Iowa City West volleyball bears little to no resemblance to its 2024 version

CEDAR RAPIDS — Last year is dead to them.

“We don’t talk about last year,” said Jaedynn Evans, first-year volleyball coach at Iowa City West. “If somebody brings it up, I shut it down.

“We’re focused on the future.”

So forget about 2024. And disregard the 13-18 record that went along with it.

This West team is a whole different animal.

“It’s going super good,” junior Sophia Austen said. “We’re having lots of fun.”

Winning will do that.

Class 5A eighth-ranked West won two of three matches and was the beacon for the Mississippi Valley Conference in Thursday’s MVC-MAC Challenge at Prairie High School.

The Trojans (3-1) earned a pair of three-set victories (over 5A No. 10 Bettendorf and 4A No. 4 North Scott) and took 5A No. 2 Pleasant Valley — the reigning 5A state champion — to the wire in their first match of the evening.

“I’m loving it,” said Evans, a 24-year-old who prepped at Iowa City Regina, then went on to play at Central Oklahoma and Wisconsin-Whitewater. “It a great group of kids. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be here.”

  Buy Photo

The Trojans are young — Austen, an Iowa State commit, is the veteran of the group — and vertically blessed. West trotted out a lineup that featured 6-foot-4, 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-1.

For the opposition, that’s a problem.

“There’s some (newcomers), but they have a lot of experience in club ball,” Austen said. “And Jaedynn ... she’s a wonderful coach.”

Evans, and the Trojans, have closed the book on 2024. Before we do the same, remember that it was the seventh consecutive losing season for a program steeped with winning tradition.

Unless something goes sideways, there won’t be an eighth straight season south of .500.

“Our ceiling is unlimited,” Evans said.

Pleasant Valley (4-0) was the de facto champion of the event, winning all three of its matches.

West had the Spartans on their heels, leading the decisive set 8-6 before PV scored the next five points and maintained the lead the rest of the way.

The Trojans then controlled the third set against Bettendorf by a 15-10 count, then against North Scott by a 15-9 ledger.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy (2-2), ranked 14th in 5A, earned a three-set win over North Scott.

Cedar Rapids Prairie (0-4) dropped all three of its matches, but took North Scott and Pleasant Valley to three sets.

In all, the MAC trio won six of nine matches.

MVC-MAC CHALLENGE

At C.R. Prairie

Team standings

Pleasant Valley 3-0, Iowa City West 2-1, Bettendorf 2-1, C.R. Kennedy 1-2, North Scott 1-2, C.R. Prairie 0-3.

Round 1

Bettendorf def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-16, 21-15

North Scott def. C.R. Prairie, 14-21, 21-14, 15-7

Pleasant Valley def. Iowa City West, 21-15, 17-21, 15-13

Round 2

C.R. Kennedy def. North Scott, 19-21, 21-19, 15-7

Iowa City West def. Bettendorf, 21-17, 22-24, 15-10

Pleasant Valley def. C.R. Prairie, 21-9, 21-23, 15-10

Round 3

Bettendorf def. C.R. Prairie, 21-7, 21-11

Iowa City West def. North Scott, 21-14, 15-21, 15-9

Pleasant Valley def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-15, 21-10

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com