This week the Heart of Iowa Conference recognized several area athletes for outstanding seasons on the volleyball court. Colfax-Mingo, Prairie City-Monroe and Collins-Maxwell/Baxter all had players receive honors.
CMB’s Abbie Haupert and PCM’s Abbi Gilson both made the HOI second-team list. Haupert was the emotional catalyst for the most successful Raider volleyball team in the past five seasons. She swatted 195 kills for the Raiders, placing her 10th overall in the conference. Haupert also landed 153 serves for 23 aces. Her 55 blocks placed her ninth in the HOI.
Gilson wrapped up her career as a Mustang with a strong season on the court. She placed 12th in blocks with 43. Gilson also had 30 set assists, 151 kills, and her 36 aces were good for a top-20 performance in the conference. She landed 196 of 207 serve attempts for a 90 percent accuracy rating.
Jade Lewis and Anna Baldwin landed on the honorable mention list for the Tigerhawks. Both seniors, Baldwin and Lewis served the team in different capacities. Lewis led the Tigerhawks with 150 kills, while Baldwin was tops in assists with 172.
The girls went 1-2 on the team in aces. Lewis put away 42 aces, and Baldwin was second with 39. Lewis led the team with 18 blocks.
For the Raiders, Abbey Applegate and McKenzie Schmitz both landed on the honorable mention team. Applegate finished third among Raider players with 57 kills. She was most effective from the service line, landing almost 92 percent of her 276 serve attempts and leading the squad with 53 aces.
Schmitz’ role was best described as the point guard of the team, setting up her teammates with set assists. She had 356 assists on the year, placing fourth overall in what has been regarded as a very competitive conference for volleyball.
PCM senior Lexi Kain and junior Courtney Van Houweling each earned a sport on the Honorable Mention team. Kain was right behind the team-leader Gilson with 135 kills. She also landed 90 percent of her serve attempts for 11 aces. Kain’s 159 digs placed her second among Mustangs. She was third on the team with 14 blocks.
Van Houweling will likely shoulder more of a load of the hitting next season following a strong junior year and the departures of Kain and Gilson. Van Houweling was third on the team with 101 kills. She landed 91 percent of her service attempts, scoring 16 ace serves. Van Houweling also had 113 digs and nine blocks.
