AMES, Iowa – She was already a Cyclone, A Harlan Cyclone, and Jess Schaben will remain a Cyclone. Iowa State announced the addition of the 6-2 outside hitter (DAY) after Schaben accepted her admission to Iowa State University.
“Jess is a special volleyball player,” Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “She has an elite arm and I believe she will be able to terminate against any team in the country. She reminds me a bit of Victoria Hurtt, she’s got the potential to be a go-to offensive player for us.”
Schaben, the No. 27 recruit in the class of 2015 according to PrepVolleyball.com, and a Third-Team Under Armour All-American, led Harlan to back-to-back Class 4A state championships, being named the All-Tournament Team captain on both occasions. She averaged 5.33 kills per set as a senior at a .484 hitting percentage and averaged 2.11 digs per season. That followed up a junior campaign with 5.51 kills per set and 2.43 digs per set.
“I love her ability to pass and play defense, especially given her height,” Johnson-Lynch added. “She is incredibly competitive and is used to carrying a huge load for her teams. Jess is not going to shy away from any sort of competition, and I believe she will relish the opportunity to train and compete at the highest level of college volleyball.”
A three-time All-State honoree in volleyball, Schaben is also a star for the Harlan Cyclone basketball team, earning All-State honors twice, leading Harlan to last season’s 4A state title and earning All-Tournament Team honors and continuing to lead the No. 1 Cyclones this season while averaging 14.4 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest. She also competed in track and field, finishing fourth in the high jump at the 2014 state championships.
Schaben is also a start on the club level for River City Juniors, having made multiple All-Tournament Teams at some of the biggest events in the country, including the 2014 Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) World Challenge.
The addition of Schaben is the sixth and final one for ISU’s 2015 class, capping off one of the best incoming classes in the country. Johnson-Lynch and her staff landed three top-35 prospects in setter Remington Bowman (No. 22), Schaben, an outside hitter (No. 27) and right side hitter Hannah Bailey (No. 33). Iowa State also welcomes the addition of two of the top recruits from Iowa in 2015 in setter/defensive specialist Hali Hillegas of Charles City and Abigail Phillips of Marion. The Cyclones have also added one of the top junior prospects in the United Kingdom in middle blocker Grace Lazard, who enrolled in classes at the start of the Spring 2015 semester, and will be eligible to practice with the Cyclones at the start of spring volleyball.
