Merfeld named to NCC list

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake’s Julia Merfeld has been named to the North Central Conference’s Third Team in recognition of her play during the 2018 volleyball season.

Merfeld, a junior, was the key player setting up the Lion offense and finished as the leader in assists.  She was also among the team leaders in serving.  She put the ball in play with 94 percent accuracy and served up 22 aces.  She was successful on 284 of 302 serve attempts.

The Lion volleyball team ended the season with a 5-27 overall record and a 2-7 conference record.

“The record does not reflect how much these girls improved throughout the season,” said Coach Richie Ellis.  “We face some pretty tough competition day in and day out. Of our 27 losses, 12 of them were against teams that were rated.”

The North Central Conference voting also reflected that excellence.  State qualifier Clarion-Goldfield-Dows had two members named to the First Team and Iowa Falls-Alden placed three players on the First Team roster.

“I can’t say enough of how proud I am of these girls for keeping a positive attitude throughout the season not matter what was happening on the court,” added Coach Ellis.  “Our seniors, Macy Mixdorf, Miranda Harrison, Kaylee Nosbisch, Mikayla VanderPloeg and Jenna Nelson will be very much missed next year. They were the backbone of our team this year and will be very hard to replace. I want to thank them for sticking it out and believing in what we are doing. I wish them all the best in their bright futures.”

Mixdorf and Nelson both received Academic All-State honors this year.

“The future looks bright for the upcoming season. I feel that we have pieces of the puzzle coming up that can fit right in our system and be able to keep the volleyball program heading in the right direction,” said Coach Ellis.