Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The 2026 volleyball season concluded last week in Coralville with five teams claiming state championships at Xtream Arena.

It was another memorable season for teams in the Your Prep Sports area.

Clear Creek Amana reached the state title match for the second time in program history, finishing an incredible season with a 4A runner-up finish.

West High returned to the state tournament for the second consecutive season and won its first state tournament match since 2011 while Solon advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2014.

Regina, Liberty High and City High all ended strong seasons in regional title matches.

With the 2026 season now in the history books Your Prep Sports puts the finishing touches on a stellar season by looking back at some of the best players, performances, moments and matches from the season.

Best individual performance: Addison Walter against West Delaware. The play of Walter at the net this season was a huge reason for the success of Solon and the senior was rarely better than she was in a three-set win over West Delaware in the semifinals of the WAMAC tournament. Walter had a team-high 16 kills on staggering .842 hitting and added five blocks as Solon rallied for a three-set win.

Best individual performance part 2: Kainoa Senio against Lisbon. The West Branch sophomore did it all while helping West Branch win a five-set thriller of the Lions. Senio had 14 kills on .379 hitting, had a team-high 32 digs and had seven ace serves while adding a block and an assist.

Best team performance: Clear Creek Amana against Davenport Assumption. Clear Creek Amana was razor sharp in a 4A quarterfinal win over Sioux Center but the Clippers were even better in a 25-17, 25-22, 25-12 sweep of 2025 3A champion Davenport Assumption in the semifinals. The Clippers hit .297 as a team, had three players with at least seven kills and had 14 blocks while limiting the Knights to .08 hitting.

Coach of the year: Ruben Galvan. In his fourth season leading the Solon program Galvan directed the Spartans to their best season in more than a decade. Solon improved its win total for the third consecutive season under Galvan, going 38-8, went undefeated while winning the WAMAC East Division title and advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2014.

Coach of the year part 2: Jackie Clubb. Clear Creek Amana lost five starters to graduation from last year’s 42-win state semifinal squad, a list that included three of its top five hitters and an all-state setter. Even with those key personnel losses Clubb led the Clippers to 35 wins the second state title match appearance in program history this season.

Best clutch performance: Sophia Austen against West Des Moines Dowling. In a brilliant four-year career Austen has had plenty of impressive performances but none more impressive than the one the West High senior standout turned in on the state’s biggest stage in a five-set, state quarterfinal win over the Maroons. Austen hammered a match-high 28 kills on .408 hitting and added two blocks and 12 digs to lift West High to its first state tournament win since 2011.

Most impressive individual performance: Jada Wiltz against West Burlington Notre Dame. Playing with an illness, Wiltz played the best game of her career hammering 22 kills on .405 hitting while adding 14 digs and two blocks in a four-set win over West Burlington Notre Dame in the regional semifinals.

Best all-around player: Liberty High senior Hadley Miller. One of the most versatile players in the state Miller did it all for the Lightning this season while helping Liberty High to a 25-12 record, a top-10 ranking and a spot in a 5A regional final. The 5-foot-7 Miller led the Lightning in kills (227) and assists (433), ranked second on the team in digs (213) and third in ace serves (29) while hitting .258 and adding 22 blocks.

Biggest upset: Regina over Dyersville Beckman. The Regals’ three-set upset of third-ranked Dyersville Beckman at the River Valley Conference tournament looked good at the time but was even more impressive after the season as the Blazers went on to win the Class 2A state title with a win over top-ranked Hinton in the 2A title match. Regina’s win over Beckman was one of only four losses for the Blazers this season and the lone loss to a Class 2A opponent.

Best comeback: Solon against Mount Vernon. Solon lost the opening set 25-15 and trailed two sets to one before rallying for a 15-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 18-16 road win at rival Mount Vernon in a match that featured a more than 30-minute delay after tornado sirens sounded in Mount Vernon. Solon trailed 15-14 in the fifth set but scored four of the final five points to down the Mustangs for the second year in a row.

Best match: West High against West Des Moines Dowling. A top-five matchup in the Class 5A quarterfinals was everything it was hyped up to be as West High edged West Des Moines Dowling 18-25, 25-14, 25-14, 21-25, 15-11 in a five-set thriller for its first win at state since 2011.

Breakthrough performer: Solon junior CJ Whitford. Primarily a backrow player for the Spartans in her lone season of varsity action two years ago a breakthrough season for Whitford as a hitter was a key element of Solon’s best season in more than a decade. Whitford ranked second on the team with 258 kills on .237 hitting and added 32 blocks to help Solon to a 38-8 record and its first state tournament appearance since 2014.

Breakthrough performer part 2: Clear Creek Amana junior Delaney Vaske. After posting five kills while appearing in eight matches last season Vaske burst on the scene this fall while helping Clear Creek Amana reach the 4A title game for the second time in program history. Vaske ranked third on the team with 227 kills on .316 hitting, led the Clippers with 55 blocks and ranked third on the team with 28 ace serves.

Most improved: City High senior Kaitlin Loria. A four-year starter Loria made major strides every season in the lineup but took perhaps her biggest jump this fall as Loria posted career highs in kills, digs and hitting efficiency while helping the Little Hawks to a turnaround season that ended in a 5A regional final. A year after posting 184 kills on .106 hitting Loria ranked second on the team with 293 kills on .213 hitting and added 272 digs and 26 ace serves to help City High to a 25-14 record and a spot in a 5A regional final.

