Meet the top freshmen in Iowa high school volleyball

By Bret Hayworth | Photo by Matthew Putney 

Meet some of the top freshmen playing Iowa high school volleyball in 2022. Many were pinpointed by coaches as they rose through the ranks of middle school or club teams, and all included now have two months of high school varsity game experience.

Brynn Bakula, Cedar Falls

 Bakula is one of a handful of freshmen performing at a high level on a ranked Class 5A squad in the state. She stepped into the starting setter role for the Tigers, and ranks second among all freshmen in the state with 842 assists, which places Bakula sixth overall.

Bailey Boeve, Hinton

 A middle/outside hitter, Boeve leads all freshmen in blocks with 72 and also is tops among ninth graders with .472 kill efficiency. Playing for Class 1A Hinton, Boeve also ranks second among freshmen with 260 kills.

Alexa Buhman, Sumner-Fredricksburg

 The S-F setter ranks third among freshmen in assists with 615, and also has produced 155 digs.

Taylor Buhr, Wapsie Valley

 The 196 kills Buhr has put down place her sixth among freshmen and also second among all players on Wapsie Valley, a Class 2A team with a 38-4 record. Buhr also has 231 digs.

Ellah Derrer, Davenport Assumption

 One of the tallest Iowa top freshmen at 6-foot-3, Derrer is performing well for the highly ranked Class 3A Assumption team. Her 56 blocks are second best among Knights players and the 141 kills put her fourth among Assumption teammates.

Jovi Evans, Mid-Prairie

 Evans is among the freshman leaders in digs with 228, and also has 138 kills for Class 1A Mid-Prarie.

Addison Hochstetler, North Tama

 The 355 digs by Hochstetler rank her second among all Iowa ninth graders, as she plays for the highly ranked Class 2A team with 30 wins.

Briana Hill, West Monona

 Outside hitter Hill places highly in two categories among freshmen. The 337 kills she has produced are third among freshmen and the 219 kills rank her fourth.

Abby Jensen, Dike-New Hartford

 Jensen is the sole freshman getting considerable varsity playing time on the top-ranked Wolverines team (40-2) stacked with all-staters. Libero Jensen has 165 digs to rank fourth among her D-NH teammates, and also has 68 assists.

Isabelle Kremer, Pleasant Valley

 Playing for the defending Class 5A champs with another stellar squad in 2022, Kremer hits at .327 efficiency as the team’s top freshman. Her 32 blocks are fourth best among PV players and the 90 kills are fifth most among Spartans players.

Ellie Muller, Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines)

Class 5A Dowling has a 29-9 record to be among the top teams in Iowa, and Muller’s 144 kills are fourth best among Maroon players. She hits at .307 efficiency.

Mya Lei-Butters, Ankeny Centennial

Getting ample playing time as a freshman for a top tier Class 5A squad, Lei-Butters has 103 digs, which is fifth among her Centennial teammates. She is also one of the top serving freshmen in the state,

Ava Lloyd, Sioux City North

 Playing for Class 5A North, Lloyd has 198 kills, to rank fifth among Iowa freshmen. She hits at .244 efficiency.

Leighton Messinger, Washington

 Outside hitter Messinger ranks fourth among ninth graders in digs with 275, and her 164 kills leads all players on the Washington team.

Presley Meyers, Holy Trinity Catholic

 Meyers has 221 kills, to place her fourth among freshmen, and also hits at .370 efficiency for Holy Trinity.

Reese Naeve, Regina Catholic

 An outside hitter, Naeve leads all Iowa freshmen with 411 kills, which also ranks eighth among all players. Naeve has 272 digs for Regina, and that ranks fifth for ninth graders statewide.

Loycee Palmer, East Mills

Palmer leads all freshmen in serving percentage, with 97.8 percent. She also has 145 digs for East Mills.

Katie Scheckel, Pella

 Setter Scheckel has passed out 528 assists, which places her fourth among Iowa freshmen. Her 46 service aces puts her tops among Pella players in that stat.

Kaylie Simons, Carroll Kuemper Catholic

 The 357 digs Simons has pulled up places her first among all Iowa freshmen. Libero Simons also serves at 94.4 percent with 34 aces for the 35-4 Knights.

Paycee Sorgenfrey, Tipton

 Setter Sorgenfrey has spread out 468 assists to Tipton teammates, so she ranks fifth among freshmen. Her 47 service aces leads Tipton and also ranks highly statewide among ninth graders.

James Steinbach, Des Moines Roosevelt

 Setter Steinbach places second among all freshmen in assists with the 623 she has amassed, which also is in the Top 50 among all players. Steinbach also has 140 digs for the Roughriders. 

Addison Wagner, Clarinda

 Outside hitter Wagner has 222 kills to rank third of freshmen players, which leads the Clarinda team.

Candace Walton, Moravia

 Middle hitter Walton leads all freshmen with 57 ace serves, which ranks her 27th among all Iowa preps. She has 121 kills and 22 blocks.

Editor’s Note: The statistics cited in this story were compiled as of October 13.