8 things we learned in Iowa high school volleyball the first week of October

We’re about a week away from Iowa’s high school volleyball teams facing off in postseason play, meaning each and every match down the stretch will mean and teach us just a little bit more about every squad.

With several high-profile invitationals and matchups taking place over the last week, let’s travel back and revisit what we learned from the first week of October.

1. Dike-New Hartford wins Westside Volleyball Invite. Where does this team rank among the all-time best?

It’s time to start having a serious discussion about this Wolverines team.

Not about whether they are capable of winning titles. At 38-0 with only one set lost the entire season, it's pretty clear that the Class 2A title is Dike-New Hartford’s to lose. The more interesting question is whether this is one of the most dominant teams we’ve ever seen in the state of Iowa.

In the Westside Volleyball Tournament at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, the Wolverines went 5-0, winning all 10 sets. They defeated three of our Super 10 teams − Mount Vernon, Grundy Center and then Dowling Catholic in the final.

Not to mention, this came after Dike-New Hartford swept the competition earlier in the week to take home the NICL Conference Championship by beating Grundy Center, Denver and Sumner-Fredericksburg among others.

If the Wolverines continue at this pace and take the 2A crown, they’re going to be in the “best Iowa high school team ever” discussion.

2. Dowling Catholic has a strong week despite loss to Dike-New Hartford

I think if you’re Dowling, you just have to tip your cap to the Wolverines and take positives from everything else. And for what it’s worth, the Maroons had a lot of positives to take from last week.

After defeating a pesky Waukee Northwest team earlier in the week before the Westside Volleyball Tournament, the Maroons played well in Cedar Rapids, going 4-0 and winning all of their sets prior to the Dike-New Hartford loss. They took down Ankeny Centennial again, this time in the semifinals by taking both sets.

The Maroons have had the Jaguars' number in two head-to-head matchups. We’ll see if that holds through the postseason with the two seemingly on a collision course for the 5A crown.

3. Ankeny Centennial has a roller-coaster week, still a step behind Maroons

This is the second week in a row I’m writing about the Jaguars having a strong weekend but just not quite being able to put together the finishing touches to make it perfect.

Centennial began its week with a matchup against rival Ankeny. After dropping the first two sets, the Jaguars roared back and took the next three to escape with a victory. They then defeated Southeast Polk two days later before heading into the Westside Volleyball Invite.

In Cedar Rapids, the Jaguars took down Super 10 member Grundy Center, two sets to one, with senior Kambria Leezer adding 15 assists to her season total. The Jaguars fell to Dowling Catholic in the semifinals, the second time Centennial has fallen short vs. the Maroons.

Ankeny Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart said prior to the match that the Jaguars need to improve their right-side block against Dowling Catholic. If they can build strength there, it’ll make for an interesting 5A race between the two.

4. Clear Creek Amana continues to take care of business

For all the talk and praise I just gave Dike-New Hartford, the same has to go for the 40-0 Clippers. Hosting its own invitational, Clear Creek Amana took down a feisty Mid-Prairie team right from the beginning, and followed with three wins over Union Community, Central DeWitt and North Scott, never dropping a set in any of those matchups.

The schedule hasn’t been incredibly difficult for the Clippers, but they continue to win. So, who’s to say they can't have an argument for the best team as well?

5. Indianola gets back on track in its own invite

After dropping two matches to Waukee Northwest and Johnston last weekend, Indianola looked like it may have started to slip. The Indians' invitational got them back on track, however, defeating the likes of Urbandale, Bondurant-Farrar and Glenwood to place first.

They have a tall task in 4A with Clear Creek Amana at the top, and ADM and Lewis Central in their same stratosphere, but this weekend will help one of our Super 10 members stay in that conversation.

6. What do we know about Western Christian for 2023?

I had been holding off talking too much about Western Christian, the defending 2A champ. Largely playing teams from Nebraska and South Dakota at times this season, they’re a tough team to get a read on.What isn’t hard to get a read on is 18 state championships.The Wolfpack are up at 3A this season and have largely had success against opponents from Iowa. Two weeks ago in the Urbandale Invite, the Wolfpack went 3-0 before falling to Indianola. Hosting its own invite last weekend, Western Christian took down five teams, including Super 10 member Des Moines Christian in three sets.They would go on to lose to the next team we’ll talk about, but I’ve seen enough now from Western Christian to list the team as one of 3A’s best in a tier with Mount Vernon at the top.

7. Hinton earns first big win of season, establishes itself as 2A’s second-best squad

I wrote last week how Hinton may be a contender in the 2A side of things, and by beating the reigning 2A champion in Western Christian’s own gym, I think Hinton solidified that fact in moving to 27-1.Sophomore Bailey Boeve, a midseason player of the year candidate, has been outstanding all year. Against Western Christian, she recorded 11 kills and 11 blocks.Dike-New Hartford certainly is not a team to be trifled with, but behind Boeve, Hinton has a fighter's chance.

8. Center Point-Urbana wins own invitational over host of solid teams

How about someone we haven’t talked about yet this season?

The Stormin Pointers won five matches at home this past weekend, including two over a good Cedar Falls team early in the tournament and later in the finals. It’s a balanced attack, with seven different players averaging more than a kill per set for Center-Point Urbana.

Their only losses have come against some of the state’s best in Dike-New Hartford, Clear Creek Amana, Mount Vernon and others in a 23-8 ledger. They are certainly battle-tested, which may bode well for them as the bright lights begin to turn on. Center Point-Urbana be one to watch when postseason play begins next week, starting against West Marshall in the Class 3A Region 6 Quarterfinal.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What we learned in Iowa high school volleyball ahead of postseason