VB: Wolverine duo on all-conference

Nodaway Valley volleyball has more to celebrate after a successful season with two players being named to the Pride of Iowa Conference’s all-conference teams.

Both Wolverines mentioned on the list are former Orient-Macksburg players — senior hitter Emma Boswell on second team and junior setter Mattie Thompson on honorable mention — as their team enjoyed a unique mix of players on their roster this season.

Boswell is one of four hitters on second team, alongside Abigail White of Martensdale-St. Marys, Mackenzie Fast of Southwest Valley and Lola Shriver of Southeast Warren.

A former middle hitter, where a player can sometimes make more blocks, Boswell moved to the outside with her new team, adopting a persona within an overall balanced attack, where she was the team’s true finisher at the net, leading the team with 166 kills.

Wolverine head coach Allie Kiburz said the cumulative result of Boswell’s senior season shows her all-around ability to be dominant in whatever sport she’s competing in because of her athleticism and maturity. Her teammates recognized that, naming her as one of their team captains in her first year as a Wolverine.

“She worked very hard every day, is very coachable and there’s never a time that she’s going to question you. She’s super positive with her teammates and she has volleyball skills as well as volleyball smarts,” Kiburz said. “You want a girl who is going to lead by example and stay to work after practice, and she definitely has a lot of those characteristics.”

Thompson became the squad’s primary setter this season after her teammate, Adelaide Livingston, was injured in pregame warmups the first night the Wolverines played. As Livingston worked back in, the Wolverines were able to utilize both setters to their advantage. Through it all, Kiburz said Thompson “didn’t miss a beat.”

Thompson finishes the season with 355 assists, showcasing her ability to get to passes and make passes that were in pinpoint position for her hitters, and was second-best on the team in serve efficiency (91%) behind senior Mallory Russell.

“When Adelaide went out, Mattie was very willing to do whatever we needed to do that was best for the team. We had to move some strategy around right before that game and she was able to step into that role as a 5-1. I really saw Mattie grow skills-wise this year from the aspect of raising her game from ‘I’m a setter!’ to competing to be one of the best setters in the conference.”

While the Wolverines bid farewell to a senior class of 10 whom they will miss, they will also return top-3 statistical leaders in nearly every area come next season.

“This senior class is going to be missed. There are a lot of good skill players and vocal leaders who bring up the culture who will be leaving. We have some girls who are younger, and some who have been in the program for awhile, who are able to step into that role,” Kiburz said. “We have a lot of girls who have a really good mindset right now of keeping this positive and make this into a good experience, encouraging each other to make this the best it can be, and I think that’s going to be important [moving forward].”