Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The start of the 2026 state volleyball tournament is less than a week away.

Action gets underway at the state tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Monday but before that can happen the fields need to be set for all five classes.

That starts on Tuesday with regional title matches in Class 5A, 4A and 3A across the state.

Five Your Prep Sports area teams will be seeking spots in the state tournament on Tuesday evening.

Here is a quick look at all five regional title matches featuring area teams.

Class 5A, Region 2

No. 14 City High (25-13) at No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes (32-2)

Where: Dallas Center-Grimes High School

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Players to watch: City High – Senior Hattie Galloway is a Milwaukee recruit that leads the Little Hawks in kills (318), hitting efficiency (.278) and blocks (70). The 6-foot-1, Galloway leads 5A with 58 solo blocks.

Dallas Center-Grimes – Senior setter Gwen Farley is a Valparaiso commit that ranks second in Class 5A with 805 kills to go along with 69 kills, 227 digs and 45 ace serves.

About the Little Hawks: A year after winning nine matches City High will be seeking to extend an impressive bounce back season with its first trip to state since 2014.

The Little Hawks have faced a challenging schedule with 12 of their 14 losses coming to ranked opponents including six losses to top-five ranked teams.

City High advanced to the Region 2 title match with a semifinal sweep of Southeast Polk.

Junior setter Hazel Schluckebier has 731 assists, 103 kills and 42 blocks and leads a City High attack that has five players with 100 kills.

Galloway leads the Little Hawks and ranks eighth in 5A with 318 kills while senior Kaitlin Loria has 285 kills.

Raine Pfohl has 114 kills and sophomore Georgia Sutherland has 100 kills  while sophomore Audrey Howe leads the Little Hawks with 313 digs.

About the Mustangs: A Class 4A state qualifier last season Dallas Center-Grimes is seeking to return to state this season in the largest class after making the bump to Class 5A this fall.

The Mustangs opened the season with 28 consecutive wins and both of their losses were to top-ranked opponents, falling to 5A top-ranked Waukee Northwest and Class 4A top-ranked Norwalk.

Dallas Center-Grimes reached the Region 2 title match with a sweep of Des Moines Lincoln in the regional semifinals.

A first-team all-state pick last season, Farley directs a Dallas Center-Grimes attack that features four players with at least 150 kills.

Junior Madison Messerly has a team-high 258 kills while senior Maggie Leifker has 228 kills and a team-high 61 blocks.

Junior Ava Smid has 194 kills and leads 5A with 65 ace serves while senior Avery Edgington has 152 kills.

What to watch: The first set is always important in postseason volleyball but a strong start from City High could be critical for the Little Hawks facing a challenging opponent on the road.

It is a long road trip for City High but if the Little Hawks can gain some momentum early it could go a long way in City High pulling the upset in Grimes.

Important in a strong start for the Little Hawks will be to get Galloway going early as the senior standout is capable of putting the team on her back.

Class 5A, Region 5

No. 12 West Des Moines Valley (19-17) at No. 5 West High (27-6)

Where: West High

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Players to watch: West High – Senior Sophia Austen is an Iowa State commit that leads the Trojans with 299 kills on .300 hitting and ranks second on the team with 247 digs.

West Des Moines Valley – Senior Brynn Cibula is the top weapon in a balanced Tiger attack and leads the team with 220 kills on .200 hitting.

About the Trojans: West High snapped a long state tournament drought last season with its first appearance since 2016.

After a quarterfinal loss to Ankeny Centennial a year ago the Trojans are intent on returning for a longer state tournament stay this season.
West High has won nine of its last 10 matches entering the regional title game with the lone loss in that span coming to fourth-ranked West Des Moines Dowling.

The Trojans are a perfect 8-0 in best of five matches this season following a regional semifinal sweep of Ottumwa.

Senior setter Lila Eastvold directs the West High attack and leads Class 5A with 841 kills to go with 37 blocks, 35 kills and 170 digs.

Sophia Austen is the top hitter for the Trojans but West High has been balanced offensively with four players posting at least 179 kills.

Sophomore Cyan Blommer has 285 kills and Taylor Otte has 193 kills on .352 hitting and leads the Trojans with 77 blocks.

Sophomore Josephine Austen has 179 kills while junior Izzie McDonald has a team-high 342 digs.

About the Tigers: After reaching the 5A semifinals last season West Des Moines Valley is seeking a second consecutive trip to state and its fourth state tournament appearance in the past five seasons.

