State qualifiers lead volleyball selections

Six on first team played in state tournament.

The 2005 high school volleyball season was, without a doubt, the best ever for teams in southeast Iowa.

By the time the dust had settled and the last ace had been served, a total of four area teams earned a chance to play in the state tournament, an unprecedented number.

Holy Trinity, New London, Mediapolis and Mount Pleasant all made the trek to the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids for the state tournament.

Those four teams dominate this year's All–Hawk Eye volleyball team. Of the eight players selected to the first team, six of them play for a team which qualified for the state tournament.

Holy Trinity, a first–year team comprised of the former Marquette and Fort Madison Aquinas programs, entered the Class 1A state tournament ranked fifth. The Crusaders lived up to their billing and then some, taking two–time defending state champion Tripoli to a fifth game before falling by three points.

The Crusaders, who won the SEI Superconference Tournament and the SEI Superconference South Division before sweeping their way to state, landed a pair of players on the first team as well as Coach of the Year Melissa Freesmeier.

Freesmeier, in her 15th year as coach, took her sixth team to state. She coached Marquette to a state championship in 1996 and owns a 383–89 career record.

Joining Freesmeier on the first team are senior outside hitter Karla Steffensmeier and sophomore middle blocker Emily Fullenkamp.

Steffensmeier, an all–state player the last three years, was named to the all–tournament team this year. She led the Crusaders in kills, averaging 3.2 per game. She was second on the team in digs, averaging 2.1 per game, served 91.6 percent and finished with 48 ace serves. Her statistics took a dramatic upswing in the postseason. Her team looked for her more and more in the postseason and more often than not she delivered.

Fullenkamp also stepped up her game in the postseason. She finished second on the team in kills, averaging 2.9 per game. She was one of the top blockers in the area, averaging 0.8 per game. She also served up 50 aces.

The duo helped Holy Trinity to a 35–7 record.

New London, which also played Tripoli tough before losing to the Panthers in the quarterfinals, was led by senior outside hitter Jackie Lerdal. Lerdal earned first team all–conference honors and helped the Tigers reach the quarterfinals of the always–tough SEI Superconference Tournament. Lerdal led her team in kills (3.3 kpg) and digs (2.2 dpg), was second in aces (68) and third in blocks (36).

New London finished the season with a 33–10 record and made their first appearance in the state tournament since 2000.

Mount Pleasant was led by a pair of all–staters in senior setter Sara Graf and senior middle hitter Lindsey Boldt.

Graf earned Player of the Year honors for her stellar performance as one of the most versatile setters around.

Graf, who will play for NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State next year, was among the state leaders in assists, averaging 8.4 per game. She also averaged 1.3 kills, 0.8 blocks and 2.2 digs while leading the Panthers in aces (67) and serving percentage (93.2).

Boldt, who signed to run track at the University of Missouri, proved to be a dominant hitter for the Panthers. Boldt helped the Panthers win the Southeast Conference with an 8–0 record. Boldt led the team in kills, an averaging 3.8 kills per game. She also averaged 0.7 blocks and 2.6 digs while serving 86.3 percent with 42 aces.

The Panthers survived a scare from Southeast Conference rival Fairfield, then rallied to defeat Vinton–Shellsburg in a regional final after dropping the first two games. They advanced to state for the third straight year, losing to Sioux City Heelan in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Mount Pleasant finished with a 31–8 record.

Mediapolis qualified for state for the second time in four years and the third time in history. The Bullettes finished third in the rugged North Division of the SEI Superconference behind Iowa Mennonite School and Wapello. They ousted Wapello in a regional semifinal before knocking out Mid–Prairie in the regional final.

Bethany Weber, a senior middle hitter, was one of the Bullettes' standout players. She averaged 3 kills and 1.1 blocks while serving 92.2 percent with 62 aces.

Mediapolis, which lost to eventual state champion Aplington–Parkersburg in the quarterfinals, had with a 35–10 record.

Burlington senior middle hitter Heather Heuvelmann, who will play for Southeastern Community College next year, earned first team All–Mississippi Athletic Conference honors in helping the Grayhounds to an 11–16 record. In 76 games, Heuvelmann led the Grayhounds in kills (2.9 kpg) and digs (3/3 dpg) and had 26 aces.

Central Lee senior Megan Weirather earned academic all–state honors and proved to be one of the best defensive players in the area. She led the area in digs, averaging 4.9 per game. She also averaged 2.4 kills while serving 96.1 percent with 37 aces. She helped the Lady Hawks to a 23–12 record and their ninth SEI Superconference West Division title in 10 years.