The Iowa Gamechangers: The Elite Eight of the Top 250

<p>Our Iowa Top 250 field was loaded with talent from all across the state.  Athletes from Northwest Iowa down to Southeast Iowa.  Sioux City to the Quad Cities, we had a little bit of everywhere covered.  The Top 250 is a great way for athletes to get high level touches, play with different players, and for myself as a scout I can see some new names as improvements from the athletes I've known the past couple of seasons.  Here are the top eight players, covering each position where they could do a little bit of everything and made a huge impact on the court.  </p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Pin Attackers </strong></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1733883576725221449?s=20 </div></figure>    <p>She just scores points. [player_tooltip player_id='204533' first='Kamryn' last='Scheib'] was the “Breakout Player of the Year” in Iowa (unofficially) with how she took the state by storm having a huge season for Ankeny, advancing to the Class 5A State Tournament. Scheib was a standout at the Top 250 with her serve receive and her scoring ability on the outside. What is most impressive about her game is how she seems to always be under control and is able to slow things down. She finds the split in the block, she sees the open corner on the court, and she is always composed while doing all of this. She finds multiple ways to help her side of the court. This club season, she will be suiting up for Iowa Impact, a new club out of the Ankeny area that will have some really talented 2025s on their 17s squad. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigBecky/status/1733869464309907670?s=20 </div></figure>    <p>I saw [player_tooltip player_id='215728' first='Kate' last='Nelson'] at the state tournament where she had a solid performance for Dowling Catholic where they were runner-up finishers.  On Sunday, I saw how explosive she was from both pins.  Her approach and leap was way higher than I expected.  She has to be touching close to ten feet and she's more than just big hops - she contacts extremely high and puts some pop on the ball.  She was able to score a lot of points on Sunday where she just found ways to get the ball on the floor.  She will play for Iowa PowerPlex 17-Zoss this club season that has some sneaky good 2025s. </p>    <p>The ceiling is incredibly high for Kremer.  She was a 2nd Team Class 5A All State pick where she was a key part to the success of the final four run for Pleasant Valley.  She is a long 6'2, quite the wingspan where she has range when it comes to her blocking and a huge window for her attacking.  She was terminal on both pins where she can score on the outside as well as the right side.  Blocking wise, she is a tough matchup for an opposing outside hitter. If she can add a backcourt game and start scoring points from the back row that will be a huge game changer in her college future elevating her to another level.  She will be helping the PV basketball team this winter where they are looking to defend their state basketball title while also playing for [program_tooltip program_id='431948' first='Iowa' last='Rockets'] 16R. </p>   <p><strong>The Middles </strong></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1733892044047728916?s=20 </div></figure>    <p>Shout out to the middles yesterday who were relentless. We didn't have a ton of middles in the house where they just stayed in and kept working through the six v six drills.  [player_tooltip player_id='447490' first='Carlee' last='Webber'] is so dynamic out of the middle. She is able to hit a lot of different tempos and has some sharp angles where I even asked myself, “How did she hit it there?”.  Her fast arm swing and ability to move quickly along the front row sets her apart from other middles.  She works hard to close the blocks and transitions quickly to make herself available. </p>    <p>Devery seems to improve each time she steps on the court. She has a lot of length and snap with her swing. Seeing her in positionals was a chance for her skill set to shine. She was so good off one foot where she can get to the ball quickly and has really solid hand contact that creates a ton of pop. Much like Webber, her mobility is key to her strength and she will be a huge asset to the [program_tooltip program_id='431948' first='Iowa' last='Rockets'] 16R squad where she is an offensive and defensive threat. The upside is there! </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigBecky/status/1733874875079532580?s=20 </div></figure>    <p>This might be a personal bias, but I think it's so important for middles to be able to attack off one foot and terminate. Sloan is able to do that where she can thump a ball from a quick tempo in front of the setter, or off one foot behind. Her length and athletic ability is what sets her apart. I have seen this in a match as well as the Top 250 setting. I think she will have a year for her 17s squad for Powerplex where she really takes the next level of her game. She has all the tools to be one of the elite middles in the state. </p>   <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Setter</strong></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1733886917765169324?s=20 </div></figure>    <p>Dynamic would be an understatement for Weiland. She glides on the court and puts up a great ball for all of her attackers in the front line. Everything about her game starts with her feet because she always puts herself in the right position whether she's setting, attacking, or defending. She can really connect with others on the court, the ones that she isn't even accustomed to playing with. Her ability to play any position is so refreshing. Even as a coach I am telling younger players to be a player before a position and that is what Weiland is. She is someone who is a great overall volleyball player who happens to also be great at setting. </p>   <p>Libero </p>    <p>So many good liberos in this field.  Evaluating liberos for me takes a lot of time.  We can watch them in serve receive, drills, and in competitive play and the difference between all of them are miniscule.  Jensen rose to the top starting with her footwork.  She is quick with her feet, but more importantly, she is very efficient.  She doesn't have wasted movement with her feet or her platform.  There is no need to dive when you find a way to be in the right position to begin with.  She is trained at a high level from Six Pack and Dike-New Hartford and it shows, she was one of the top passers in the entire gym. </p>

Our Iowa Top 250 field was loaded with talent from all across the state. Athletes from Northwest Iowa down to Southeast Iowa. Sioux City to the Quad Cities, we had a little bit of everywhere covered. The Top 250 is a great way for athletes to get high level touches, play with different players, and for myself as a scout I can see some new names as improvements from the athletes I've known the past couple of seasons. Here are the top eight players, covering each position where they could do a little bit of everything and made a huge impact on the court.