Most opportunistic player: Clear Creek Amana senior Payton Curtin. Talk about making the most of your opportunity. After waiting behind all-state setter Emily Henderson for several seasons Curtin made the most of her one season leading the Clipper offense ranking sixth in the state with 1,047 assists to go with 25 kills, 25 ace serves, 24 blocks and 218 digs while leading the Clippers to a 35-7 record and a Class 4A runner-up finish.

Most persistent player: City High senior Rainie Pfohl. For four seasons Pfohl waited for her opportunity in the City High lineup and when she got that chance Pfohl excelled. Pfohl had 28 kills and 11 blocks in her first two varsity season combined but exploded for

Breakout star: West High sophomore Cyan Blommer. A year ago Blommer burst onto the scene leading West High in kills as the Trojans reached the state tournament for the first time in more than a decade. This season the explosive Blommer cemented her status as one of the state’s top young players with an even better sophomore campaign. Blommer had a career-high 332 kills on .264 hitting while adding 221 digs, 28 blocks and 15 ace serves.

Breakout star part 2: Solon sophomore Amelia Guinn. Last season as a freshman Guinn flashed her massive potential when she hammered 237 kills on .220 hitting. This year Guinn blossomed into a full-blown star and one of the top hitters in Class 3A leading Solon with 338 kills on .294 hitting to go with 46 blocks while helping the Spartans reach the 3A state tournament.

Most versatile: Clear Creek Amana senior Bailey Simpson. A middle for most of her prep career the 6-foot-2 Simpson showed her impressive versatility while making the move to an all-around player as a senior. Simpson hammered 373 kills on a team-high .326 hitting, led the Clippers with 68 aces, ranked third on the team with 40 blocks and had a career-high 231 digs.

Newcomer of the year: Regina senior Lyla Chandler. In her first season in the Regina lineup Chander was simply outstanding ranking fifth in the state with 501 kills while helping the Regals to a 29-16 record and a spot in a 2A regional final.

The 5-foot-10 Chandler averaged 4.5 kills per set, which ranked 13 in the state, on .324 hitting ranked second on the team with 64 blocks and added 105 digs.

Under the radar star: Regina senior Allison Bollier. Backrow players are by nature overlooked and under the radar but Bollier was simply too good to not get noticed the past several season. The Samford commit led the state in digs for the second consecutive season finishing with 717 and ended a stellar prep career with an eye-popping 2,574 digs.

Most reliable: City High senior Hattie Galloway. Few players in the state have produced as consistently at as high of a level as Galloway for the past four seasons. The 6-foot-1 Galloway led City High in kills for the second consecutive season and led the Little Hawks in blocks for the fourth straight season while helping City High to its highest win total since 2012. A Milwaukee recruit, Galloway had career-highs in kills (330), blocks (73) and digs (273) this season and closed her career with 918 kills and 271 blocks.

Unsung hero: Solon senior Macy Fuller. If you are looking for an easily overlooked key in the most successful season for Solon in more than a decade look no further than the backrow play of Fuller. The senior libero had more digs this season (391) than she did the previous two seasons combined (379) as Solon won 38 matches and advanced to the Class 3A state tournament.

Most consistent: Liberty High senior Sydney Van Heukelom. A consistent presence in the Lightning lineup for the past four season the 6-foot-1 Van Heukelom was at her best this season has a senior posting career highs in kills (208), hitting efficiency (.335) and blocks (81) while helping the Lightning to 25 wins a regional final berth. Van Heukelom had at least 80 kills and hit over .250 in each of her four seasons as a starter and led the Lightning in blocks four years in a row.

Freshman of the year: Regina’s Lexi Gaffey. In her varsity debut season Gaffey made an immediate splash ranking third on the team with 201 kills while helping Regina return to a Class 2A regional final. The 5-foot-7 Gaffey averaged 2.6 kills per set and added 251 digs while helping the Regals to a 29-record.

Freshman of the year part 2: Solon’s Zephie Bishop. In her first season of varsity volleyball Bishop showed her impressive potential ranking fourth on the team in kills, third in hitting efficiency and fifth in blocks. The 6-foot-2 Bishop had 133 kills on .298 hitting to go with 45 blocks on a Solon squad that won 38 matches and advanced to the 3A state tournament.

Back row player of the year: Liberty High senior Edie Miller. One of the best back row players in the state the past four seasons Miller capped an incredible prep career by leading Class 5A in digs for the third time. A Dayton recruit, Miller collected a 5A-best 418 digs this season to push her career total to 2,040 while helping Liberty High to a 25-12 record and a spot in a 5A regional final.

Most valuable player: West High senior Sophia Austen. One of the cornerstones of the West High rebuild over the past several seasons Austen had the best season of her career this fall while helping the Trojans to a second consecutive state tournament appearance and their first state tournament win since 2011. Austen had a career-high 353 kills on a career-best .298 hitting leading West High to a 29-7 record and a Class 5A semifinal. An Iowa State recruit, Austen added 195 digs, 35 blocks and 29 ace serves.

Most valuable player part 2: Clear Creek Amana junior Julia Schlarbaum. Schlarbaum cemented her status as one of the state’s top players with a stellar junior season in which she led the Clippers with 420 kills on a career-best .320 hitting. The South Dakota commit added 61 ace serves and 32 blocks and ranked fourth on the team with 215 kills. Schlarbaum was at her best in the postseason hammering 97 kills and adding 27 aces in five postseason matches. Schlarbaum led the Clippers in kills in all five postseason matches and averaged 5.7 kills per set in the postseason a stretch that included 57 kills in three state tournament matches as she averaged 5.2 kills per set at state while leading the Clippers to a 4A runner-up finish.

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