The Boone volleyball team endured a challenging 2026 campaign but continued to compete throughout the season, finishing with a 7-20 overall record and an 0-7 mark in the Raccoon River Conference.
The Toreadors picked up seven victories during the season, earning wins over West Marshall, Ogden twice, Colfax-Mingo, Perry, Fort Dodge and Des Moines Lincoln.
Boone’s offense was led by a balanced group of hitters.
Junior Claire Hardinger topped the team with 72 kills while posting a team-best .130 hitting percentage among Boone’s high-volume attackers.
Senior Ava Johnson was close behind with 69 kills, while Jenna Murray contributed 45 kills and senior Kaylee Kuehl added 40.
Junior Kyra Darby chipped in 33 kills and junior Hailee Bingham finished with 26.
Junior setter Halle Johnson recorded 248 assists in 72 sets played.
Senior libero Karsyn Smith added 24 assists and Callie Gifford finished with seven.
Defensively, Smith amassed 340 digs, averaging nearly five digs per set.
Bingham added 189 digs, while Taylor Engnell recorded 120 and Halle Johnson collected 107.
Ava Landas also had 98 digs.
At the net, Darby led Boone with 20 total blocks, including four solo blocks and 16 assisted blocks.
Kuehl added 15 blocks, Murray had 12 and Payton Stolte recorded 11.
As a team, Boone accumulated 336 kills, 298 assists, 1,049 digs and 84 total blocks.
The season also marked the final high school campaign for a senior class that included Ava Landas, Jenna Murray, Paige Anderson, Kaylee Kuehl, Harper Boyd, Ava Johnson and Karsyn Smith.
Among the returning players, Boone will bring back Hardinger, Halle Johnson, Bingham, Darby, Engnell and Stolte.
The season ended in the Class 4A Region 1 tournament, where Boone fell to Carlisle in the opening round.
Despite the loss, the Toreadors finished the year with several bright spots, highlighted by seven victories and the development of a young core that will return with significant varsity experience in 2027.
Jill Lutz reporting
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