Red Oak Volleyball Ready for New Chapter in WIC and Class 2A
Coach Angie Montgomery:
Captains, Mariel Ramire and Keely Jones:
After a record-breaking 2025 season that included a Hawkeye Ten Conference championship, school records, and a return to the state tournament, Red Oak Tigers head volleyball coach Angie Montgomery and her team are diving into a fresh set of challenges in 2026.
The Tigers have moved to the Western Iowa Conference (WIC) and Class 2A after sitting right on the cusp of remaining in 3A last year. Montgomery sat down with KCSI Sports to discuss the whirlwind offseason, high expectations, the new conference, and the players stepping into bigger roles.
A Busy Offseason That Flew By
Montgomery described the summer as “fast. Really quick.” Open gyms, early practices, and a home scrimmage all seemed to arrive in a blur.
“It seems like we literally just started open gyms, and now we’ve already had our first couple weeks of practice, our home scrimmage,” she said. “It just kind of seems like it’s just all happened really quickly.”
The calendar stays packed for Red Oak volleyball. Club season begins shortly after the high school season ends, with many Tigers competing in Council Bluffs, Omaha, and the team’s own Iowa AAU club. Those club experiences, Montgomery noted, pay major dividends when school ball resumes.
“All of our kids that go off and play on their own at different clubs still play Red Oak, which is awesome, because a lot of what we’re able to do right now starts in December and in January when they’re in those club seasons,” she said.
Varsity also participated in team camps and a summer league that expanded this year to include freshmen and JV players, giving the full program valuable court time in June.
Expectations Remain High Despite Roster Turnover
“Our expectations stay the same,” Montgomery said. “If I were to ask the girls, they want to compete for a conference title, they want to compete for a chance to go to state. … We know that it’s going to look different, but that doesn’t mean that the result has to be any different. We’re going to be a different look team, but we’re kind of up for that challenge, and the kids have embraced that and stepped into some big new roles.”
Embracing the Western Iowa Conference and Class 2A
One of the biggest shifts is the move from the Hawkeye Ten into the WIC. Montgomery pushed back against any notion that the new conference will be easier.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is you hear people say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be so much easier,’ and I’ve never thought that from the volleyball standpoint,” she said. “The WIC has consistently been a powerhouse in volleyball. … Here we have a pretty consistent group of 2A schools, and then … three ranked 2A schools in that conference out of the nine teams.”
The coach said she enjoys the scouting challenge of new opponents. The toughest part, she admitted, is leaving behind long-standing coaching friendships and rivalries from the Hawkeye Ten. Many of the Tigers already know players from WIC schools through club volleyball, which should ease the transition.
Dropping into Class 2A also changes the postseason picture. Traditional regional and state-level opponents largely remain in 3A, opening new possibilities.
“It’s definitely a year where it’s not the same old, same old,” Montgomery said. “There’s a lot of new, and that’s fun and exciting, too.”
Captains Keely Jones and Mariel Ramirez Ready to Lead Red Oak Volleyball into New Era
As the Red Oak Tigers volleyball team transitions into a new conference and a new classification, two of its senior captains are helping set the tone for the season ahead.
Keely Jones and Mariel Ramirez sat down with KCSI Sports to talk about practices, what it will take for the Tigers to succeed in 2026, and the personal journeys that brought them to this point as leaders of the program.
Both players described the summer and early practices as positive and productive. Open gyms and team camps have gone well, and the focus has extended beyond just the varsity group.
“Practices have been really good this summer,” Ramirez said. “Open gyms, team camps, everything’s been really positive. We’re looking to build the underclassmen up for whenever our senior class of seven leave, and yeah, they’ve been pretty good. We’re excited to get the season started.”
Jones, who is also a captain, echoed the excitement of stepping into a leadership role.
“I think we’ve been working really hard in practices,” Jones said. “It’s been so much fun, especially to be seniors this year and lead. It’s just so fun to see all the younger kids bloom as we’re seniors.”
Coming off an outstanding 2025 campaign that included a Hawkeye Ten Conference championship, multiple records, and a state tournament berth, the Tigers face a different landscape this fall. They will compete in the Western Iowa Conference and Class 2A after moving down a classification. Both captains said the group understands it will look different without last year’s key contributors, and that mindset is central to their approach.
“I think we definitely need to have a lot of confidence this season,” Ramirez said. “We need to understand that we are not the team that we had last year. So I think we need to really go into every game as one. Obviously, give our full effort. Pretty much I think the key things are have confidence, give all your effort, and essentially just play as one team, not individually.”
Jones agreed and pointed to the strong team chemistry that carried Red Oak through last season as something the group is working to rebuild and maintain across all levels of the program.
“To follow what Mariel said, I think a big thing we’ve been talking about is being one team, not like freshman, JV, varsity,” Jones said. “So I think building our bond strong. I know our team last year, our bonds were so strong. I think that’s what led us to success in the end.”
Both players come from families deeply connected to Red Oak athletics and volleyball specifically. Ramirez’s older sister, Merced, was a standout for the Tigers before going on to play at Buena Vista University. Mariel said growing up around her sister’s games and tournaments sparked her own love for the sport, and getting to share the court with Merced during her freshman season remains a special memory.
“Getting to play with her my freshman year was very enjoyable and fun, and she pretty much is what sparked my love for volleyball, just going to all her tournaments, all her games,” Ramirez said. “That’s pretty much why I love volleyball so much.”
Ramirez also plays basketball for the Tigers and previously competed in tennis as a freshman and sophomore. Volleyball remains her clear favorite. Her parents are Dana and Gilberto Ramirez. After graduation she hopes to attend a four-year college and continue playing volleyball at the next level.
Jones shared a similar story of growing up in the gym. Her older sister, Abby, also played volleyball for Red Oak and went on to compete in college. Jones and Ramirez both spent years watching their older sisters play, and those experiences left a lasting mark.
“Definitely my sister, Abby,” Jones said when asked about a former player who inspired her. “Me and Mariel kind of grew up in the gym, watching our sisters play, and then my sister pursued volleyball in college, so she’s been a big inspiration for me.”
In addition to volleyball, Jones plays basketball and competed in track during her freshman and junior years. Like Ramirez, she has no doubt about her favorite sport. “Definitely volleyball by far,” she said.
Her parents are Andy and Susan Jones. Looking ahead after high school, Jones plans to attend a two-year program and pursue nursing school.
As the Tigers prepare for their first season in the Western Iowa Conference and Class 2A, Jones and Ramirez are focused on leading by example, building a unified roster, and carrying forward the competitive standard set by recent Red Oak teams. Both captains made clear they are ready for the challenge and excited for the season to begin.
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