(KMAland) -- The Martin Blog Fall Sports Preview series continues with a look at Missouri River Conference Volleyball.
PREVIOUS FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
7/24: Class 2A District 8 Football
7/25: Rolling Valley Conference Volleyball
7/26: Class 4A District 1 Football
7/27: Class 2A District 7 Football
7/28: Corner Conference Cross Country
7/29: Hawkeye Ten Conference Cross Country
7/30: Western Iowa Conference Cross Country
7/31: Pride of Iowa Conference Volleyball
8/1: Class A District 7 Football
2023 MISSOURI RIVER CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
Sioux City East went undefeated in the conference on their way to winning the Missouri River Conference championship last year. It was the second time they’ve won at least a share of the conference title in the last three seasons. It was their first outright championship…EVER! Here’s how the standings looked:
1. Sioux City East Black Raiders — 22-14 overall, 7-0 conference
2. Sioux City North Stars — 22-15 overall, 6-1 conference
3. Bishop Heelan Catholic — 24-15 overall, 5-2 conference
4. Abraham Lincoln Lynx — 23-18 overall, 4-3 conference
5. LeMars Bulldogs — 7-28 overall, 2-5 conference
5. Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors — 7-22 overall, 2-5 conference
5. Sioux City West Wolverines — 16-10 overall, 2-5 conference
8. Thomas Jefferson Yellow Jackets — 2-22 overall, 0-7 conference
COACHES
•Abraham Lincoln: Alyssa Jeffrey (NEW)
•Bishop Heelan Catholic: Lauren Boatman
•LeMars: Jess Wolles
•Sergeant Bluff-Luton: Renee Winkel
•Sioux City East: Ashley Vandestouwe
•Sioux City North: Monica Chamberlain
•Sioux City West: Brianna Maitlen
•Thomas Jefferson: Makenna Durham
TOP-RETURNING HITTERS
These are the top-returning hitters in the league, sorted by total kills during the 2022 season:
1. Maliyah Hacker, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — One of the top-returning hitters regardless of conference in KMAland, Hacker had 316 kills in 100 sets while posting a .219 efficiency last year.
2. Olivia Mentzer, SR, Sioux City East — Mentzer had a big year of hitting on the outside for the Black Raiders with 246 winers in 95 sets.
3. Hutson Rau, JR, Abraham Lincoln — The Lynx top-returning hitter, Rau had 236 kills in 103 sets played while hitting just under .200.
4. Ava Lloyd, SO, Sioux City North — The top-returning sophomore hitter is Lloyd, who had a terrific season with 229 kills in 96 sets while hitting .223.
5. Sidney Chamberlain, SR, Sioux City North — Chamberlain had 192 total kills in 97 sets played last year for the Stars.
6. Hollie Peterson, JR, Sioux City East — Another key returnee for the defending conference champions, Peterson smashed 191 kills in 97 sets while hitting .211.
7. Ashlyn Strohbeen, SR, Sioux City North — A third returning hitter among the top seven for the Stars, Strohbeen’s junior season saw her finish with 183 kills in 97 sets and had a .233 hitting efficiency.
8. Mackenzie Crawford, SR, Sioux City East — And now we have a third returning hitter for Sioux City East. Crawford hit out of the middle and was highly efficient (.306) on her way to 159 kills in 96 sets.
9. Holly McNaughton, JR, LeMars — The top-returning hitter for LeMars is McNaughton, who hit on the outside for the Bulldogs and posted 154 winners in 86 sets.
10. Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln — She’s not a hitter, but she is one smart cat at setter. Romano had 147 kills in 103 sets and had a .390 efficiency for the Lynx.
The rest of the top 20:
11. Aubrey Sandbothe, JR, Abraham Lincoln (145 kills, 103 sets, .164 EFF)
12. Lydia Dix, JR, Abraham Lincoln (141 kills, 103 sets, .304 EFF)
13. Ashlyn Draube, SR, Sioux City East (131 kills, 86 sets, .130 EFF)
14. Breanna VanDenTop, SO, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (117 kills, 73 sets, .166 EFF)
15. Jayden Kneifl, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (115 kills, 81 sets, .064 EFF)
16. Maddie LaFleur, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic (114 kills, 100 sets, .087 EFF)
17. Kamea Van Kalsbeek, SR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (110 kills, 80 sets, .144 EFF)
18. Lexi Hurd, SR, LeMars (109 kills, 84 sets, .135 EFF)
19. Elliana Harris, SR, Sioux City East (99 kills, 95 sets, .078 EFF)
20. Hannah Burge, JR, Sioux City West (97 kills, 70 sets, .158 EFF)
TOP-RETURNING SETTERS
The top-returning setters in the league are sorted by total assists during the 2022 season:
1. Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln — The top setter in the conference and a Wayne State commit, Romano had 816 assist sin 10 sets for the Lynx.
2. Aussie Obbink, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton — Obbink posted 597 assists in 81 sets last year for the Warriors.
3. Maddie LaFleur, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — LaFleur played 100 sets last year and finished with 424 assists on the season.
4. Stella Kuehl, SR, Sioux City North — A terrific group of hitters will have their setter back after Kuehl finished with 394 assists in 87 sets last year.
