Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – From the first time Randy Dolson saw Cassidy Hartman at a junior high volleyball camp the veteran coach knew he was watching a future multi-year starter in his Liberty High lineup.

As it turns out Dolson was right.

In just two seasons Hartman has emerged as one of the best players in the state and lifted the Liberty High program to new heights.

While Hartman has had the exact type of immediate impact that Dolson envisioned the dynamic sophomore has done it in a slightly different way than originally imagined by the Liberty High staff.

“When we first saw her in camp when she was in junior high we knew she had a polished game, in eighth grade we were just astounded watching her, we thought she was going to come in and set for us,” Dolson explained. “Her game was that well-rounded.”

That’s right.

The same player that put on a show at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids last month hammering 70 kills in three state tournament matches while leading Liberty High to a 5A runner-up finish was originally tabbed as a setter.

“We thought she was going to be an awesome setter and by the time she walked in the gym as a ninth grader she had grew and just started bringing the heat with her hitting,” Dolson said. “We said, ‘we think we’ll have her play all around’.”

Having Hartman hit has turned out to be a wise move.

The 6-foot Hartman followed up an impressive debut season with a stellar sophomore campaign.

She was named Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division athlete of the year and was the first Elite Team all-state selection in Liberty High history after leading the Lightning to a 24-3 record and 5A runner-up finish.

For all of her accomplishments Hartman has been named the 2020 Your Prep Sports Volleyball Player of the Year.

“I hope that what we were able to do this season put some momentum toward what we can do in the next few years,” Hartman said. “Hopefully we are making it back to state and the championship again and continue playing at a high level.”

Hartman played at a level that few in the state can reach as a sophomore.

A year after posting a team-high 242 kills in a strong freshman season Hartman stated her case as one of the state’s best.

Hartman ranked fourth in Class 5A with 4.4 kills per set while leading Liberty High with 339 kills while hitting at an impressive .360 clip.

“As I’ve played more games I’ve been able to see the court better which has helped me,” Hartman said. “When I have really good liberos or a really strong defense that we are going against that has been a bonus to be able to use those other shots.”

Hartman has gained notoriety with her ability to hammer kills.

These are not points that fill the kill column of a stat sheet but the type of powerful swings that turn heads in a gym and resonate with opposing coaches and defenders.

Hartman has always been a powerful hitter but this season began adding to her shot repertoire which made her even more dangerous to defend.

“She has improved her shot making,” Dolson said. “A lot of kids they just love to bang the ball. Shelby (Kimm) and Cassidy and Kennedy (Daugherty) they all just want to hammer it but to take that next step you have to be able to create shots and I think that’s where she has improved and I think she is going to improve in that area even more.”

The offense is impressive and opens eyes but it is the versatility of Hartman that makes her a coaches’ dream.

That same well-round game that had her coaches thinking she was a future setter has made Hartman one of the most indispensable players in Iowa.

A six-rotation player, Hartman ranked second on the team with 223 digs, led Liberty High with 34 ace serves and was third with 32 blocks.

“We needed to get her passing six rotations, we weren’t surprised with her ability to do that at all,” Dolson said. “She has been our best passer since she walked in the gym. Passing is one of those things that some kids just have it and she has just had that.”

Hartman put her impressive skill set on full display on the state’s biggest stage last month.

The sophomore was dynamic in three state tournament matches while helping Liberty High reach the Class 5A state title game for the first time in just its second trip to state.

“I think I improved a lot in seeing the court better so I can see the open shots on the court and I improved my selection of shots,” Hartman said. “I didn’t have to swing every time I could tip and roll shot it.”

Hartman hammered 17 kills in a quarterfinal win over West Des Moines Valley as Liberty High won its first state tournament match in program history.

Then Hartman emerged as a bona fide star with a 35-kill, 18-dig effort in a five-set win over top-ranked West Des Moines Dowling.

Hartman hit .455 on 66 attempts in the semifinal accounting for more than half of Liberty High’s kills.

“I feel like my team was really there for me in those matches,” Hartman said. “My game was coming together but I trusted that my teammates were going to be there for me.”

Hartman added 18 kills in a four-set loss to Ankeny in the 5A title game on her way to being selected to the all-tournament team.

Dolson believes the impressive ending to the season was just the beginning for Hartman.

“That’s a term people us now is she has ‘it’,” Dolson said. “What is ‘it’? Well it’s a complete game and Cassidy has that.”

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