Surrounded by six seniors and a junior, Davenport Assumption sophomore Emma Schubert admitted it was difficult fitting in with her teammates at the beginning of the volleyball season.
"I didn't used to talk around the other girls," she admitted, "but they've become so welcoming and have so much confidence in me. It helps me feel like I belong.
"Now I'm making jokes around them."
Schubert has developed into a key attacker for the Class 3A eighth-ranked Knights. She had 13 kills, five digs and four blocks for Assumption in its four-set win over Bettendorf last week.
The 5-foot-10 Schubert was raised in a volleyball family. Her parents, Amy and Brian, coached at North Scott. They guided the Lancers to a pair of Mississippi Athletic Conference titles and the state tournament in 2013.
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Assumption coach Bre Scherler has tried to instill belief in her outside hitter. Schubert is third on the team with 99 kills (2.2 per set) and averages almost 1.9 digs per set.
"We've had some private conversations about coming out with confidence and feeling like you belong and can contribute to this team," Scherler said.
Like most young players, there have been peaks and valleys. In a four-set victory over Central, Schubert committed only two hitting errors in 25 swings.
Conversely, she had 10 miscues in a five-set win over Clinton.
"She's starting to get to that plateau of consistency," Scherler said. "She's trending up -- more kills and the hitting efficiency is getting better.
"Being the lone sophomore on a team filled with seniors and a junior can be hard, but the team has done a really good job of supporting her."
Ring of Honor, Part 3: Davenport North and Central have each inducted members into the the Davenport Community School District's athletic Ring of Honor this fall. West will honor three individuals Friday night during its football game against Davenport Central.
Multi-sport coach Virginia Lohmiller, longtime baseball coach Tom Souhrada and swim coach Don Jepsen will be recognized.
Lohmiller, who passed away in 2004, was the first woman inducted into the Quad-City Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Souhrada directed the Falcons for more than 20 seasons and won a state title in 1987. Jepsen has the West pool named after him and was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association's Hall of Fame in 2001.
Down to the wire: The first postseason tournament of the fall season is next week as 53 boys golf teams in Iowa Class 4A will compete for a trip to the state tournament.
The Mississippi Athletic Conference schools are split into two different districts. On Monday at Marion's Hunters Ridge Golf Course, conference champion Pleasant Valley, Burlington, Davenport Assumption and Muscatine are among 14 schools in the district.
PV has the third best scoring average in the district behind Cedar Rapids Washington and Marshalltown.
On Oct. 2, the other six league members will tee it up in a district at The Meadows Golf Club in Dubuque. Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids Xavier are among the favorites.
The top three teams and top two individuals (plus ties) from non-qualifying teams in each district advance to the state meet Oct. 5-6 at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville.
Swim success: The Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley girls swim teams each won weekend invitationals Saturday.
Bettendorf won 11 of the 12 events to capture the Burlington Grayhound Invitational. PV used its depth to accumulate 531 points to win the eight-team Cedar Rapids Kennedy Cougar Invitational.
The Bulldogs are fourth in the most recent state power rankings and the Spartans eighth. They meet in a dual meet Tuesday, Oct. 2 at Bettendorf High School.