5. Hollie Peterson, JR, Sioux City East — One of two setters for the Black Raiders last season, Peterson may take over the primary spot this year after 323 assists in 96 sets.
6. Kiley Elgert, SR, Sioux City West — Elgert is one of two returning setters for West, which got 268 assists from her in 70 sets played.
7. Angelica Rivera, SR, Sioux City West — Rivera also had a strong season of setting for the Wolverines with 132 assists in 55 sets.
8. Kinslee Walrod, SO, Sioux City North — Walrod also did a bit of setting for Sioux City North last year and finished out the season with 107 assists in 30 sets.
TOP-RETURNING DEFENDERS
These are the top-returning defenders in the league, sorted by total digs during the 2022 season:
1. Sarah Brown, SR, LeMars — Brown topped the conference last season with 385 digs in 86 sets played. And yes, she’s back to defend that championship.
2. Aubrey Sandbothe, JR, Abraham Lincoln — Athletic, quick and skilled is a good way to live, and that’s what Sandbothe is. She had 316 digs in 103 sets last year.
3. Ivy Mehlhaff, SR, Sioux City East — Another libero returning to the fold from last year, Mehlhaff posted 270 digs in 96 sets.
4. Hutson Rau, JR, Abraham Lincoln — Rau is another strong six-rotation player that had 269 total digs in 103 sets in 2022.
5. Maliyah Hacker, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — Hacker led the conference in kills last season and ranked in a tie for 8th with 267 digs.
5. Maddie LaFleur, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — The person she was tied with was her teammate LaFleur, who had 267 digs of her own.
7. Sidney Chamberlain, SR, Sioux City North — Chamberlain tallied 266 total digs in 97 sets for the Stars a year ago.
8. Ava Lloyd, SO, Sioux City North — Lloyd also showed her all-around abilities last year as a freshman with 237 digs in 96 sets.
9. Olivia Mentzer, SR, Sioux City East — Mentzer ranked 12th in digs last year for the Black Raiders, finishing with 236 digs in 95 sets.
10. Kelsi Nelson, SR, Abraham Lincoln — The Lynx have a third returnee in the top 10 among total digs. Nelson finished with 230 digs in 91 sets a year ago.
The rest of the top 25:
11. Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln (222 digs, 103 sets)
12. Zoey Riessen, SR, Sioux City West (219 digs, 70 sets)
13. Holly McNaughton, JR, LeMars (189 digs, 86 sets)
14. Hollie Peterson, JR, Sioux City East (172 digs, 96 sets)
15. Maddie Jackson, JR, Sioux City East (167 digs, 92 sets)
16. Grace Van Otterloo, SR, LeMars (153 digs, 83 sets)
17. Jayden Kneifl, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (150 digs, 81 sets)
17. Taylor Prosser, SR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (150 digs, 80 sets)
19. Alyssa Rehal, SR, Bishop Heelan Catholic (147 digs, 96 sets)
20. Stella Kuehl, SR, Sioux City North (142 digs, 87 sets)
21. Hannah Burger, JR, Sioux City West (141 digs, 70 sets)
22. Kiley Elgert, SR, Sioux City West (126 digs, 70 sets)
23. Aussie Obbink, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (103 digs, 81 sets)
24. Ashlyn Strohbeen, SR, Sioux City North (100 digs, 97 sets)
25. Olivia Winter, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (85 digs, 64 sets)
TOP-RETURNING BLOCKERS
These are the top-returning defenders in the league, sorted by total blocks during the 2022 season:
1. Mackenzie Crawford, SR, Sioux City East — The top four blockers from last season are gone from the conference. The top returnee, though, is Crawford, who finished with 79.0 total blocks, including 34 solos, in 96 sets.
2. Lexi Hurd, SR, LeMars — Hurd finished last season in a tie for sixth with 62.0 total blocks in 84 sets. Twenty-five of those were solos.
2. Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln — Romano is even active at the net, finishing with 62.0 total blocks in 103 sets.
4. Lydia Dix, JR, Abraham Lincoln — Dix posted 51.0 total blocks during her sophomore season and did it in 103 sets.
5. Kamea Van Kalsbeek, SR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton — A true middle for the Warriors, Van Kalsbeek is the last of the returnees that hit at least 50 blocks. She had 50.0 on the spot with nine solos in 80 sets.
6. Maliyah Hacker, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — Hacker had 48.0 total blocks in 100 sets for the Crusaders last season.
7. Elliana Harris, SR, Sioux City East — Another middle that had over 40 blocks last season, Harris posted 44.0 total, including 15 solos.
8. Maddie LaFleur, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic — LaFleur had 39.0 total blocks for the Crusaders in 100 sets.
8. Hutson Rau, JR, Abraham Lincoln — Rau also had 39.0 total blocks on the season, including five solos.
10. Hollie Peterson, JR, Sioux City East — Peterson had 35.0 total blocks in 96 sets. That included 13 solos for the Black Raiders.
