Dike-New Hartford Volleyball Team Ready To Test National Ranking

There’s a familiar saying in sports: “To Be The Best, You Have To Play The Best.”

The Dike-New Hartford volleyball team is taking on that challenge this weekend, when the three-time defending state champions test their skill against two other nationally-ranked programs.

On Saturday (September 6, 2014), the Wolverines travel to Lenexa, Kansas, to play matches against Mother McAuley of Chicago and event host St. James Academy. Win or lose, it’s a unique opportunity for Dike-New Hartford.

The Wolverines are ranked fourth in the most-recent Prepvolleyball.com Top-100 rankings. Mother McAuley is rated third and St. James Academy is 11th in the same poll.

“It should be a great environment to play volleyball,” Dike-New Hartford Coach Diane Harms said. “It should be a great experience for our team.”

The Wolverines have four seniors on their roster who have played together since fourth-grade. Brooke Morgan, Briana Weber, Rachel Koop and Lizzy Blough have each had a role in the team’s success since they were freshmen. Dike-New Hartford’s combined record the past three seasons is 139-3; 90-1 the past two seasons.

Dike-New Hartford opened its 2014 campaign with a milestone victory Thursday night (September 4th). The Wolverines beat West Marshall of State Center 3-0. It was their 100th-straight win against teams from Iowa, dating back to October 8th, 2011.

After going undefeated in 2012, Dike-New Hartford suffered one loss last year. The team’s only setback during a 45-1 season came at home against St. James Academy, which finished 2013 ranked No. 1 in the Prepvolleyball.com national poll. Entering this weekend, the Thunder have won 56-straight matches and six consecutive Kansas state championships.

Mother McAuley also had strong season last year, finishing 40-2. The Mighty Macs return six starters from a team that won Illinois’ Class-4A state championship for the first time since 2004.

Dike-New Hartford is scheduled to play Mother McAuley at noon, before battling St. James at 1 p.m. The Wolverines plan to depart for Kansas at 5 a.m. on Saturday, and return home shortly after their second match is complete.

Harms knows it's a privilege that Dike-New Hartford is considered one of the top prep programs in the country.

“Volleyball in the state of Iowa is very, very competitive,” she said. “There are such strong teams spread throughout Iowa. For us, it’s an honor to be mentioned with some of these teams and be given this opportunity.”