Denton Record-Chronicle
Sunday, January 12, 2014
4B
Denton Record-Chronicle
2013 All-Area Volleyball MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Laine Lowry Argyle, Sr., L Notable: Lowry solidified Argyle’s back line all season and was the area’s best libero. The senior capped her career with 667 digs last season to help the Lady Eagles reach the Class 3A regional quarterfinals. Lowry’s defensive efforts played a big part in why Argyle was considered one of the top teams in Class 3A. Lowry was one of five players who earned All-District 10-3A superlatives. Lowry was chosen by the district’s coaches as 10-3A’s top libero for the second straight season. Lowry’s departure after this spring will leave a huge void Argyle head coach Clark Oberle will have to fill next season.
SETTER OF THE YEAR Madison Walford Guyer, Sr. Notable: Walford has been the leader of Guyer’s squad through good times and bad, including the Lady Wildcats’ first season in Class 5A when they struggled throughout the season. But as a senior four-year starter, Walford closed her career out in style, earning District 5-4A Co-MVP honors along with Trophy Club Nelson’s Hailey Tippett. In her final season as the Lady Wildcats’ setter, Walford dished out 934 assists and led the team with 45 aces while adding 120 kills with a .480 hitting percentage. Walford was also one of the team’s top defensive players and could always be counted on to keep rallies going in Guyer’s favor, finishing the season with 232 digs.
COACH OF THE YEAR Jennifer Bramlett Calvary
Katy Keenan Argyle, Jr., MB Notable: Keenan was the area’s most dominant player and a huge reason why Argyle reached the Class 3A regional quarterfinals. Keenan finished the year with 427 kills and a ridiculous .533 hitting percentage. The junior middle blocker also notched 101.5 blocks. Keenan’s efforts earned her a Texas Girls Coaches Association 3A all-state selection. Entering the season, Keenan was one of the key returning players from a Lady Eagles team that reached the 3A state semifinals in 2012, where Argyle lost to Abilene Wylie. This season against Decatur, Keenan notched a team-high 20 kills and almost helped Argyle defeat Decatur for the third time in 2013. But Argyle fell in a five-set thriller and it ended up being the only sets Decatur dropped on its way to the 3A state championship. Luckily for Argyle head coach Clark Oberle, Keenan will be back for one more season before she heads off to play volleyball for Texas Tech. The middle blocker will undoubtedly play a key role for the Lady Eagles in 2014 as they chase their first volleyball state title.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Madeline Mayer Calvary, Sr., MB Notable: Mayer finished her career at Calvary as one of the best players in the area and she led the Lady Lions to back-to-back TAPPS Class 2A state championships. The senior middle blocker had a whopping 712 kills and a .312 hitting percentage. She tallied 348 assists in Calvary’s state title run and earned TAPPS first-team allstate honors as well. Mayer was a huge reason why Calvary defeated Boerne Geneva in the state final for the second straight year. She played setter and middle blocker for Calvary, something that can be very physically demanding. She took the position change in stride and tormented oppossing teams all season. Mayer will play at East Central University in Ada, Okla., next fall.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Emily Hill Guyer, Soph., OH Notable: After battling through an injury that caused her to miss much of her freshman season on Guyer’s varsity squad, Emily Hill made up for lost time in 2013, and she did it in a big way. The sophomore outside hitter paced Guyer’s offensive attack with 459 kills while adding 37 aces from the service line to help her earn Most Valuable Offensive Player honors on the AllDistrict 5-4A team. Hill was equally effective as a defensive standout for the Lady Wildcats, finishing the season with 59 blocks. But she wasn’t just a force at the net defensively, she also got to balls as a back-line defender, rarely exiting matches. On the season, Hill totaled 241 digs, good for a team-best total, excluding Guyer’s libero.
Notable: With a limited number of players at her disposal at a small TAPPS school, Bramlett got the most out of her roster with some clever roster decisions early in the season. After a rough start to the season, Bramlett got things trending in the right direction for the defending state champs en route to a repeat title run. Bramlett made the decision to use all-state middle blocker Madeline Mayer as the team’s setter this year. The move paid dividends as her squad defeated Boerne Geneva and won its second straight state championship in Bramlett’s second year atop the program. On its way to another state championship, Calvary went through another district schedule without dropping a set — the second straight year it accomplished the feat.
ALL-AREA FIRST TEAM EIGHMY DOBBINS Argyle, Soph., OH In a follow-up to a fantastic freshman season, Dobbins put up even better numbers in 2013. The aggressive outside hitter was second on the team with 424 kills and sported a .301 hitting percentage. She added 61 aces.
KIRBY SMITH Pilot Point, Sr., OH Smith led the Lady Cats to the area round of the Class 2A playoffs. Smith racked up 380 kills, 370 assists, 63 aces and 249 digs. She was also a TGCA Class 2A all-state selection and will play for Trinity University in San Antonio.
JORDAN CRAWFORD Krum, Sr., OH The senior outside hitter had a tremendous season for the Krum Lady Cats. Crawford finished the year with a .347 hitting percentage and racked up 403 kills. She also had 333 digs and had a .940 serving percentage.
BROOKE ROBERTSON Argyle, Sr., OH As one of a trio of overpowering offensive weapons on the Argyle roster, Robertson closed out her career with another stellar year that saw her total 412 kills while racking up 432 digs and 60 aces. Robertson will attend Angelo State this fall.
MORGAN TURKOLY Sanger, Jr., S Turkoly anchored the Lady Indians with 333 assists, 286 kills and a tremendous 43 aces. The junior setter was named to the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state team after she helped Sanger reach the area round of the 3A playoffs.
KELLY CROW Calvary, Jr., L Crow was one of three Calvary players named to the TAPPS 2A allstate team. The junior libero compiled 565 digs while also maintaining a .920 serving percentage and a 2.32 passing percentage for the defending state champs.
ALL-AREA SECOND TEAM JADE AKINS Denton, Jr., OH Akins was in and out of Denton’s lineup this season, but the Lady Broncos’ captain still had a big impact on the squad. The junior outside hitter had a .322 hitting percentage, 335 kills, 260 digs and 37 blocks on the season.
SYDNEY LUNDGREN Ryan, Soph, OH Lundgren was one of the few bright spots for Ryan’s volleyball team this season. The sophomore compiled 232 kills, 172 digs and 84 assists. She also had a .940 serving percentage and a 1.99 passing percentage.
TORI ALEXANDER Ponder, Sr., MB Alexander was named the best middle blocker in District 9-2A. The senior had 396 kills and averaged 3.7 kills per set. Alexander also finished the season with a .512 hitting percentage and a .920 serving percentage.
KAYLA ASKEY Sanger, Sr., OH The senior outside hitter led the Lady Indians with a team-high 335 kills while also picking up 87 blocks and 35 digs for head coach Tammy Niemczyk. Askey was one of three Sanger first-team all-district selections in 9-3A.
SYDNEY REYES Guyer, Sr., MB Reyes earned District 5-4A Most Valuable Defensive Player honors in a year that saw her rack up 103 blocks and 159 digs, a lofty total for a middle blocker. She also tallied 234 kills and 37 aces.
ALEXA BASS Argyle, Sr., S Replacing a four-year starter like Blair O’Brien is no easy task, but Bass took the pressure with ease while taking over as a setter for Argyle. She racked up a team-high 895 assists, 288 digs and even tallied 168 kills on the season.
Denton Record-Chronicle staff photos and courtesy photos