New coach, new rotation, same volleyball success for Cedar Rapids Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS — In some regards, Amy Weiland missed out.

As Amy Olberding, she was a libero at Cedar Rapids Xavier in a career that ended in 2015.

The year before the Saints got really good.

She took mental notes what her coaches did well, what she might do differently.

“More than anything, I want to give the kids a good experience,” she said.

It is eight years later. Austin Filer took over as the Saints’ coach in 2016 and led the program to unprecedented heights. Seven consecutive state-tournament appearances, highlighted by Class 4A championships in 2020 and 2022, stepping down after the second title.

The door was open. The opportunity was there, and — after two years as the Saints’ sophomore coach — Weiland grabbed it and was elevated to head varsity coach.

The program hasn’t slipped a bit.

Xavier easily made it back to state, sweeping its way through regionals. The third-ranked Saints (24-6) face No. 6 Lewis Central (31-2) in a 4A quarterfinal at 6:25 Monday night at Xtream Arena, Coralville.

At 25, Weiland most likely is the youngest of the 40 state-tournament coaches. But by all accounts, she has the Saints’ confidence, and their respect.

“She gives it to us straight, but she’s very positive,” said senior Ava Turner.

Added all-state junior Libby Fandel: “Austin was a really good coach. He was hard-core, and that was good. Amy, she relates to us as high school girls. She knows us.

“And that’s good, too.”

The bench isn’t the only place of transition.

Fandel, Turner and junior Carley Jonker started in last year’s title run, with Fandel earning all-tournament captaincy.

But the 2023 starting lineup is dotted with varsity rookies, too.

You’ve got senior Molly Garrison and junior Carissa Timmerman in two key spots (setter and libero). There’s Taylor Rexroth at middle blocker, at a modest 5-foot-9. There’s Ava Van Berkum, a junior lefty who hits out of the right side.

And there’s defensive specialist Caitlin Rollinger, another junior.

In the Saints’ sweep of Waverly-Shell Rock in the regional finals, Fandel accumulated 18 kills. Four others had seven or more.

“Libby’s going to be the one with a lot of kills,” Jonker said. “Hopefully I can be one of them that helps set her up.”

Fandel absolutely could be a Division-I volleyball player if she chose. She is likely to choose a D-I program for basketball; she has numerous offers, most at the mid-major level.

She spent most of her summer playing club basketball. But when she reported to volleyball camp, her priority was “100 percent, yeah, definitely” to the sport in season.

  Buy Photo

Weiland structures her practices similarly to Filer. Her approach is different.

“He kept his anxiety level hidden better than I do,” Weiland said. “I get nervous pretty easily.

“I think the girls respond better to positive reinforcement. When we go through film, I make it a point to point out a lot of the good things.

“The girls take feedback well. We talk about each other’s day. It’s fun to get to know the girls off the court.”

One of Weiland’s common messages: Keep swinging. Let it rip.

“As soon as they’re scared of getting blocked, they start failing,” she said. “It’s OK to get blocked. You’ve got to stay aggressive. In the back row, I don’t care if you shank a ball, but at least get a hand on it.”

The Saints have gone to the state tournament as the favorites in recent years. This year, that role goes to top-ranked and unbeaten Clear Creek Amana, which fell to the Saints in a four-set final last year and returns virtually everybody.

“As long as we play our hearts out, we should be able to handle business,” Turner said.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com