was swinging from.    Iowa City Liberty- I was very impressed with the depth that was showcased by Liberty this week. They brought what seemed to be a JV/ Varsity mix, and yet no matter who was on the court, they were scoring big time. With Liberty having a good amount of returners but still having some spots to fill, you could tell these girls were working hard to try and earn those spots. After being just one win away from going to the state tournament last season, this team is ready to take some revenge this year. One thing I do know is that this group is going to have a lot of options at the varsity level and will, all around, be a very tough program to beat.     Luxemburg- Casco- It was really fun seeing a Wisconsin team thrown in the Iowa mix, especially with this group. Luxemburg wasn't necessarily the biggest team, yet they were finding ways to take down every team that had multiple girls over 6ft across the net from them. There were three things that the Spartans did that I was very impressed with, the first one being their aggression behind the service line. They left little room for error and still somehow always served bullets. Almost every time I watched them serve, they managed to get their opponents out of system. Next was their defensive grit; they truly refused to let the ball touch the ground without maximum effort. With the way they were laying out for everything, you would think it was a championship match. Lastly, and the thing I was most impressed with, was their out-of-system play. Anyone who's played or even watched volleyball knows how tough it can be to stay aggressive when you're out of system, but Luxemburg always found a way to stay assertive when attacking. They played fearlessly and did whatever they could to get the point. I didn't know a lot about this team coming into the Prep Dig Sizzle, but now I will definitely be staying up to date with their performances throughout the season.     Pleasant Valley- PV was yet again another group I was excited to watch. Although they didn't graduate a whole lot of seniors, the ones they did graduate were big pieces of the Spartans. However, they showed up and competed without skipping a beat. They came in with an interesting lineup that I think will definitely throw off their opponents (in the best way possible). I was also very impressed with [player_tooltip player_id='555772' first='Grace' last='Danielson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='897063' first='Elise' last='Kane'], two setters that we didn't see much of last year, but you would've never known with how well they were connecting with their hitters. I'm hoping we get to see more of them this season and I'm excited to watch them continue to grow as a team throughout this season.     Williamsburg- The Raiders had an amazing season last year, coming up just short of the state tournament, and I think this year will be very similar, if not better. The Suhr sisters made quite the impact, and surprisingly, with both of them playing on the outside. I was a little shocked to see Kylie transitioning from the middle to the pin, but after seeing her performance in the back row and on the outside, it made perfect sense. I was also very impressed with underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='782157' first='Maggie' last='Jensen'], who was a calm yet assertive presence in the back row, as well as [player_tooltip player_id='1014739' first='Ellie' last='Matthes'], who stepped in as a freshman setter and did a fantastic job connecting with her hitters.     South Tama- The Trojans did a phenomenal job holding their own against multiple 4A and 5A monsters. I was very impressed with the power they brought at the net. Many of their hitters showed their capability of blasting the ball through their opponents' block. I also loved how every athlete that was on the court found a way to be a playmaker; no one was just standing around, hoping for someone else to make the move. They all set the pace as individuals and as a team and they were definitely a tough group to keep up with.     Union High- Although Union didn't have the biggest front row, they made up for it with their defense. This was probably the scrappiest group out of the fourteen teams in attendance. Every kid on the court was ready and involved on defense, and they all showed an incredible sense of urgency. You can tell that these girls have a team-first mentality and will fight until the very end for each other. With this group only graduating two, I think this could definitely be the year for them to make a run in the postseason. I'm excited to see how this group performs throughout the fall and will definitely be rooting for them.