Examining the Class 3A volleyball ‘kerfuffle’ in Eastern Iowa

You knew Maggie Willems would have a suitable word for it.

“Oh, man,” she said, shaking her head, describing the Class 3A volleyball scene in Eastern Iowa.

“It’s a kerfuffle.”

A commotion, a fuss ... those are synonymous with a “kerfuffle.” And all apply.

Ten of the top 15 teams in this week’s 3A state rankings reside between the Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 63. In Wednesday’s updated Bound 3A power rankings, it’s 14 of the top 24.

“There are a half-dozen teams in our area, in my opinion, that are potential state-semifinal caliber teams,” said Willems, whose Mount Vernon squad is No. 2 and 15-1. “I don’t know what (the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union) is going to do with it.”

The Union traditionally protects the top few teams in the postseason, giving them a navigable path to the state tournament, and tries to avoid putting multiple top-eight teams in a region.

So it will have to find a way to split Eastern Iowa heavyweights like Mount Vernon, No. 4 Union Community, No. 5 Davenport Assumption (the defending state champion), among others, when it releases regional pairings in a couple of weeks.

New Hampton, Solon, Center Point-Urbana, Mid-Prairie, Dubuque Wahlert and West Delaware are 7 through 12. West Liberty is 14th.

“There’s great volleyball in our area,” West Delaware Coach Brett Mather. “It’s fun, it makes you better.

“It will be interesting to see how everything turns out. We need to take care of ourselves. We have a lot of room for growth, and we need to keep getting better every day.”

Union Community Coach Brian Jesse said, “We’re keeping an eye on the rankings. We really want to stay in that top eight.”

As creative as the Girls Union usually is, it will be unavoidable to see some dynamite matchups in the regional finals, and even in the regional semifinals.

“We want to be in a favorable position in which we don’t get one of those bizarre regional finals,” Willems said.

With that, here are thumbnails on Eastern Iowa’s 3A contenders.

No. 2 Mount Vernon (15-1) — Just three starters back from its 2022 state-semifinal squad, but one of them is Chloe Meester, the state’s best junior and a Louisville commit. Mustangs have won 11 in a row since their only defeat (against Dike-New Hartford). Setter Sydney Huber is third in the state in assists.

No. 4 Union Community (19-4) — If you thought the graduation of Aubrey Gates would send the Knights skidding, think again. Gracie Klima already has more than 250 kills, 6-foot-plus middles Dena Robb and Sydney Schmuecker are effective, and Avery Knoop is a returning all-state setter.

No. 5 Davenport Assumption (18-4) — The reigning 3A champions will be battle-tested in the Mississippi Athletic Conference. Three of the Knights’ top five attackers from last year are back, including 6-foot-4 Ella Derrer, who is hitting .490.

No. 7 New Hampton (18-2) — Leader of the Northeast Iowa Conference. Chickasaws’ two losses came to Cedar Falls and Denver. We’ll know more where they stand after the Waverly-Shell Rock tournament Sept. 30.

No. 8 Solon (15-10) — It’s still to be determined where Solon, Center Point-Urbana and West Delaware fit on this list. All are 1-2 in the Wamac Conference East Division. The Spartans have a five-set win over CPU on their resume, as well as a five-set triumph over 4A power Cedar Rapids Xavier.

No. 9 Center Point-Urbana (12-8) — The record alone doesn’t wow you, but all eight losses are to high-end teams. And there are a sprinkling of eye-opening wins, against Assumption and Dubuque Wahlert, for instance. Junior Sydney Maue is a leaping lefty bound for Arkansas. CPU’s schedule rates No. 11 in the state (all classes).

No. 10 Mid-Prairie (14-3) — The River Valley Conference South Division is a beast, with all seven teams sporting overall winning records. The Golden Hawks have moved into sole possession of first place. They have suffered only one loss in September, against 5A heavyweight West Des Moines Dowling.

No. 11 Dubuque Wahlert (9-7) — The only 3A team in the Mississippi Valley Conference, Wahlert is likely to snap a streak of three consecutive losing seasons. The Golden Eagles make their annual trek to Chicago for the Asics Classic next weekend. Wahlert leads the state with 20 state championships.

No. 12 West Delaware (17-7) — As always, the Hawks’ tempo is a problem for opponents. The Hawks nearly got a mammoth win over Mount Vernon on Sept. 12, surrendering a two-set lead. They haven’t dropped a set since, winning six straight matches. Setter Kirstyn Kolbet is averaging 7.1 assists per set and is hitting .481.

No. 14 West Liberty (18-6) — The Comets lost veteran leaders Monica Morales (libero) and Brooklyn Buysse (setter) to graduation, but the Comets’ hitting crew is largely intact. West Liberty has won 11 consecutive matches and faces another RVC South challenge Thursday at Iowa City Regina.

Other Eastern Iowa 3A teams ranked in the top 24 by Bound: Anamosa (18th, 21-6), Monticello (21st, 14-5), Tipton (22nd, 10-8) and Independence (24th, 9-10).

And early mock brackets for 3A statewide:

REGION 1

Okoboji at Western Christian

West Lyon at Estherville ELC

Spirit Lake at MOC-Floyd Valley

Sheldon at Unity Christian

REGION 2

Ida Grove OABCIG at Cherokee

Southeast Valley at Algona

Garner GHV at Osage

Clear Lake at Forest City

REGION 3

Saydel at Des Moines Christian

Clarke at Van Meter

Atlantic at Red Oak

Harlan at Clarinda

REGION 4

Eagle Grove at New Hampton

Hampton-Dumont/CAL at Clarion CGD

Iowa Falls-Alden at Center Point-Urbana

Greene County at Roland-Story

REGION 5

Crestwood at Union Community

Oelwein at Independence

Waukon at Dubuque Wahlert

North Fayette Valley at West Delaware

REGION 6

South Tama at Mount Vernon

Benton Community at West Marshall

Tipton at Monticello

Vinton-Shellsburg at Anamosa

REGION 7

Williamsburg at Solon

Monroe PCM at Grinnell

Chariton at Mid-Prairie

Centerville at Albia

REGION 8

Camanche at Davenport Assumption

Central Lee at Mediapolis

Washington at West Liberty

Davis County at Fairfield

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com