Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The dust has settled on what was an incredible volleyball season in the Your Prep Sports area.

Earlier this month Liberty High won the Class 5A state title for the first championship in school history.

Clear Creek Amana reached the state championship game for the first time in program history and finished runner-up at the Class 4A state tournament.

An exciting week at the state tournament was the capper to what was a memorable season in the Your Prep Sports area.

Before we close the book on the 2022 season we take a look back at some of the best plays, moments and performances from area teams and players during an excellent season in which some of the best volleyball in the state was played in the Your Prep Sports area.

Best individual performance: Claire Ernst against Waterloo West. In a season filled with strong performances Ernst was perhaps at her best in a five-set win over the WaHawks when the junior hammered 27 kills while hitting .273 and added a team-high 22 digs.

Best individual performance part 2: Melae’ Lacy against Waterloo East. In a win or go home match on the road in the Trojan’s playoff opener Lacy produced one of her best performances of the season hammering a season-high 23 kills on .302 hitting in a four-set win over Waterloo East in a regional quarterfinal.

Best team performance: Liberty High against Pleasant Valley. There may have been matches that Liberty High closed with better statistical numbers but the Lightning were at or near their best in a four-set win over third-ranked and defending state champion Pleasant Valley in the 5A title game. After dropping the opening set Liberty High hit .314 while winning the final three sets.

Coach of the year: Allie Kelly. It was a nearly perfect solo head coaching debut for the former Liberty High assistant and co-head coach who led the Lightning to a 33-8 record and the Class 5A state title. In her first season as head coach Kelly led Liberty High to 24 wins over ranked opponents including 11 over top-five ranked teams.

Coach of the year part 2: Mikayla Siddell. While Kelly is the clear choice for coach of the year it can’t be overlooked what Siddell did in her first season at Solon. In her first year as a head coach Siddell directed the Spartans to their first winning season in four years with a 26-13 record which was the most wins since 2014 and helped Solon reach a 3A regional final.

Best clutch performance: Lilah Van Scoyoc against Pleasant Valley. With the 5A state title on the line Liberty High went to Van Scoyoc in the fourth set against Pleasant Valley and the senior responded with eight kills in the championship-clinching fourth-set win. Four of those VanScoyoc kills came during a 9-3 Liberty High run to end the match.

Most dominant stretch: Bliss Beck in the fifth set against North Scott. There may not have been a better individual performance in a single set all season. That performance coming in the fifth set of a state semifinal makes it even more incredible. The 6-foot-2 Beck scored seven of the first nine points by herself as Clear Creek Amana opened the fifth set on a 10-0 run. At one point Beck scored four consecutive points on either blocks or kills.

Most exciting player: Solon sophomore Aly Stahle. At 5-foot-3 Stahle has the physical appearance of a back row specialist but her explosiveness and leaping ability make her a must watch when she is at the net. Stahle had 189 kills while hitting .253 to go with 64 blocks and 196 and her big swings and small stature make her an exciting player to watch.

Biggest upset: Clear Creek Amana over Marion. An argument could certainly be made for the Clippers’ state semifinal win over second-ranked North Scott but it was the opening-round win over third-ranked Marion which had swept the Clippers just a few weeks earlier that started a postseason to run to remember.

Best match: City High at West High. Honestly what other match would it be than the Battle for the Spike? The annual cross-town showdown had it all as City High rallied from a two-set deficit to force a fifth set but West High closed out the win with a 19-17 win in the final set as the final three sets were all decided by just two points.

Breakthrough performer: Solon sophomore Grace Erwin. A year after registering 35 kills in eight matches as a freshman Erwin became an important piece of a Solon team that had its best season in four years. Erwin led Solon with 169 blocks and ranked second on the team with 191 kills on .372 hitting.

Most improved: West High senior Sophia Deyak. The 6-foot-3 Deyak made her final prep season her best becoming a major threat as a hitter and as a blocker during her senior season. Deyak had 72 kills on .068 hitting as a junior but more than doubled her offensive output at the net as a senior hitting .254 and ranking second on the team with 170 kills and added a career-high 52 blocks.

Newcomer of the year: West Branch sophomore Madelyn Falco. The backrow star made an immediate impact in her first varsity season leading the Bears with 389 digs and ranking second on the team with 27 ace serves while earning second-team all-River Valley Conference South Division honors.

Under the radar star: City High sophomore Emmy McComas. Much like her teammate Ernst did a year ago McComas followed up a strong freshman season with a stellar sophomore campaign in which she ranked second on the team with 210 kills and led the Little Hawks with 281 digs.

Most reliable: Solon senior Delaney Bombei. For the past four seasons Bombei has been a constant source of leadership and production in the Solon lineup. Bombei had a career-high 220 kills and 62 blocks as a senior, her fourth consecutive season of at least 150 kills and 48 blocks. The 5-foot-10 Bombei closed her career with 731 kills and 272 blocks.

Unsung hero: Regina junior Sydney Wagner. After spending last season playing middle, Wagner slid back to her natural position of setter and ranked eighth in 2A with 870 assists while serving as the unquestioned leader for a young Regina team that went 19-15 while starting two freshmen and two sophomores.

Most consistent: Liberty High senior Shelby Kimm. Over the past four seasons few players in the state can match the consistent production of Kimm. Kimm produced a fourth consecutive season of at least 163 kills on better than .230 hitting as she posted a career-high 344 kills on a career-best .295 hitting to go with a team-leading 448 digs.

Freshman of the year: Regina’s Reese Naeve. The 5-foot-7 Naeve exploded onto the high school scene ranking eighth in Class 2A with 442 in her first season of prep action. Naeve hit .350 on a team-high 974 attempts and ranked second on the team with 291 digs while earning first-team all-River Valley Conference South Division honors.

Freshman of the year part 2: Clear Creek Amana’s Averie Lower. Like Naeve, Lower played beyond her age during an impressive freshman season. Lower, ranked second on the team in both kills (222) and digs (338) and ranked third on the team with 38 ace serves and fourth with 50 blocks.

Back row player of the year: Clear Creek Amana junior Meg Berkland. A starter since her freshman season Berkland has steadily emerged as one of the top backrow players in the entire state. The 5-foot-2 Berkland capped a junior season in which she ranked ninth in the state with 540 digs with 105 digs in three state tournament matches on her way to being named to the 4A all-tournament team.

Most valuable player: Liberty High senior Cassidy Hartman. One of the top players in the state for the past three seasons Hartman did what didn’t seem possible after last season – she took her game to an even higher level. Hartman had a career-high .538 kills while hitting an eye-popping .348 and ranked second on the team in both digs (429) and blocks (41) while leading the Lightning to the Class 5A state title.

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