Putting in the time and effort in the offseason to continue to enhance their skills, Hillcrest volleyball aims to show the fruition of all their hard work in the upcoming fall sports season. 

 Last year Hillcrest was a young team that had a roster consisting of six freshmen, six sophomores, two juniors, and no seniors. They ended that year with a 1-9 Southeast Iowa Super Conference record and a 4-24 record overall.  

After the regular season ended the Ravens were matched up against the New London Tigers in the first round of the postseason. New London, the home team, defeated Hillcrest three sets to one to bring an end to the Raven’s 2022 season. 

Retaining a large majority of their roster Hillcrest will be headlined this year by five juniors and five sophomores. 

Gearing up for the 2023 season the Ravens took part in multiple summer training camps. Hillcrest, in July, hosted their annual volleyball camp. 

With fourth graders to 12th graders being welcomed at this camp, 85 players in total were in attendance. Hillcrest volleyball head coach Brandon Statler supervised this camp aimed for developing teamwork, skills, and a broader understanding of the game. 

Another offseason training program the Ravens attended was a Central College team camp in Pella. This camp took place in early August. Playing in a series of matches Hillcrest ended the camp with a 4-4 record. 

Looking to make even more of an impact for Hillcrest after a stellar sophomore year is Malia Yoder, who was named second team all-conference in 2022.

A multi-sport athlete coming off a summer softball season where she threw over 100 strikeouts, Yoder is entering her junior year looking to once again be a dynamic force on both offense and defense. Last year she led the team in kills (152) and digs (254).  

The tallest person on the team last year at 5 ‘11”, Kylee Statler is another Raven who looks to take further strides to improve her game after an impressive sophomore season where she earned an honorable mention all-conference. 

Statler had the second most kills on the team last season (104), recorded the most service aces (45), and came up with 94 digs. 

Another Raven who earned an honorable mention all-conference last year was Claire Withrow. 

Withrow, a freshman at the time, led last season’s team in assists with 268, which was also the fifth best in the conference. She rounded out her freshman year with 93 kills, 111 digs, and 26 service aces. 

Niva Helmuth was another freshman on last year’s team who shined for Hillcrest. She ended last season with 94 kills, 115 digs, and 22 service aces. 

After an offseason filled with hard work and with more experience at their disposal, look for Hillcrest volleyball to make even greater strides this year compared to last year.

Hillcrest began their 2023 volleyball season by traveling to Keota for a varsity tournament on August 21.