Mikaela Foecke: Unforgettable and unstoppable

FORT MADISON - The motto for the Holy Trinity High School volleyball team comes from the 2002 children's movie 'Lilo and Stitch.”

It's one word: Ohana.

'It means family,” said Mikaela Foecke, the director and leader of the Crusaders' ohana. 'People probably don't want to hear us yell ‘family' when we break the huddle.”

In the world of Lilo and Stitch, 'Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

Foecke is unstoppable, and thus, unforgettable.

'She's the best player I've seen in person, yes, absolutely,” said Maureen Heath, coach at rival New London.

Holy Trinity setter Maria Vonderhaar grew up with Foecke. She watches as the extraordinary sometimes becomes routine.

'Sometimes, Mikaela does things that are so amazing,” Vonderhaar said. 'I'm jealous - she makes it look so easy.”

A 6-foot-3, do-it-all senior, Foecke is the most prolific hitter the state has seen.

She is the state's kill leader for the third consecutive season, and she is becoming more productive and more efficient each year.

'Sometimes an athlete will level off, but she wasn't going to let that happen,” said Holy Trinity Coach Melissa Freesmeier, who built West Point Marquette into a powerhouse, then did the same at Holy Trinity after Marquette merged with Fort Madison Aquinas.

'She upped her weight training and her physical training at the gym.”

Heading into the state tournament - the top-rated Crusaders (45-4) face No. 8 LeMars Gehlen (23-14) in a Class 1A quarterfinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the U.S. Cellular Center - Foecke (pronounced FEKK-ee) has amassed a remarkable 2,588 kills in four seasons.

Her kill rate has risen every season (from 4.07 per set as a freshman, to 5.43, then 6.08, then 6.35).

So has her kill efficiency - from .419 as a freshman, to .519 as a sophomore, then .569 as a junior. This season, it's at an unhead-of level of .635 this season.

That's right, in 1,043 swings this season, she has 724 kills and only 62 errors.

'She's gone from a high level to the ultimate level,” Heath said.

Despite all the kills, aces (she has served 369 in her career) and blocks (470), and despite all the honors and opportunities, she's remarkably grounded. Humble.

'In her eyes, she's not better than anybody else,” Freesmeier said.

Of course, on the volleyball court, she's better than most everybody else.

She was named the 2013 state player of the year by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association, and earned the same honor by Gatorade. She has committed to play at the University of Nebraska.

Last summer, as a 17-year-old, she represented her country as a member of the USA 20-and-under national team that earned a gold medal in Guatamala.

'Representing the USA Team, it's not something that many people have an opportunity to do,” Foecke said. 'I'm so thankful I was able to do it, to put on a USA jersey.”

Foecke was only the second player under Freesmeier to start as a freshman.

'As a junior-high kid, she was tall with an athletic build,” Freesmeier recalled. 'She made a high-performance team as an alternate as an eighth-grader. I could tell during the open gyms the summer before her freshman year she would be a starter for us. She just kept getting better and better.”

Every offseason, Foecke has added more to her arsenal.

'I really wanted to improve on my serving this year,” she said. 'It's always been OK, but I wanted it to get to the next level.”

Not coincidentally, her ace output nearly doubled this season.

'And I have a better change-up shot now,” she said. 'I think people usually look for the power kill from me.”

Holy Trinity came into existence in 2005, and the Crusaders are making their eighth trip to Cedar Rapids. The ultimate prize, a 1A state championship, has eluded them.

'We really want it this year,” said Foecke, who owns a 4.0 grade point average. 'We've worked so hard for this. We know what it's like to get there and lose, and it's not a good feeling.”

Foecke's last shot awaits. And a good portion of Southeast Iowa will be rooting for her and the Holy Trinity ohana.

'You can't help but like and admire her,” Heath said. 'She has every right to be cocky, but she's not. She's all about her team.

'If we can't win the championship, we hope she does.”

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