Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The calendar has flipped to August which means the start of the high school volleyball season isn’t far away.
The 2024 season officially gets underway next week with the first day of practice on August 12 and the first day of competition scheduled for August 26.
When the action gets rolling every team will be competing for the same thing – a spot at the state tournament November 4-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Before the action gets underway next week Your Prep Sports begins its 2024 volleyball coverage by taking a look at 12 area players to watch this fall.
Asta Hildebrand
Senior, Liberty High
An impressive athlete and versatile volleyball player Hildebrand has done it all in her first three prep seasons.
Hildebrand led Liberty High in assists two seasons ago as a sophom*ore helping the Lightning claim the Class 5A state title before transitioning into the role of go-to hitter last season.
The 6-foot Hildebrand hammered a team-high 361 kills on a career-high .239 hitting percentage last season on her way to earning second team all-state honors in Class 5A from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
A St. Cloud State recruit, Hildebrand had 392 assists and 299 digs and had career highs in both blocks (42) and ace serves (22) during her breakthrough junior season in which she was a unanimous first team all-Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division selection.
In three prep seasons Hildebrand has already amassed 1,684 assists, 746 digs, 583 kills and will be counted on as a key leader for a Liberty High program looking for another big season.
Reese Naeve
Junior, Regina
The more Naeve plays the better she gets which is a scary thought for opponents because the Regina standout was impressive last season as a sophom*ore.
Naeve burst onto the scene two seasons ago hammering 442 kills but took her game to another level last season ranking third in the state with 600 kills on .341 hitting on her way to earning third-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
An Iowa State commit, Naeve has hit better than .340 in each of her first two prep seasons while racking up 1,042 kills.
Last season Naeve was a River Valley Conference South Division first team pick after leading Regina in digs (409) and ace serves (60) and adding 29 blocks while helping the Regals to a 26-11 record and a top-15 ranking in Class 2A.
Averie Lower
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
For the past two seasons Lower has played a complimentary role to departed senior all-state Bliss Beck helping Clear Creek Amana to the most successful two-year stretch in program history.
Now it’s time for Lower to step into the spotlight and she has shown over the past two years she is more than ready to shine in that role.
Lower has racked up 504 kills, 698 digs and 97 blocks in her first two seasons helping the Clippers win 80 matches and make a pair of Class 4A state tournament appearances.
The 5-foot-10 Lower is coming off a breakthrough junior season in which she was a unanimous all-WAMAC West Division pick and earned third-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches association after posting career-highs in both kills and hitting efficiency.
Lower ranked second on the team behind the Drake-bound Beck with 282 kills on .215 hitting a year ago as Clear Creek Amana reached the 4A semifinals.
Also a standout basketball player, Lower ranked third on the team with 311 digs and added 47 blocks and 21 ace serves last fall.
Sophia Austen
Sophom*ore, West High
Austen impressed in her varsity debut season last fall and the best new for West High is that the 6-foot-1 outside hitter is only starting to scratch the surface of her potential.
In her varsity debut season Austen ranked second on the team with 159 kills and collected a team-high 210 digs while earning Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division honorable mention honors.
Those numbers should skyrocket for Austen this season.
An impressive athlete that qualified for the state track meet in the high jump last spring, Austen also had 28 blocks and 18 ace serves during her impressive freshman season last fall.
Look for big things going forward from Austen who will likely be the focal point of the West High attack this season.
Edie Miller
Sophom*ore, Liberty High
Few freshmen in the state had a finer debut season than Miller who ranked fourth in the state and led Class 5A in digs in her first varsity action.
Miller wasted no time establishing herself as one of the state’s best back row players collecting 603 digs while helping Liberty High to a 19-22 record and a spot in a Class 5A regional title game.
The 5-foot-6 Miller had 103 more digs than any other player in 5A last season and her 5.4 digs per set were also best amongst 5A players.
Miller added 22 ace serves in her impressive debut season that ended with her being named to the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division first team and the Iowa Girls Coaches Association 5A all-state third team.
Look for Miller to continue to ascend this season as she locks in her status as one of the most dynamic back row players in Iowa.
Grace Erwin
Senior, Solon
Solon has taken strides each of the past two seasons, winning a combined 48 matches during that span and reaching back-to-back regional championships.
Erwin has been a big part of the growth for Solon emerging as an imposing figure at the net both as a blocked and as an attacker.
A two-time first-team all-WAMAC East Division pick, Erwin was a unanimous first-team selection last season following up a strong sophom*ore season with a stellar junior campaign.
