Linn-Mar Volleyball

No. 9 Lions trim Cougars in marathon

Ellie Anderson loves volleyball so much that she plays the sport 12 months of the year.

She plays sand volleyball, club volleyball, USA volleyball and high school volleyball for the Linn-Mar Lions.

"It's so fun," she said Tuesday night. "It gets me going. I love it.

"I love setting up my teammates," she said. "When they get a kill I go crazy."

Anderson led a balanced attack Tuesday as the ninth-ranked Lions trimmed Kennedy in a five-set marathon, 19-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10 in a Mississippi Valley Conference match at Linn-Mar.

Anderson, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, was all over the court with her jump serves, digs, assists and kills at the net.

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Marion ranked 4th in volleyball poll

The Marion Indians have been ranked fourth in the Class 4A preseason volleyball poll, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union announced Monday.

Marion finished with a 25-16 record last season.

The Xavier Saints are ranked No. 10 in Class 4A. The Linn-Mar Lions are ranked No. 9 in Class 5A.

Harlan grabbed the No. 1 spot in the 4A rankings. Ankeny Centennial was voted No. 1 in Class 5A.

The other top-ranked clubs are Holy Trinity in Class 1A, Dike-New Hartford in Class 2A and Solon in Class 3A.

CLASS 4A

1. Harlan, 2. West Delaware, 3. Indianola, 4. Marion, 5. Sioux City Heelan, 6. Clear Creek-Amana, 7. LeMars, 8. Lewis Central, 9. Charles

City, 10. Xavier, 11. Waverly-Shell Rock, 12. Boone, 13. Pella, 14. Webster City, 15. Mount Pleasant.

CLASS 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial, 2. Ankeny, 3. Dowling Catholic, 4. Bettendorf, 5. Iowa City West, 6. Pleasant Valley, 7. Waukee, 8. Council Bluffs Lincoln,

9. Linn-Mar, 10. Johnston.

Ellie Anderson wins Metro Spotlight Award

Linn-Mar sophomore Ellie Anderson is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Anderson was selected to compete at the prestigious USA Volleyball High Performance Championships in Tulsa, Okla., July 22-26. Only 33 girls from the entire country were selected for the event.

Anderson participated at the USA Level, which is the highest level for high school players in USA Volleyball. This was the third straight year she was invited to compete.

Anderson was the starting setter for the Linn-Mar volleyball team last season as a freshman. She collected 379 assists, 143 digs and 41 kills. She also connected on 96 percent of her serves (285 or 297) and had 14 aces.

The Lions finished with a 23-15 record last year.

Anderson also competes for the Six Pack Volleyball Club of Cedar Falls.

J-Hawks clip Lions in regional opener

Fueled by three dozen spirited Jefferson male athletes who gave the Linn-Mar gym a homecourt feel, the J-Hawk volleyball girls steamrolled past the Lions, 3-1, Monday night in the first round of the Class 5A regional tournament.

They claimed the first two games 25-21, 25-19, lost a third-set squeaker, 25-23, and finished with a 26-24 nail-biter.

The resurgent Jefferson team (18-21) will go to Iowa City West (26-9) Thursday night for a semifinal contest against a squad that won two earlier matches this season.

“We stayed with them both times,” first-year J-Hawk Coach Mary Kay Van Oort noted. “It won't be an easy rematch, but our girls are playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

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