The 2025 campaign for the Lady Spartans opened last week with a pair of wins in West Liberty’s quad, a split in Marshalltown’s triangular, and winning their own invitational this past Saturday.
The squad, in their second season under Head Coach Ruben Galvan, lost Adelyn Miller, Grace Erwin, Yasmine Sell, and Izzy Frees to graduation, but return five seniors – libero Kennedey Whitford, setter Cydney Jaster, middle hitter/right side Jozie Lahr, outside hitter/right side Kiley Devery, and right side Gable Knight. Also back are juniors Macy Fuller (defensive specialist), Kalynn Timmons (defensive specialist), and Harper Nicholson (middle hitter/right side). Juniors Addison Walter (right side). Scarlett Ferin (setter) and Avery Kellen (middle hitter/right side) join the varsity ranks this season.
Sophomores Reese Hahn (defensive specialist) and Beckett Kruse (outside hitter/right side) and freshmen Makinley Galvan (right side) and Amelia Guinn (outside hitter) round out the 2025 roster.
The team went 1-4 in WaMaC East competition and 28-14 overall last year falling 3-0 to Monticello in a Class 3A Region 4 Semifinal.
Solon 2 West Liberty 0
The Lady Spartans defeated the Comets 25-12 and 25-20 with six kills from senior Kiley Devery and five apiece by freshmen Amelia Guinn and Makinley Galvan. Senior Gable Knight produced two kills with one each from juniors Avery Kellen and Addison Walter. Junior Scarlett Ferin had 4.5 assists with four from senior Cydney Jaster.
Defensively senior Jozie Lahr had one solo block.
Seniors Kennedey Whitford, Lahr, and Devery produced three ace serves apiece in the match.
Solon 2 West Branch 0
The Lady Spartans defeated the Bears 25-17 and 25-11 with ten kills from Devery, four by Lahr, three from sophomore Beckett Kruse, and two each by Guinn, junior Harper Nicholson, Knight, and Kellen. Galvan made one kill as well. Ferrin made 14 assists with eight by Jaster and four from Whitford, who made four ace serves.
Solon 2 Marshalltown 0
The Lady Spartans defeated the Bobcats 25-10 and 25-6 in Marshalltown’s triangular with Waverly-Shell Rock. Freshman Amelia Guinn led with a match-high nine kills while Addison Walter, Jozie Lahr, and Gable Knight produced three apiece. Avery Kellen added two kills with one each from Makinley Galvan, Harper Nicholson, and Kiley Devery. Cydney Jaster made 11 assists with eight from Scarlett Ferin. Nicholson made one solo block with two block assists. Devery also had a pair of block assists with an assist each from Galvan, Walter, Lahr, and Kellen. Ferin put up a trio of ace serves with two each by Kennedey Whitford and Lahr.
Waverly-Shell Rock 2 Solon 0
The Go-Hawks handed the Lady Spartans their first loss of the season 22-25 and 19-25. While Jozie Lahr put up eight kills and Kiley Devery and Amelia Guinn made five each, W-SR’s Lauren Gade and Lizzy Frazell answered with a dozen and 11, respectively. Makinley Galvan, Gable Knight, and Avery Kellen had two kills apiece. Cydney Jaster made a dozen assists with nine by Scarlett Ferin. Guinn had Solon’s only solo block with two assists. Lahr, Harper Nicholson, Devery, and Kellen made one block assist each. Jaster also had Solon’s only ace serve in the match.
Solon 2 Dubuque Senior 0
The Lady Spartans swept the Dubuque Senior Rams 21-19 and 21-13 to open their home invitational tournament. Jozie Lahr led Solon’s offense with six kills, Amelia Guinn and Kiley Devery made four apiece with two by Avery Kellen and one from Gable Knight. Scarlett Ferin had eight assists with seven from Cydney Jaster. Kellen had one solo block with five block assists by Lahr, three by Knight, and one each by Makinley Galvan and Guinn. Kennedey Whitford produced four ace serves in the match. Dubuque Senior dropped out of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s (IGHSAU) weekly rankings for Class 5A released Thursday, Sept. 3.
Solon 2 Xavier Catholic 0
Solon swept No. 12 (in Class 4A) Xavier Catholic (Cedar Rapids) 21-16 and 21-14 in the second match of their home tournament. Amelia Guinn was on fire with 11 kills. Kiley Devery made six with five from Jozie Lahr, four by Avery Kellen, and one apiece by Makinley Galvan and Gable Knight. Cydney Jaster had 14 assists with ten by Scarlett Ferin, three from Kennedey Whitford, and one by Kalynn Timmons. Lahr made one solo block with five assists. Devery also had five block assists with one each by Knight and Kellen. Whitford produced a pair of aces with one by Ferin.
Solon 2 Davenport Central 0
The Lady Spartans dominated the Blue Devils 21-9 and 21-4 in their third match of the home tourney. Solon racked up 25 kills in the two-set match with seven by Kiley Devery, six from Beckett Kruse, four by Makinley Galvan, two each by Amelia Guinnm Jozie Lahr, and Avery Kellen, and one apiece from Addison Walter and Harper Nicholson. Scarlett Ferin made 15 assists, Cydney Jaster had seven, Kennedey Whitford made two and Kalynn Timmons made one. No solo blocks were recorded with one block assist each credited to Guinn and Kellen. Devery made three ace serves with two by Ferin and one apiece for Reese Hahn, Macy Fuller, and Jaster.
Solon 2 Cedar Rapids Washington 0
Solon’s momentum continued with a 21-10, 21-13 pasting of the Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors. The Lady Spartans’ offense saw four kills each from Amelia Guinn, Jozie Lahr, Kiley Devery, and Beckett Kruse with two apiece by Addison Walters and Avery Kellen, and one from Makinley Galvan. Scarlett Ferin had ten assists with nine by Cydney Jaster, and one from Kennedey Whitford. Galvan, Lahr, Harper Nicholsen, Devery, Gable Knight, and Kellen made a block assist each. Jaster had four aces in the match with one apiece by Whitford and Kalynn Timmons.
Solon 2 Johnston 1
The final battle of the day, for the Championship, pitted the Lady Spartans against the No. 13-ranked (in Class 5A) Dragons. Solon took the first set 25-22 but fell 16-25 in the second before regrouping to pull out a 15-11 third set win for the victory.
Kiley Devery delivered eight kills with six from Avery Kellen, five by Jozie Lahr, four from Ameilia Guinn, and two apiece by Makinley Galvan and Gable Knight. Scarlett Ferin made a dozen assists with 11 from Cydney Jaster and four by Kennedey Whitford. Lahr had two block assists with one apiece by Guinn, Devery, Knight, and Kellen. Whitford made three ace serves with one each by Macy Fuller and Jaster.
Solon’s record improved to 8-1 overall.