Erwin ranked ninth in the state with 116 blocks and hammered a career-high 186 kills on a career-best .378 hitting percentage helping Solon to a 22-15 record and a spot in the 3A regional title game.
The 5-foot-11 Erwin was one of only seven players statewide last season to have 185 kills, 100 blocks and a hitting percentage over .350.
Erwin was a fourth-team Class 3A all-state pick by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association after posting her second consecutive season with at least 185 kills, 115 blocks and a hitting percentage above .370.
Emmy McComas
Senior, City High
A consistent force in the City High lineup for the past three seasons McComas has been one of the most reliable all-around players in the area since she entered the Little Hawk lineup as a freshman.
McComas posted career-highs in kills, hitting efficiency and blocks last season while helping City High to a 23-10 record, the most wins for the Little Hawks since 2018.
A four-year starter, McComas has consistently filled the stat sheet throughout her career posting three consecutive seasons of at least 200 kills, a .200 hitter percentage and 230 digs.
McComas was at her best a year ago when she hammered 237 kills on .267 hitting and collected 236 digs to go with 30 blocks and 23 ace serves on her way to being named to the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division second team.
The 5-foot-11 McComas has led the Little Hawks in digs each of the past three seasons racking up 833 digs, 666 kills, 73 ace serves and 68 blocks in her career.
Madelynn Falco
Senior, West Branch
West Branch was one of the best stories of the 2023 postseason rattling off three consecutive wins, including a pair of five-set thrillers on the road to reach a Class 2A regional title game.
The Bears will have holes to fill from last year’s team with the departures of six key senior contributors but has an important building block in the back row in Falco who was among the best in 2A last season.
Falco had 72 digs in the final three postseason matches for West Branch to cap an impressive season that saw her establish herself as one of the best backrow players in 2A.
A first-team River Valley Conference South Division selection, Falco had a team-high 360 digs and added 16 ace serves last season.
Entering her third season as a starter Falco has racked up 749 digs over the past two seasons and will look to cap her career with an impressive final season.
Hadley Miller
Sophom*ore, Liberty High
Just liker her sister Edie, Hadley Miller made an immediate impact in her first season in the Liberty High lineup.
Hadley Miller led Liberty High in assists and ace serves in an impressive varsity debut season in which she earned second-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division honors.
The 5-foot-6 Miller stepped into the setter role for a young Liberty High team and directed the Lightning to a 19-22 record and a spot in a 5A regional title game.
Miller handed out 515 assists to go with her team-high 35 ace serves and also added 92 kills on .187 hitting.
Miller also ranked fourth on the team with 264 digs and added 17 blocks and should be in for a huge sophom*ore season in her second year running the Lightning attack.
Emily Henderson
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
On a Clear Creek Amana team loaded with talent it was easy to overlook the impressive season Henderson put together last season as a sophom*ore.
The more Henderson plays the harder it will be to overlook her talent.
Henderson is coming off a stellar sophom*ore season in which she led Clear Creek Amana in assists and ranked fourth in digs and blocks for a Clipper team that went 46-1 and reached the Class 4A state semifinals.
The 5-foot-8 Henderson had a team-leading 535 kills last season and also added 101 kills on .202 hitting.
That is just the start of the stat filling Henderson did a year ago as she ranked fourth on the team in digs (238) and blocks (49) and ace serves (25) on her way to being named to the WAMAC West Divisions second team.
Lucy Maassen
Junior, Liberty High
Another first-year player to excel for the Lightning last season Maassen sparkled as a sophom*ore in her first varsity action.
An explosive athlete, Maassen ranked second on the team behind Hildebrand with 252 kills last season as Liberty High advanced to a 5A regional title game.
Maassen added 40 blocks 86 digs and 11 ace serves last season as a sophom*ore on her way to earning honorable mention all-Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division honors.
Look for Maassen to make another big time jump this season as the Lightning return a majority of its production from last season.
Yasmine Sell
Senior, Solon
A four-year starter for the Spartans, Sell is coming off a breakthrough junior season in which she posted career highs in kills, digs and ace serves while helping Solon reach the 3A regional title match.
Sell led Solon with 268 kills last season on .216 hitting helping the Spartans to a 22-15 record.
The 5-foot-10 Sell also had a career-high 178 digs and 32 ace serves last season to go with 69 blocks on her way to earning all-WAMAC East Division second team honors.
Sell has produced at a high level since entering the Solon lineup as a freshman.
As a sophom*ore Sell had a career-high 140 blocks and has amassed 487 kills and 287 blocks in her three varsity seasons.
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