The Tigers have faced one of the most challenging schedules in the state this season with 26 matches against ranked opponents.

West Des Moines Valley is 10-16 against ranked teams this season with wins over top-ranked Waukee Northwest, seventh-ranked Cedar Falls 4A second-ranked Davenport Assumption and 3A third-ranked Dike-New Hartford.

Cibula leads the West Des Moines Valley attack while junior Ryan Connolly has 187 kills and senior Nani Bell leads the team with 322 assists and has 86 kills and 28 blocks.

Junior Myla Rude has a team-high 338 digs and 57 ace serves while junior Olivia Grubbs has 297 assists.

What to watch: This will be the second meeting between these two teams in less than a month after West High downed West Des Moines Valley in straight sets 23-21, 21-9 at the Xtream Arena East vs. West Showdown on October 3.

West High had four players with at least four kills in the two-set sweep of the Tigers earlier this month led by sophomores Josephine Austen and Cyan Blommer who combined for 17 kills in the win.

While Sophia Austen is leading the Trojans in kills West High is at its best when Blommer and Josephine Austen are clicking on offense.

Look for the Trojans to spread the ball around offensively on Tuesday as they attempt to return to the state tournament for the second year in a row.

Class 5A, Region 8

No. 9 Liberty High (25-11) at No. 7 Cedar Falls (31-9)

Where: Cedar Falls High School

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Players to watch: Liberty High – Senior Hadley Miller leads the Lightning with 426 assists and has a team-high 222 kills on .260 hitting, ranks second on the team with 207 digs and is third on the team with 27 ace serves.

Cedar Falls – Sophomore Hadassah Smith ranks fourth in Class 5A in kills with 360 and third in blocks with 89 and is hitting a team-high .402 and leads the Tigers with 37 ace serves.

About the Lightning: Liberty High is seeking its first state tournament trip since winning the state title in 2022 after regional final losses each of the past three seasons.

The Lightning have faced a challenging schedule this season going 13-11 in matches against ranked opponents with all 11 losses coming to teams ranked in the top six in their respective class.

Liberty High has won six of its last eight matches entering the regional title match following a sweep of Dubuque Hempstead in the regional semifinals.

The Lightning have four players with at least 150 kills this season led by Miller while senior Ellie Wilson has 210 kills and senior Sydney Van Heukelom has 203 kills and a team-high 78 blocks.

Brooklyn Wheeler has 150 kills and senior libero Edie Miller leads Class 5A with 408 digs.

About the Tigers: Cedar Falls brings a 12-match winning streak into Tuesday’s regional final a stretch that includes wins over six ranked teams.

The Tigers have been regulars at the state tournament over the past decade, failing to qualify just twice since 2015, but missed out a year ago after a regional final loss to West Des Moines Valley.

All nine losses for Cedar Falls this season have come against ranked opponents including six losses to top-five ranked teams.

Cedar Falls has two of the top hitters in Class 5A this season in Smith and senior Kennedy Krecklow who ranks third in 5A with 361 kills on .325 hitting.

Junior Kenley Mather has 146 kills and senior Piper Smith has 123 kills while senior Kinzie Clayton has 491 assists and 48 blocks senior Layten Schmidt has 468 assists.

What to watch: This has all the makings of one of the best regional finals across all three classes on Tuesday.

The key for Liberty High will be handling the Cedar Falls duo of Smith and Krecklow who have combined to account for better than 61 percent of the Tigers’ kills this season.

Liberty High is once again one of the better defensive teams in Class 5A led by Edie Miller in the back row but will need a strong showing from its block that features Van Heukelom and junior Hailey Hegland (56 blocks) and senior Ava Meidlinger (40 blocks).

Class 4A, Region 4

Burlington (28-12) at No. 3 Clear Creek Amana (32-6)

Where: Clear Creek Amana High School

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Players to watch: Clear Creek Amana – Junior South Dakota commit Julia Schlarbaum leads the Clippers with 341 kills on .326 hitting and has 187 digs, 44 ace serves and 27 blocks.

Burlington – Senior Meilah Ertz leads Burlington with 274 kills and ranks second on the team with 342 digs to go with 36 ace serves.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana is hitting its stride at the perfect time as the Clippers chase a fifth consecutive state tournament appearance.

