SBLive Iowa Power 25 high school volleyball Week 8
By Brett Hayworth | Photos by Matthew Putney
The season heads to Week 8 for Iowa high school volleyball teams. Here are the Top 25 teams in the SBLive Iowa power rankings, in a list that places schools from all five classifications into one.
1. Dike-New Hartford (36-2 record, Last Week No. 1)
The Wolverines went 10-0 over Week 7 of the season, beating such highly ranked teams as West Liberty and Marion, and also avenging one of their only two season losses with a win over Mount Vernon. Setter Madelyn Norton has doled out 667 assists to an array of teammate weapons.
2. Ankeny (28-4, LW No. 3)
There have been 10 straight wins for the Class 5A Hawks, with a notable victory over Ankeny Centennial last week. Hitter Aowyn Schrader has put down 269 kills,
3. Xavier (Cedar Rapids) (27-2, LW No, 7)
The Class 4A team had only the second loss of the year, with the oddity of both losing to and defeating Iowa City Liberty within eight days. Libby Fandel leads Xavier with 233 kills.
4. Hull Western Christian (32-5, LW No. 5)
The Class 2A Wolfpack went 6-1, although the loss was to South Dakota powerhouse O’Gorman. Returning all-stater Stella Winterfeld leads Western Christian with 388 kills and 37 service aces.
5. Pleasant Valley (23-6, LW No. 4)
A victory over North Scott was the sole match of the week for the Class 5A defending champs. Halle Vice has produced 212 kills to pace the Spartans.
6. Marion (31-5, LW No. 2)
The Class 4A squad went 5-2 for the week, with one of the losses to top-ranked Dike-New Hartfoed in a tourney. Marion is led in kills by Michaela Goad with 310.
7. Iowa City Liberty (25-8, LW No. 10)
In the only match of the week, Liberty avenged a prior loss to Xavier, as both teams rise up the rankings. Class 5A Iowa City Liberty has a key weapon in Western Illinois recruit Cassidy Hartman, who has 407 kills and is hitting at .358 efficiency.
8. Dowling Catholic (28-9, LW No. 8)
The Class 5A Maroons went 4-1 over the week, with a key win over Waukee Northwest and a loss to Mount Vernon among the notable matches. Dowling is led in kills by Mackenzie Dean, who has 330.
9. Assumption (Davenport) (25-6, LW No. 6)
The Class 3A Knights won four out of five, with the loss coming to Class 5A Cedar Falls in a tourney. Assumption hosts a big game this week with Pleasant Valley. Ellie Schubert has 588 assists.
10. North Scott (29-4, LW No. 11)
The Class 4A Lancers narrowly lost 3-2 to Class 5A Pleasant Valley, then won the next five matches over the rest of the week. Hitter Abbey Hayes has accumulated 295 kills.
11. Ankeny Centennial (26-9, LW No. 9)
The Class 5A team went 5-2 for the week, with one of the losses to highly ranked Class 4A Marion. Sophomore Delaney Miller leads the attack with 231 kills for the Jaguars.
12. Cedar Falls (29-6, LW No. 16)
Cedar Falls is one of the week’s top climbers, by virtue of an 8-0 week. The Class 5A Tigers beat Assumption in a tourney final to cap the week, and Katie Remmert has 296 kills in 2022.
13. Waukee Northwest (23-9, LW No. 13)
The Wolves won two of three matches, with the loss to fellow Class 5A Des Moines metro rival Dowling Catholic. Setter Katey Lockyear has 542 assists for Waukee Northwest.
14. Des Moines Christian (39-5, LW No. 15)
The Class 3A Lions lost two of six matches for the week, but those two were to South Dakota teams, including powerhouse Sioux Falls O’Gorman. The top Lions spiker is Gabby Lombardi with 244 kills.
15. Wapsie Valley (36-4, LW No. 18)
Wapsie Valley continues a slow season-long climb up the rankings after a 2-1 week, with a loss to Denver and a win over Union. The Class 2A Warriors are led by Hannah Knight’s 316 kills.
16. Mount Vernon (28-5, LW No. 14)
Class 3A Mount Vernon won four of six matches in Week 7 competitive scheduling. The week included a victory over Class 5A Dowling, coupled with losses to Class 5A Ankeny Centennial and top-ranked D-NH. Chloe Messter continues an impressive sophomore season with 338 kills.
17. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (24-4, LW No. 12)
The Rockets were victorious in their sole match of the week. Molly Schafer pushes the Class 2A E-B-F team on offense with 393 kills.
18. West Liberty (26-7, LW No. 17)
Class 3A West Liberty dropped three of nine matches in a busy week, with a key win over Western Dubuque, and losses to top-ranked Dike-New Hartford and Class 4A Marion. Brooklyn Buysee ranks 11th in the state with 654 assists.
19. Springville (29-2, LW No. 19)
The Class 1A Orioles have put together two straight weeks going 2-0 over foes. Ashlynn Zaruba leads Springville with 292 digs on defense.
20. West Burlington (33-6, LW No. 21)
Abby Bence of WB leads the entire state with 875 assists. The Class 2A Falcons have racked up a 17-2 record over the past three weeks.
21. Sioux Center (21-3, LW No. 22)
The Class 3A Warriors has not lost over the past two weeks, and one earlier defeat was to highly-ranked nearby foe Western Christian. Willow Bleeker leads Sioux Center with 502 assists and 39 aces.
22. Johnston (20-9, LW No. 25)
Class 5A Johnston went 6-0 in Week 7, and the Dragons are led in kills by Ava Helming with 251.
23 Ankeny Christian (30-3, LW No. 20)
Ankeny Christian has won nine matches in a row, with the Class 1A squad led by Katie Quick’s 577 assists.
24. North Tama (29-4, LW No. 23)
North Tama won all seven matches last week and has been 12-1 the last two weeks combined. The Class 1A Redhawks have gotten 538 assists from setter Jadyn Rausch.
25. Western Dubuque (21-6, LW No. 24)
The Class 4A Bobcats won the 2021 title, and went 3-1 in Week 7. The loss was to West Liberty, for the second time this season, while Western Dubuque continues to lead the Mississippi Valley-Valley Conference.
Dropped Out: None
