Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Jaedynn Evans always wanted to coach volleyball, but she figured it would be at the collegiate level.

The former Regina prep – just 10 months removed from the end of a collegiate playing career that spanned six years – has clearly found a home coaching at the prep level with West High.

“I had the opportunity (to coach college), but I turned it down because I had a better opportunity here,” Evans said after coaching the Class 5A eighth-ranked Trojans to a 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17 victory over No. 10 Iowa City Liberty in a regional final Tuesday night at West High School. “I am very pleased and happy with my choice. Being so close to family and being home was the big deciding factor.”

Evans learned from a family of coaches.

Her parents, Zeb and Sherry Evans, shared head coaching duties this year at Mid-Prairie High School leading the Golden Hawks to a Class 3A state tournament appearance.

As a collegiate player, Jaedynn spent five seasons at the NCAA Division-II University of Central Oklahoma before playing a sixth year at Division-III Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she helped the Warhawks to a national runner-up finish.

“She always keeps us getting better,” West sophomore libero Izzie McDonald said. “She keeps us working hard every practice.”

Before Evans’ arrival, West High (27-5) had seven losing seasons in a row.

Yet from day one, Evans knew this was a group that was capable of special things.

“Their grit and their determination is the big thing,” Evans said. “Every day in practice, there was this amazing legacy of what West High volleyball had and our goal was to bring that back. They have done an amazing job of representing West High and that amazing legacy.”

Freshman hitter Cyan Blommer led West with 21 kills, while junior outside hitter Sophia Austen, an Iowa State commit, added 13 kills with 24 digs.

McDonald recorded a team-high 25 digs, while junior Lila Eastvold registered 48 assists.

“We all fight really hard and we all believe in ourselves that we can win,” Blommer said.

The victory over Liberty High (24-11) was the third this season for the Trojans after entering the year with a six-match losing streak against the Lightning.

More importantly, it delivered the Trojans to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.

“We are going to be very hungry to win it,” Eastvold said. “I feel like we just have to stay really focused the whole time and focus on what we can control.”

Seventh-seeded West High will begin the state tournament with a quarterfinal match against second-ranked Ankeny Centennial Monday at 12:25 p.m. at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“It’s kind of easy to just kind of let loose and be like, ‘Well, we made it,’” Evans said. “I think they have a way bigger goal in mind. We said that over the summer, what our goal was, and I don’t think they’re going to stop at anything less than that.”

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