Marion High School senior Maggie Murphy has accepted an offer from Charleston Southern University to play volleyball.
Charleston Southern is an NCAA Division I university and a member of the Big South Conference. Murphy helped lead Marion to the 3A state title in 2008 and 3A state semifinals in 2009. 
She holds the single season digs record and is second all-time in digs in Marion volleyball history.  She plans to study biology and chemistry.

CHICAGO — Hannah Willms of Dike-New Hartford is the Gatorate Iowa Volleyball Player of the Year.
Willms, a 6-foot senior bound for Iowa State, collected 544 kills and 277 digs this season as Dike-New Hartford finished 41-4 and reached the state tournament.

According to prepvolleyball.com, six of the top 100 volleyball teams in the nation reside in Iowa.
Ankeny, the Class 4A state champion is ranked 25th while 4A runner-up Iowa City West is No. 32.
Class 2A champion Mount Vernon is 38th, 3A titlist Waverly-Shell Rock is 60th, 3A runner-up Sioux City Heelan is 71st and 4A semifinalist Cedar Rapids Kennedy is 79th.

Dubuque Wahlert volleyball coach Julie Kieffer has resigned.
Kieffer led the Dubuque Hempstead to the 2003 Class 4A state championship, then piloted Wahlert to titles in 2004 and 2005.
Here’s a link to a story by The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.

“Why me,” Shirley Ryan sometimes asks.
“I don’t know why or how I’ve been so fortunate to have all these kids together at one time,” said Ryan, the volleyball coach at Mount Vernon High School.
The Mustangs rolled to a 43-1 record and a Class 2A state championship. Four players have committed or signed to play at the Division-I level.
Three of them were named to the 2A first-team all-state team, released by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
Included is Ali Stark, one of nine players named to the Elite team.
Joining her are Jessica …

Source: Iowa Girls Coaches Association
ELITE
OH Haley Eckerman jr. Waterloo East
OH Hannah Willms sr. Dike-New Hartford
OH Jessica Gehrke sr. Iowa City West
L Kristen Hahn sr. Cedar Rapids Kennedy
OH Ali Stark jr. Mount Vernon
OH Carli Tritz sr. Sioux City Heelan
OH Amber Aschoff sr. Ankeny
S Kinsey Caldwell soph. Waverly-Shell Rock
OH Heidi Splinter sr. Dubuque Hempstead
Player of the year — Haley Eckerman, Waterloo East
CLASS 4A
First Team
OH Jessica Gehrke, sr., Iowa City West; MB Haley Eckerman, jr., Waterloo East; OH Amber Aschoff, sr., Ankeny; OH Heidi Splinter, sr., Dubuque Hempstead; L Kristen Hahn, sr., Cedar …

CEDAR RAPIDS — No Hollywood script, no magical ending for Schaller-Crestland.
Instead, it was more of the same. Small-school volleyball remains Tripoli’s domain.
The top-ranked Panthers cruised through the first two sets, held off No. 3 Schaller-Crestland at the end and repeated as Class 1A champions, 25-11, 25-13, 28-26, Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“We were clicking tonight,” said Tripoli’s Kalie Kirchhoff. “As long as we maintain our ball-control, we’re a very good team. When we’re on, we’re on.”
The Panthers (37-4) were on all week, sweeping all three of their matches.
As a …

CEDAR RAPIDS — There were some tense, riveting championship matches at the state volleyball tournament Saturday.
This wasn’t one of them.
Blame the Mount Vernon Mustangs. Or, more accurately, credit them.
Top-ranked Mount Vernon completely annihilated No. 7 Sheldon, 25-8, 25-14, 25-9, for the Class 2A title at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said all-tournament captain Ali Stark. “It’s so nice to come back here and have things go our way.”
The Mustangs were 3A runners-up in 2007 and 2008. They were tight and tense in a five-set loss …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Waverly-Shell Rock crashed the coronation.
Playing its first five-set match of the season, the youthful Go-Hawks handled it like pros and shocked No. 1 Sioux City Heelan, 25-19, 15-25, 31-29, 20-25, 17-15, for the Class 3A state volleyball championship Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center.
“We came in as the underdog, but we fought hard and it paid off for us,” said Morgan Kuhrt, the all-tournament captain.
And now the Go-Hawks look capable of a lengthy title reign. Kuhrt is a sophomore; so is setter Kinsey Caldwell. Rachel Peth …