The hard court in Keota is one of the first showcases of the season for area volleyball teams in 2021. The Eagles are hosting their annual season opening tournament tonight. On the floor will be area schools Mid-Prairie, Highland, Lone Tree, and the homestanding Eagles along with English Valleys and Tri-County.
Keota comes into their home tournament off of a season that saw them finish with a 3-15 overall record. They were 1-8 in the South Iowa Cedar League. The Eagles lost five seniors from last year’s team including Katelyn Swantz, Callie McNurlen, Lindsey Imhoff, Bailey Sieren and Lexi Purkeypile. Imhoff was the Eagles leader defensively last year with 110 digs. Keota does return several statistical leaders from 2020 including Taylor Kindred posting a team best 80 kills as a junior and Makenzie Jackson’s 84 assists as a junior.
Mid-Prairie enters the tournament off of a 2020 that saw them finish with 9-16 record a season ago, 3-6 in the River Valley Conference. Their nine wins were most in a single season since 2016 with their three conference victories their highest total since 2014. They saw their first live action Wednesday in a scrimmage at Wilton. The Golden Hawks will have to replace seven seniors from last year’s team. Tori Boyse, Amber Swart, Paige Peiffer, Myah Lugar, Phelan Hostetler, Karson Jehle and Maddie Edgington. Boyse led the Hawks with 73 kills last season, Swart, Peiffer and Lugar were top three in digs, combining for 439 while Hostetler led Mid-Prairie with 60 blocks. Mid-Prairie does return Landry Pacha who finished as the team leader with 265 assists as a sophomore and had 80 digs, the highest total returning. Ella Groenewold is back after finishing second on the team as a sophomore with 62 kills and 40 blocks.
Highland was 7-17 a year ago, 2-5 in the Southeast Iowa Superconference. The Huskies graduated a pair of seniors Kayla Cerny and Jenna Sands. Cerny was the team leader with 90 kills. Returning for Highland is their assists leader, Dani Laughlin who had 180 as a sophomore, their digs leader with 216 Mackinze Hora as a junior, and their blocks leader Carson Mellinger with 49 as a junior. Sarah Burton is the leader returning in kills, posting 73 last year as a freshman.
Lone Tree was 5-18 last year, 2-6 in the Southeast Iowa Superconference. The Lady Lions lost Elizabeth Fuller, Josie Mullinnix and Skylar Smith to graduation. Lone Tree does return all of their statistical leaders from a year ago with Kylie Patterson having 81 kills as a junior, Kayla Dautremont 104 assists as a junior, Alyssa Knock 185 digs as a junior and Ellen Carow 17 blocks a junior.
Joining those four area schools at the tournament tonight will be English Valleys and Tri-County. The Bears finished last year with a 5-18 mark while the Trojans were 1-20 for the season. Mid-Prairie won this tournament a season ago. Action starts tonight at 4:30p.m. and continues into the evening in both gyms at Keota High School.