WELLMAN
When West Liberty scored four of the first five points in a River Valley South volleyball showdown Sept. 11 at Mid-Prairie, a nervous silence fell over the large crowd inside Mid-Prairie’s gym.
Well, sort of.
The party was just getting started.
The Golden Hawks, unbeaten at the time, rallied for a 10-point win in that opening set. Then, they won the next two sets for a rather historic sweep. The last time Mid-Prairie swept West Liberty was nearly 16 years ago, when these Golden Hawks were either in the baby crib or not yet born.
Just one year ago, Mid-Prairie won the opening set at West Liberty, then dropped the next three for what was the Golden Hawks’ only River Valley South loss in a season that finished with a school-record 33 wins, regional championship and 3A state appearance.
Those times have changed.
The Golden Hawks are ranked fourth in Iowa 3A.
They’re defending River Valley South champs.
They’re the target now.
“We’re definitely the ones being hunted,” head coach Sherry Evans said. “And you know what? We love it. We like that challenge, of being that guy that everybody wants to take out. But we are still hungry and on the hunt for everyone else.”
It wasn’t that long ago when the Golden Hawks struggled to win a single point against West Liberty’s powerful teams, never mind a set. Or a match. Beginning a 12-year stretch in 2009, the Golden Hawks were swept 25 straight times by the Comets. That was 63 straight sets of pain. Ouch.
Back in 2009, Jeorgia Evans, now a Mid-Prairie sophomore who is one of the fastest rising stars in Iowa 3A, wasn’t even born yet to a mom who is an obstetrics nurse in the birthing area at the University of Iowa. Three years ago, Jeorgia was a middle schooler sitting in the stands as the Comets topped the Golden Hawks twice with older sister Jovi Evans playing as a freshman.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Golden Hawks are now the ones being chased.
Thursday’s match against West Liberty was their first at home since winning a 3A regional championship last November at home. The place was packed.
“It means a lot. It just shows what Mid-Prairie volleyball really is,” Jeorgia Evans said. “The crowd is amazing. The student section is amazing.”
On a night that the team celebrated Jovi Evans’ 1,000th career kill and Avery Helmuth’s 1,000th career assist in less than three seasons, the Golden Hawks rallied from that 1-4 start to a 25-15, 25-17, 25-15 victory over their rivals. It was the 11th win in a row to start a season that for the first time in five years does not include libero Dakota Mitchell, who is now a freshman at NCAA DI North Texas State and already one of the top freshmen in the American Athletic Conference.
Funny thing about that.
Less than two weeks ago, the Golden Hawks vs. West Liberty Comets rivalry popped up in Coral Gables, Florida, when Mitchell and the Mean Green took on Drake University and West Liberty alum Macy Daufeldt in the 305 Challenge tournament.
Mitchell was a 15-year-old Mid-Prairie freshman back in 2021 when Daufeldt, then a senior at West Liberty, smashed the Golden Hawks with a 24-kill night that ended Mid-Prairie’s season in an Iowa 3A regional semifinal. Mitchell went on for three All-State seasons with the Golden Hawks and an NCAA DI scholarship with North Texas State.
So, here they were in Florida, with Mitchell, who has the most digs of any freshman in the American Athletic Conference, and Daufeldt, a returning Co-Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“Yes, I did play Macy!” Mitchell said. “It was fun playing all those Iowa girls that I have played against over the years.”
Daufeldt, an outside hitter, had three aces in Drake’s 3-set sweep. But Mitchell had 8 defensive digs, second highest on her team.
It may be the only Iowa connection this season for Mitchell, who already is emerging as a defensive leader for the Mean Green, which won four of its first six matches. The Mean Green’s next eight matches are all in Texas, but they will be in Wichita, Kansas, on October 26 to play Wichita State.
Back home in Iowa, expectations are growing for the Golden Hawks even after a weekend that saw them lose matches to three teams ranked in Iowa 5A (No. 4 Ankeny, No. 5 Iowa City West, No. 12 Bettendorf) and the top-ranked team in 4A (Clear Creek Amana). They defeated Cedar Rapids Prairie, 5A No. 14.
Five days later, Sept. 18, the Golden Hawks swept 3A No. 10 Wilton.
“I think this is probably one of the better teams that Mid-Prairie has ever had,” Jovi Evans said. “I think we’re still starting to put things together and putting the pieces together. But we don’t want to be at our best right now. We want to be at our best later down the road.”
That means, tournament time.
“We’re ravenous. We’re confident,” Sherry Evans said. “I think what helps, too, is everybody gets along. I thought we got along really well last year, but this year this group of girls, they hang out with each other on weekends. They do everything together. I don’t think we’ve ever had a volleyball team do that.
“This group is so tight. They want to be together. They want to hang out. That really shows on the court.”
It certainly showed in a rare sweep against their rivals from West Liberty.
Party like it’s 2009.
News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at . Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul
Mid-Prairie, West Liberty, volleyball, Jovi Evans, Dakota Mitchell, Sherry Evans