The rest of the top 20:
11. Ashlyn Draube, SR, Sioux City East (32.0 blocks, 86 sets)
12. Sidney Chamberlain, SR, Sioux City North (31.0 blocks, 97 sets)
13. Aubrey Sandbothe, JR, Abraham Lincoln (30.0 blocks, 103 sets)
14. Ariana Klein, SR, Sioux City North (28.0 blocks, 98 sets)
14. Ava Lloyd, SO, Sioux City North (28.0 blocks, 96 sets0
14. Breanna VanDenTop, SO, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (28.0 blocks, 73 sets)
17. Olivia Mentzer, SR, Sioux City East (25.0 blocks, 95 sets)
18. Lily Kirby, JR, LeMars (24.0 blocks, 37 sets)
19. Holly McNaughton, JR, LeMars (22.0 blocks, 86 sets)
19. Ashlyn Strohbeen, SR, Sioux City North (22.0 blocks, 97 sets)
TOP-RETURNING SERVERS
These are the top returning servers in the league, sorted by total aces during the 2022 season:
1. Stella Kuehl, SR, Sioux City North (54 aces, 87 sets, 88.3% EFF)
2. Hollie Peterson, JR, Sioux City East (46 aces, 96 sets, 85.2% EFF)
2. Ashlyn Strohbeen, SR, Sioux City North (46 aces, 97 sets, 80.5% EFF)
4. Kiley Elgert, SR, Sioux City West (39 aces, 70 sets, 89.7% EFF)
5. Maliyah Hacker, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic (34 aces, 100 sets, 89.3% EFF)
6. Hannah Burger, JR, Sioux City West (32 aces, 70 sets, 90.9% EFF)
6. Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln (32 aces, 103 sets, 91.3% EFF)
8. Ava Lloyd, SO, Sioux City North (31 aces, 96 sets, 87.9% EFF)
9. Holly McNaughton, JR, LeMars (30 aces, 86 sets, 88.5% EFF)
9. Olivia Mentzer, SR, Sioux City East (30 aces, 95 sets, 92.8% EFF)
11. Aubrey Sandbothe, JR, Abraham Lincoln (28 aces, 103 sets, 97.8% EFF)
12. Sidney Chamberlain, SR, Sioux City North (26 aces, 97 sets, 89.5% EFF)
13. Maddie Jackson, JR, Sioux City East (23 aces, 92 sets, 94.6% EFF)
13. Ivy Mehlhaff, SR, Sioux City East (23 aces, 96 sets, 93.6% EFF)
15. Maddie LaFleur, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic (22 aces, 100 sets, 91.1% EFF)
15. Cam Obbink, JR, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (22 aces, 65 sets, 95.0% EFF)
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
These are the returning all-conference players for each team:
•Abraham Lincoln (1): Molly Romano (1st)
•Bishop Heelan Catholic (1): Maliyah Hacker (1st)
•LeMars (1): Sarah Brown (1st)
•Sergeant Bluff-Luton (0)
•Sioux City East (3): Olivia Mentzer (1st), Hollie Peterson (2nd), Mackenzie Crawford (2nd)
•Sioux City North (2): Ava Lloyd (1st), Sidney Chamberlain (2nd)
•Sioux City West (0)
•Thomas Jefferson (0)
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Here’s your KMA Sports Preseason All-Conference based on returning stats and all-conference nominations. The Preseason All-Conference needs a setter, a libero and the best four regardless of position:
Sarah Brown, SR, LeMars
Mackenzie Crawford, SR, Sioux City East
Maliyah Hacker, JR, Bishop Heelan Catholic
Ava Lloyd, SO, Sioux City North
Olivia Mentzer, SR, Sioux City East
Molly Romano, SR, Abraham Lincoln
PRESEASON COACHES PICKS
Here’s a look at what the league’s coaches are thinking heading into the season. In voting, I stipulated that coaches could not vote for their own team or players.
Preseason Player of the Year: Molly Romano — The Abraham Lincoln setter picked up four votes a the league’s preseason player of the year while Olivia Mentzer of Sioux City East and Maliyah Hacker of Heelan also had two votes each.
Preseason Poll:
1. Sioux City East (5) — 32 points
2. Sioux City North (2) — 28 points
3. Bishop Heelan Catholic (1) — 26 points
4. Abraham Lincoln — 15 points
5. Sergeant Bluff-Luton — 14 points
6. LeMars — 5 points
Notes: The defending champions are the favorites, receiving five of a possible seven first-place votes. Sioux City North picked up two first-place tallies while Heelan nabbed one.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION
These are not my predictions. This is a simple formulaic prognostication with 2022 overall wins + top-returning players listed above + returning all-conference players + preseason all-conference. Here’s how it lines up:
1. Sioux City East (31)
2. Sioux City North (26)
3. Abraham Lincoln (21)
4. Bishop Heelan Catholic (17)
5. LeMars & Sergeant Bluff-Luton (13)
7. Sioux City West (10)
8. Thomas Jefferson (0)
Thoughts: Sioux City East is also the pick by the formula, bringing back a total of 21 among the top-returning players (obviously there were several repeats). Sioux City North is second with 18 returnees and 26 points while Abraham Lincoln is the pick to make a slight jump over Heelan this year.
Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmamail.com.
