Sommer Daniel Named 3A Player Of The Year

Tipton junior Sommer Daniel (center), was named the Class 3A Player Of The Year last week by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association last week.  Two Tigers were named to the Class 3A All-State list.  Photo by Ryan Stonebraker.

By Ryan Stonebraker
Sports Editor


  DES MOINES — Two Tipton volleyball players were selected All-State players Tuesday by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. Tipton junior Sommer Daniel was a first-team selection and was named the Class 3A Player Of The Year. Tipton senior Amanda Smith was named to the Class 3A second Team All-State list.

  “It feels good knowing that the 100's of hours, maybe even 1000's of hours in the gym has paid off. It's checking another box off my personal goal list. It also means the opportunity to represent a smaller community that doesn't always get as much recognition as the bigger cities. More than anything I'm grateful for the recognition and thankful for the support of so many people in my life,” said Daniel.

  Daniel, a University of Utah commit, led class 3A in kills this season with 476. She had a kill efficiency of .309 on 1,083 attack attempts. She served 407-for-440 with 54 aces. Daniel had 500 assists, 339 digs, and 32 blocks. Daniel also collected career kill 1,000 this year and is two-thirds of the way to a triple-1,000 after also having over 1,000 career assists. She is nearing 1,000 career digs.

  “Any recognition I've received is a result of an entire team effort. Sometimes my favorite parts of this game are the parts that no one gets to see, like the effort in practice, the bonds you form on and off the court, and even the times where we are more like sisters arguing then we are teammates. It's a process of building trust with a group of girls and coaches that is hard to compare to anything,” said Daniel.

  Daniel plays volleyball year round. This past summer, she competed in the USAV Junior National Championship Title game where her team took second place. She also competed at AAU Junior Olympics on the beach in California.

  “Sommer is an outstanding volleyball player. She sees the court extremely well. She knows what is open on the other side. As a setter, she sees what is open on the other side to give her teammates the best opportunity to get a kill. She calls out plays. She also makes changes on the court when needed,” said Tipton volleyball coach Amy Calonder.

  “As a hitter, she is versatile. She can go up like she is going to swing hard and then throw a tip or a roll shot which throws the opposing team off and gets the kill. She is always talking and always leading the team,” she said.

  Smith led Tipton in assists with 575 and collected career assist 2,000 this season. She had 341 digs, 31 blocks and had 183 kills. Smith led the Tigers in serving this season, going 470-for-505 with 67 aces.

  Smith said that it was a huge honor to be selected as an All-State player.

  “It is a huge honor! I have worked really hard to get to where I am, and I wouldn’t be there without my team and coaches pushing me,” she said.

  “I give a lot of credit to them. Being on that list is going to continue to push me to get better in the offseason before college,” said Smith.

  Smith is undecided on a college choice at this time but is planning on playing volleyball and possibly basketball at the next level, depending on the college she chooses.

  “Amanda is an outstanding leader on the court. She is a more quiet leader. She is quick and plays an unbelievable defense. She earned our Team Culture Award because she is always positive and looking for ways to improve what we are doing on the court. She also is a smart player. Amanda is that secret weapon. She has a great swing out of the right side and is a go-to player when we need a kill,” said Tipton volleyball coach Amy Calonder.

  The Tigers were 39-4 this season and the runner-up finish in Class 3A at the 2018 state tournament. The 39 match wins set a new school record and the 39 wins were second in all of Class 3A by a team this season and tied for eighth in any class this fall for most wins. The Tigers have reached the state tournament in each of the past two years and have a two-year record of 71-11. The Tigers have won the RVC South Division the past two seasons.

Iowa Girls Coaches Association
Class 3A All-State Team
Class 3A Player Of The Year: Sommer Daniel - Tipton
Class 3A Coach Of The Year: Keith Stickrod - Carroll Kuemper

1st Team
Aimee Adams (Carroll Kuemper Catholic) Sr.; Sommer Daniel (Tipton) Jr.; Rory Light (Mount Vernon) Sr.; Sydney Midlang (Osage) Sr.; Rylie Olson (Osage) Sr.; Kara Peter (Carroll Kuemper, Catholic) Jr.; Kate Shannon (Waterloo Columbus) Sr.

2nd Team
Macy Akers (West Liberty) Sr.; Jazlyn DeHaan (MOC-Floyd Valley) Soph.; MaKayla Geise (Roland-Story) Sr.; Danielle Johnson (Osage) Soph.; Madi Parson (Camanche) Sr.; Amanda Smith (Tipton) Sr.; Sophia Walker (Red Oak) Jr.

3rd Team
Payton Ahrenstroff (Spirit Lake) Sr.; Delaney McSweeney (CPU) Sr.; Morgan Middleton (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows) Soph.; Maci Overmohle (Carroll Kuemper Catholic) Sr.; Rachel Rinken (New Hampton) Jr.; Belle Weber (Union) Soph.; Kylie Welch (Davenport Assumption) Jr.

Honorable Mention
Karly Berkland (Williamsburg) Sr.; Lauren Frerichs (New Hampton) Sr.; Jori Hajek (Humboldt) Soph.; Morgan Hussman (CPU) Sr.; Chloe Johnson (Red Oak) Jr.; Emma Loveall (Spirit Lake) Jr.; Lea Nelson (Davenport Assumption) Sr.