The Clippers bring a 15-match winning streak into the regional final, a stretch that includes four wins over ranked teams.

Five of the six losses for Clear Creek Amana this season have come to ranked opponents including three losses to teams ranked in the top five.

Schlarbaum leads three Clippers with at least 200 kills this season as senior Bailey Simpson has 330 kills and a team-high 62 ace serves and junior Delaney Vaske has 200 kills and a team-best 40 blocks.

Senior setter Payton Curtin leads Class 4A with 916 kills while junior Kendall Ronnfeldt has a team-high 342 digs.

About the Grayhounds: Burlington advanced to the regional title game with a five-set upset of No. 12 Grinnell in the regional semifinals and is one win away from its second state tournament appearance in program history and first since 1995.

The Grayhounds are playing their best volleyball late in the season winning 12 of their last 13 matches and four in a row entering the regional title match.

Ertz leads four Burlington players with at least 148 kills this season.

Sophomore Lauren Schrader has 210 kills on .258 hitting while senior Sophia Young has 195 kills and 78 blocks senior Gemma Plummer has 148 kills and a team-high 80 blocks.

Senior Sela Rascon leads the team with 475 assists and 47 ace serves and sophomore Tess Brown has 253 assists for Burlington.

What to watch: During its string of four consecutive state tournament appearances Clear Creek Amana has made a habit of hosting regional title matches.

After a road sweep of West Delaware in 2022 the Clippers have rattled off three consecutive home wins in regional title matches while dropping only one set in that span.

Clear Creek Amana once again has home court advantage on its side on Tuesday and the Clippers have been dynamite on their home floor over the past several seasons.

If Burlington is going to have a chance to pull the upset on Tuesday the Grayhounds need to get off to a strong start in the early sets and keep the crowd out of the match.

Look for Clear Creek Amana to be sharp early as the Clippers are after a second straight home sweep in regional final matches.

Class 3A, Region 5

West Delaware (23-15) at No. 4 Solon (37-7)

Where: Solon High School

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Players to watch: Solon – Sophomore Amelia Guinn leads the Spartans with 326 kills on .291 hitting and has added 44 blocks.

West Delaware – Junior Sofia Schulte has a team-high 254 kills on .226 hitting, leads the Hawks with 269 digs and ranks third on the team with 28 ace serves.

About the Spartans: It’s a similar situation for the Spartans as a year ago as Solon seeks to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2014.

Last season Solon came up a match shy, falling to WAMAC rival Marion at home in five sets in the regional title match.

This season the Spartans get another WAMAC East Division foe in the regional title game as Solon faces West Delaware for the third time this season.

Solon won each of the first two meetings including a three-set sweep last month in Manchester.

The Spartans have won 10 of their last 11 matches entering the regional final with the lone loss to 4A third-ranked Clear Creek Amana in the finals of the WAMAC Tournament.

Solon advanced to the regional final with a sweep of West Liberty in the semis.

Guinn leads a balanced Solon attack that features five players with at least 100 kills.

Junior CJ Whitford has 249 kills while senior Addison Walter has 154 kills and 84 blocks and freshman Zephie Bishop has 129 kills.

Sophomore Makinley Galvan has 118 kills and senior Harper Nicholson has 103 blocks.

Scarlett Ferin leads the Spartans with 546 assists and junior Ava Hohn has 380 assists while senior Macy Fuller has a team-high 371 digs.

About the Hawks: West Delaware is seeking to return to the state tournament for the second time in the past three seasons after falling in the regional semifinals last season.

The Hawks advanced to the regional title match with a semifinal win over North Fayette Valley.

West Delaware has three players with more than 200 kills led by Schulte.

Freshman Rylee Berning has 244 kills and junior Karly Ogden has 231 kills on .271 hitting and a team-high 40 blocks.

Sophomore Reagan Cummings leads West Delaware with 748 assists and has 77 kills while junior Lily Kass has 250 digs.

What to watch: A couple of familiar foes meet for the third time this season after Solon won a pair of regular season meetings.

Solon posted a three-game sweep on September 29 in Manchester and added a 2-1 win in the semifinals of the WAMAC Tournament earlier this month in Solon.

Guinn had a team-high 10 kills in the meeting in Manchester while Walter had 16 kills and five blocks in the Spartans win at the WAMAC tournament.

Look for Solon to spread the ball around tonight as it seeks to keep the West Delaware defense off balance.

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