The Top of Iowa West Volleyball Player of the Year, Ellie Hanna of Lake Mills, has made her college decision. Hanna signed her national letter of intent in front of friends and family at Lake Mills high school earlier this week.
“We recruited Ellie because we think she will be able to come in as a freshman and make an immediate impact on the game – but more than just her ability, is her outstanding character and strong academics,” said Chris Brandt, who is heading into her 14th year at the helm of the Trojans’ program.
Ellie isn’t shy about coming into a program and instantly improving the team. As a freshman with the Bulldogs, she only saw playing time in four matches but was highly effective, with 12 kills on 19 attempts. What the general public didn’t see was Ellie helping improve the Bulldogs on the practice court.
“We want only the best young women to wear the NIACC Volleyball uniform and continue to build our strong legacy,” Brandt added.
By her sophomore season, Hanna was a staple role player for coach Jim Boehmer’s squad. She was able to contribute offensively, but where Lake Mills loved her was on defense. Standing at 6’1″ as a sophomore, Hanna teamed up with classmate Ella Stene to add a wall to the top of the net. The sophomore duo combined for over 70 blocks in 28 of the 34 matches.
Coming into the 2021-2022 season, many eyes looked at Ellie and her remaining teammates after the program lost a productive senior class. She responded with a first-team all-conference performance and helped the Bulldogs back to the top of the TIC West. She also added serving to her toolbelt to make her the all-around player the Bulldogs needed.
Last year, the was cherry on top, proving she was her. Ellie again helped Lake Mills the conference crown and was named the conference player of the year. She ended high school playing in 108 matches and 260 career sets. She collected 618 kills on 1451 attempts and 178 career blocks.
Club volleyball in the offseason helped Ellie to continue to improve each year for Lake Mills. Brandt was one of her club coaches when she played for the North Iowa Blaze. That hard work in the offseason has allowed her to come into the fall more prepared.
“I think Ellie will transition into college a little better than most incoming freshmen because she has played under my club team at North Iowa Blaze for the past couple of seasons. She knows the language that we use in the gym, some of our drills, philosophies, etc., and doesn’t have to learn some of that during the first couple of weeks of preseason. There will be differences, but not everything will be new for her, and that will be a clear advantage”, Brandt told KIOW.
In her time, Brandt has had success with local athletes, including her 2019 team that went 31-10. That team had a group of former North Iowa preps, and all but three of them played prep volleyball in-state. Last year’s team included eight Iowans and a number from local schools.
“We love being able to bring in the best of our local athletes – they add something special when our community already knows the name or a face of one of our teammates. Even more special when they come from a great program like Lake Mills,” Brandt closed by saying.
