Meet the 2022 All-Hawk Eye volleyball team
Wow.
That sums up the 2022 high school volleyball season in one word.
In one of the most competitive seasons in years, conference races went down to the wire and the regional tournament was full of tension-filled, dramatic matches.
By the time all was said and done, Holy Trinity ended Notre Dame's two-year reign as Class 1A state champions, advancing to the state tournament themselves for the second straight year.
Winfield-Mount Union, WACO and New London put together solid seasons, while Mediapolis and Danville showed marked improvement.
West Burlington rose to the top in the SEI Superconference South Division, knocking off Notre Dame and Holy Trinity before advancing to a Class 2A regional final.
More:Meet Notre Dame senior Gabby Deery, The Hawk Eye's Volleyball Player of the Year
That balance and depth of talent is reflected in the 2022 All-Hawk Eye team, which has representatives from five different teams which had stellar seasons.
Wow.
Here is the 2022 All-Hawk Eye volleyball team.
Sophia Armstrong, sr., West Burlington
Armstrong was one of the best players to ever don a Falcons jersey. She set school records for single-season kills (429), single-match kills (33), single-season kill efficiency (.463), single-match kill efficiency (.591) and career blocks (309). She helped the Falcons to a 36-7 record this year and a spot in a Class 2A regional final. She was named co-Player of the Year in the SEI Superconference South Division.
Abbey Bence, sr., West Burlington
Bence bounce back from shoulder surgery which caused her to miss the track and softball seasons last year. She had a brilliant season, averaging 9.7 assists and 1.9 digs per set. She also served 97.7 percent with 25 aces. She helped the Falcons lead the state in serve efficiency at 96.4 percent.
Mary Kate Bendlage, jr., Holy Trinity
Bendlage was proficient all the way around for the Crusaders, who returned to state for the second straight year. Bendlage averaged 3.2 kills, 0.4 blocks and 3.3 digs per set and had a kill efficiency rate of .204. She served 93.6 percent with 49 aces for the 29-16 Crusaders.
Natalie Burden, sr., New London
Burden had a sensational senior season for the Tigers, helping them to a 28-10 record and a berth in a Class 1A regional final, where they lost to top-ranked Springville in five tough sets. Burden averaged 4.3 kills and 3.1 digs per set and had a .239 kill efficiency and served 92.1 percent with 37 aces.
Annalise Buxton, so., Burlington
Buxton came on like gangbusters this season, teaming with senior Ayla Cannon to form a dynamic duo at the net for the 19-19 Grayhounds. Buxton averaged 3.9 kills and 3.0 digs, had a .149 kill efficiency and served 91.1 percent with 57 aces. She was named MVP of the Southeast Conference.
Gabby Deery, sr., Notre Dame
Deery, the two-time Class 1A player of the year and co-Player of the year in the South Division, averaged 4.5 kills, 0.5 blocks and 2.4 digs and had a .304 hitting efficiency. She served 92.6 percent with 48 aces. She helped the two-time Class 1A state champion Nikes to a 31-14 record and a berth in a regional final.
Abby Korschgen, sr., Notre Dame
Korschgen teamed with Deery to give the Nikes a formidable front line and stellar block. Korschgen averaged 1.8 kills and 0.7 blocks per set and had a kill efficiency of .324.
McKenna Marlow, sr., West Burlington
Marlow was a solid player all the way around, often hitting from the back row. She averaged 2.6 kills and 5.3 digs and served 94.1 percent with 40 aces.
Presley Myers, fr., Holy Trinity
Myers made steady improvement in her first year at the varsity level, becoming a force at the net in the Crusaders' run to the state tournament. Myers averaged 2.7 kills and 0.7 blocks with a .362 kill efficieny. She also served 94.4 percent with six aces in limited action at the service line.
Emma Nye, sr., New London
Nye was one of the top defensive players in the state the last two years. She finished her senior season as libero by averaging 6.4 digs per set and served 95.3 percent with 65 aces.
Keetyn Townsley, sr., Winfield-Mount Union
Townsley, the Wolves' libero, averaged 4.5 digs per set for the 24-10 Wolves, who won the SEI Superconference North Division and advanced to a Class 1A regional semifinal. Townsley served 92.1 percent with a whopping 74 aces.
Coach of the Year
Jackie Housman, New London
Housman made the most of a difficult situation in her first season as head coach at her alma mater. The third coach in as many seasons, Housman took an undersized team and turned them into one of the best defensive teams in the state. The Tigers finished with 2,089 digs as a team and advanced to a Class 1A regional final, losing to top-ranked Springville after winning the first two sets.
HONORABLE MENTION
Burlington -- Ayla Cannon, Avery Levins. Columbus -- Victoria Howell, Isabelle Lagunas, Sara Vela. Danville -- Carlea Beckman, Kenna Furnald, Jaeda Molle, Rylee Morris. Fort Madison -- Taylor Johnson, Molly Knipe. Holy Trinity -- Anna Bendlage, Kayla Box, Brooke Mueller, Teagan Snaadt. Mediapolis -- Haley Steffener, Hanna Wagenbach. New London -- Tysann Gipple, Camryn Lair, Sophie Malott, Elly Manning. Notre Dame -- Maddy Mosena, Ava Parkins. Wapello -- Emily Hemphill, Quinn Veach. West Burlington -- Isabelle Ritter, Lauren Summers. Winfield-Mount Union -- Bradie Buffington, Keely Malone, Melina Oepping.
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Meet the 2022 All-Hawk Eye volleyball team
