This could very well be the most talented all-area volleyball team ever. It is for sure the most experienced.
This edition of the Aberdeen American News All-Area Volleyball team is a veteran group with middle hitter being the most frequent position. The squad has a whopping 15 seniors, four juniors and one sophomore. By position, the team has nine middle hitters, five outside hitters, four setters and two liberos.
The 20 athletes include 12 players who received all-state honors. Thirteen selections played in their respective state tournaments. The all-area team represents 11 teams with a combined record of 267-69 for a winning ratio of 79 percent.
The all-area team includes four players from the Warner squad that won the State B title with a 34-0 record in matches and a perfect 90-0 in games.
The repeat selections are Kelsey Hannigan and Lauren McCafferty of Aberdeen Central, Kristie Mettler of Timber Lake, Logan O'Farrell of Summit, Ashley Rozell of Warner, Shauni Schwartz of Herreid-Selby Area, Callie Slater of Mobridge-Pollock and Nicole Warren of Oakes, N.D.
The following is a capsule look at each player.
Haylee Biel, Herreid-Selby Area. 6-foot, middle hitter, junior. Yellowstone Trail champions, honorable mention all-state. Serving: 64-88. Attacking: 486-553, 237 kills. Blocks: 58 solo 29 assists. Team leader in blocks. "Haylee is a game changer," said Herreid-Selby Area coach Jody Schmidt. "She has a powerful swing and brings emotion to the game. She is a big reason we lost only two games in the regular season and got to the state tournament."
Ashley Clemens, Northwestern. 5-10, middle hitter, senior. All-Lake Region Conference, first team all-state, four year starter. Serving: 337-356, 95 percent, 67 aces. Attacking: 698-776, 346 kills, 35 percent kill efficiency. Digs: 232. Blocks: 55. "Ashley is a very talented athlete who had to increase her role this year. She had to shoulder much more responsibility and she dramatically improved her serving and back row play. I am proud of how she has developed into great all-around volleyball player," said Northwestern coach Nora Groft.
Abby Dockter, Aberdeen Roncalli. 5-11, middle hitter, senior. All-Tourney State A, first team all-state, All-Northeast Conference. Attacking: 472-568, 256 kills. Blocks: 70. "She worked very hard this past summer on her jumping ability and running quick sets. It showed this past season. She was hard to stop and did a super job of blocking. She's a leader who worked hard," said Roncalli coach Janelle Bierle.
Jeanna Duncan, Northwestern. 5-7, setter, junior. All-LRC, honorable mention all-state, three-year starter, captain. Serving: 312-342, 65 aces, 91 percent. Setting: 1,981-1,988, 721 assists. Attacking: 90-95, 37 kills, 34 percent kill efficiency. Digs: 142, Blocks: 26. "Jeanna quietly leads by example through her work ethic during the off-season and during practice. She has worked tirelessly to increase her athleticism, her setting skills, and her volleyball IQ. I am excited for her opportunity to develop as a more vocal leader next year," said Groft.
Kelsey Hannigan, Aberdeen Central. 5-6, setter, senior. First team All-Eastern South Dakota Conference. Serving: 191-220, 30 aces. Attacking: 48-51, 12 kills. Setting: 405 assists, 6.1 per set. Digs: 142, 2.2 per set. The Golden Eagles switched to a two setter offense at midseason. "She's definitely running the show when she's out there," said Central coach Dennis Northrup. "She's athletic and could play defensive speciality. She gives you everything she's got."
Taylor Hanson, Aberdeen Roncalli. 5-4, libero, senior. All-NEC, member of the co-champions in the NEC. Serving: 307-328, 39 aces, 94 percent. Digs: 367. "The team was very comfortable with Taylor playing libero because they knew she would get a touch on every ball. She is so quick on defense. She gets to everything and makes a great pass. She's very calm on the floor," said Bierle.
Alyssa Jung, Warner. 5-8, libero, senior. All-LRC, member of state champion and conference champion team. Serving: 395-421, 62 aces, 94 percent. Digs: 301, 3.3 per set. Jung was a big part of the defense that supported the vaunted Warner attack. "Alyssa had outstanding leadership on the court," said Warner coach Kari Jung. "She is great under pressure and plays her best matches against the toughest opponents."
Lauren McCafferty, Aberdeen Central. 6-0, outside hitter, senior. All-ESD, first team Class AA All-State for second time, all-tournament. Serving: 266-297, 55 aces, 90 percent. Attacking: 419-470, 235 kills, .264 kill percent. Digs: 177. Blocks: 41. "She was our top hitter stats wise. She was the one who was going to put the ball away. She also has a great serve and gets to a lot of balls on defense," said Northrup.
Kristie Mettler, Timber Lake. 5-1, middle hitter, senior. Serving: 225-271, 61 aces, 83 percent. Attacking: 608-703, 195 kills. Blocks: 9 solo, 13 assists. Digs: 26. She was a part of history this season as Timber Lake won the district and region and qualified for state for the first time finishing seventh. "Kristie is a great all around athlete with great jumping abilities," said Timber Lake coach Sarah Schweitzer. "She is very determined to win and does not like to lose. She does a great job of seeing the holes on the court and can place her spikes, tips and serves to those spots."
