WATERLOO - The groundwork has been laid, but Iowa volleyball coach Cindy Fredrick says her program is still in a building process.

Heading into her fourth season with the Hawkeyes after a highly successful run at Washington State, Fredrick, the Waverly native, made an appearance Monday at Sunnyside Country Club as part of the Black Hawk County I-Club Golf Outing and Spring Banquet.

She talked about the state of her program and where it has come, and she talked at length about two of her current Hawkeyes - former Aplington-Parkersburg standouts Megan Schipper and Becky Walters.

"We're definitely still building," said Fredrick whose squad went 13-19 last year. "But we are making some good in-roads into recruiting the state of Iowa, which is just a wonderland of volleyball players. That is where Iowa has been remiss in the past is recruiting these good Iowa kids.

"That has been our goal since we got here. We look back at our best teams at Washington State and our first Elite Eight team, and more than 70 percent of that team was from the state of Washington. That is what you want, and that was our goal coming in here - to work at recruiting the best kids out of the state of Iowa."

Schipper and Walters fit that bill, although another of Fredrick's prized Northeast Iowa recruits - Tripoli's Alicia Johnson - decided to transfer to a Division II school after appearing in 92 games last season for the Hawkeyes.

Schipper, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, worked her way into the starting lineup by the end of last season as a freshman. She played in 88 games overall and recorded 189 kills.

Walters, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, was redshirted.

"Both are really great competitors," said Fredrick. "Megan is a fantastic competitor, and Becky is going to work her way into that. We've seen so much improvement from her. Plus, you can't coach 6-foot-3. Both players are going to be really good for us next year."

Fredrick enjoyed being back in the Cedar Valley, as well.

"The fans … when you are up here in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area … I have so much respect for what Bobbi (Petersen, Northern Iowa head coach) has done with that program. That is what I want to see in the state of Iowa even more.

"Look at us, Iowa State, Drake and UNI, and all four of us are growing leaps and bounds. I mean Bobbi doesn't have to grow, but the rest of us are growing leaps and bounds, and I think that is really exciting for the state of Iowa and volleyball."

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com