Prep volleyball: Local athletes earn District 12 honors
By Kevin Pierson, kpierson@mariettatimes.comIt was a dramatic season of turn around for the Fort Frye Lady Cadets' and Frontier Lady Cougars' volleyball teams this year.
Struggling to post victories in recent years the two local Pioneer Valley Conference schools found themselves battling for league championships as they posted their best campaigns, with Frontier finishing 13-8 while Fort Frye was 11-11.
With their success the two teams accounted for nine selections to the District 12 coaches association All-District team, including Frontier's Lexie Hoff and Fort Frye's Kelsey Brooker on first team in their respective divisions.
Along with Hoff the Lady Cougars had juniors Ashley Kimble, Makayla Marlow and Hilary Thacker earn district honors.
"I'm very proud of them. They didn't disappoint me. They did nothing but what I asked and got better each game," praised Frontier volleyball coach Donna Murphy.
Hoff is a two-time all-district selection after earning honorable mention a year ago before being selected first team this season.
On the court the Lady Cougar senior was the leader that Frontier needed, finishing second on the team in kills with around 180 and playing everywhere on the court.
"She was the leader. She played all the way around. She didn't specialize any direction. She served, she passed. She could even step in and set if I needed her to," Murphy praised.
While Hoff was a first team selection for Frontier Kimble earned second team honors after leading the Lady Cougars in kills and blocks, with more than 200 kills and 80 blocks on the season.
Getting the ball up to Kimble and Hoff to put down was the responsibility of Marlow, an honorable mention selection, who was the setter in Frontier's 6-1 offense.
Marlow led the team in assists and was the floor general leading the Lady Cougars.
Thacker, another honorable mention choice and Frontier's libero, was the defensive specialist whose job was to give Marlow a chance to set the ball for Hoff and Kimble to put down.
"Her proudest moment was she dug up that big hit and put it up where the kids could do something with it," Murphy said.
Together the four helped make the Lady Cougars as successful as they were this season, as Frontier won their sectional bracket.
Along with Frontier in making a strong surge this season the Lady Cadets also found success.
Though they were eliminated in the sectional final at Meadowbrook the Lady Cadets posted the best record Fort Frye volleyball has had since 2001.
Leading the Lady Cadets was Brooker, the senior setter who overcame three knee surgeries to help operate Fort Frye's 6-2 offense.
Brooker is the first player to receive first team honors in the district while coach Doug Pfeffer has been at the helm of the program.
"Last year she played with a torn ACL, waited till after the season to get surgery and then had surgery again for the third time and got back to lead our team to the best record we've had since 2001," Pfeffer praised.
Overcoming adversity, Brooker led the Lady Cadets in assists and will play in the district all-star game this Sunday up at Meadowbrook.
Fort Frye junior Lacey Huck was selected to the district second team for her overall play across the court.
"She was my only girl that played all the way around. She had a lot of kills, a lot of digs. She actually had a few assists to go with it," Pfeffer said.
Brooker and Huck were each selected on to the district teams and Pfeffer put sophomore Kelsie Watson, senior Ellen Vandenberg and freshman Deidra Combs up for honorable mention selections.
Monroe Central junior standout Alex Kuhn was also selected as a first team all-district selection as the Lady Seminoles ended their season at the hands of Fort Frye in the sectional semifinal.
Kuhn, an outside hitter, dominated the court at times for Monroe to earn another district selection.
Monroe's Christina Parden was selected second team all-district while Chelsie Roberts and Kayley Stephens were given honorable mention choices.
In Div. I and II the Morgan Lady Raiders had seniors Audra Nelson and Abby Williams receive district honors along with junior Laurie Ewart.
Nelson was second team while Williams and Ewart received an honorable mention nod.
Shenandoah's Audra Schroeder was a first team selection as was Caldwell's Lizzy Nau.
Other selections for the Lady Zeps were sophomores Carissa and Caralee Wukelich and junior Emily Long while Caldwell's other honorees were Stacey Mugrage, Katlin Weisend and Chandra Schoeppner.
District 12 Volleyball Coaches Association 2009 All-District Teams (Local players only)
Div. I and II
Second team: Audra Nelson, sr., McConnelsville Morgan
Honorable mention: Laurie Ewart, jr., McConnelsville Morgan; Abby Williams, sr., McConnelsville Morgan
Div. III
First team: Kelsey Brooker, sr., Beverly Fort Frye; Alex Kuhn, jr., Woodsfield Monroe Central; Audra Schroeder, sr., Sarahsville Shenandoah
Second team: Christina Parden, sr., Woodsfield Monroe Central; Lacey Huck, jr., Beverly Fort Frye
Honorable mention: Chelsie Roberts, fr., Woodsfield Monroe Central; Ellen Vandenberg, sr., Beverly Fort Frye; Kelsie Watson, so., Beverly Fort Frye; Deidra Combs, fr., Beverly Fort Frye; Kayley Stephens, so., Woodsfield Monroe Central; Carissa Wukelich, so., Sarahsville Shenandoah; Emily Long, jr., Sarahsville Shenandoah; Caralee Wukelich, so., Sarahsville Shenandoah
Div. IV
First team: Lexie Hoff, sr., New Matamoras Frontier; Lizzy Nau, jr., Caldwell
Second team: Ashley Kimble, jr., New Matamoras Frontier; Stacey Mugrage, jr., Caldwell
Honorable mention: Katlin Weisend, jr., Caldwell; Chandra Schoeppner, so., Caldwell; Makayla Marlow, jr., New Matamoras Frontier; Hilary Thacker, jr., New Matamoras Frontier