Logan O'Farrell, Summit. 6-0, middle hitter, senior. Second team all-state, All-Eastern Coteau Conference selection. Attacking: 233 kills. Blocks: 196 (33 solo). Serving: 50 aces. Digs: 434. "She stepped up on all levels of the game, offensively and defensively," said Summit coach Shanna Koenig. "She has a tremendous 'can do' attitude that infected her teammates, giving them more confidence and the ability to come back after a mistake. She was also a key component in raising the intensity level on the team."
Christine Pearson, Summit. 6-0, middle hitter, senior. All-ECC selection, member of the Summit team that went 26-2 losing only to Warner. Serving: 68 aces. Attacking: 220 kills. Digs: 289. Blocks: 96 (24 solo). "She has a tremendous ability to see the opposite side of the floor and place the volleyball for a kill. She truly enjoys the game and it was obvious she has fun playing. She was a key component in the success the Summit Eagles had this season," said Koenig.
Rachel Rogers, Warner. 6-2, middle hitter, senior. First team all-state selection, all-tournament, Northern State recruit, four year starter. Serving: 298-318, 50 aces, 94 percent. Attacking: 490-547, 336 kills, 3.82 per set. Blocks: 71. "Rachel really stepped out of her comfort zone this season and showed that she is a dominating hitter. Very coachable and fun player to watch," said Kari Jung.
Ashley Rozell, Warner. 5-11, setter, sophomore. First team all-state selection, all-tournament, All-LRC. Serving: 257-285, 72 aces, 90 percent. Attacking: 126-145, 64 kills. Setting: 1,739-1,746, 908 assists. Blocks: 29. Digs: 113. "Ashley has a great work ethic and can spread the ball around to all hitters effectively. She is always trying to improve her game," said Kari Jung.
Carly Rozell, Warner. 6-1, right side hitter, junior. All-LRC, all-tournament, member of undefeated Warner team that won state title, played her best down the stretch. Serving: 374-425, 111 aces, 88 percent. Attacking: 335-397, 202 kills. Blocks: 35. Digs: 57. "Carly has worked hard to be an offensive leader for our team. Not only can she place the ball well on her attacks, she has developed a killer serve," said Kari Jung.
Shauni Schwartz, Herreid-Selby Area. Second team all-state, all-tournament. Schwartz hit 1,004 kills in her three-year career. She ranks second at H-SA in aces and blocks for a career. During her career, the Wolverines lost only 15 times in 81 matches. Serving: 169-186, 13 aces, 91 percent. Attacking: 550-622, 281 kills. Blocks: 43 solo, 18 assists. Digs: 86. "Shauni is a leader on and off the court. The players looked to her confident that she would make things happen. Shauni is very competitive, which made her the go-to player when the game was on the line," said Schmidt.
Callie Slater, Mobridge-Pollock. Honorable mention all-state, All-Big Dakota Conference, co-captain. Serving: 347-364, 72 aces, 95 percent. Digs: 156. Setting: 2,168-2,185, 661 assists. Attacking: 42 kills. Blocks: 10. "She was the glue that kept our team together and fighting through our down times," said M-P coach Keri Bolduan. "She is a great all around player. She was our 'quarterback' this year and brought the best out of her teammates."
Karlea Stahl, Sully Buttes. 5-9, outside hitter, junior. Honorable mention all-state, first team All-Yellowstone Trail Conference, all-tournament team. Serving: 220-245, 41 aces, 98 percent. Attacking: 457-534, 240 kills, 31 percent kill ratio. Blocks: 35. Digs: 168. "Karlea was our leader on both sides of the ball," said Sully Buttes coach Randy Pool. "Her quickness and jumping ability make her a threat every night. She worked hard to make herself better as the season progressed."
Amanda Tobin, Aberdeen Central. 5-11, outside hitter, senior. First team All-ESD, Northern State recruit. Serving: 171-192, 30 aces, 89 percent. Attacking: 300-340, 141 kills, 2.7 per set. Digs: 139. "Amanda can flat out hit the ball and she can pass the ball. An all-around player and she can serve," said Northrup.
Danielle Waldner, Redfield-Doland. 5-8, middle hitter, senior. All-NEC, member of NEC co-champion team. Serving: 250-264, 26 aces, 95 percent. Attacking: 598-685, 232 kills 21 percent kill ratio. Blocks: 35 solo, 22 assists. Digs: 200. "Danielle was a tremendous leader by example for us. She is one of the main reasons for us winning a share of the NEC title this year, and for making it to state the previous two years. She was our go-to attacker," said R-D coach Joel Osborn.
Nicole Warren, Oakes, N.D. 5-7, hitter, senior. District 8B outstanding senior, all-state, all-district three times, tri-captain. Oakes won a district title and went 29-9 on the season. Warren recorded 1,359 career kills. Attacking: 485 kills. Digs: 307. Serving: 54 aces. "Nicole is an all around-athlete," said Oakes coach Kathy Warren. "She is definitely our team leader. Nicole is a positive role model and team leader. She is a talented all around player who led our team both offensively and defensively."
