|
|
|
Another fall season is in the books for the Neosho Daily News coverage area. There were plenty of athletes who earned high praise for their on the field (or court) performance this year. Today, we unveil our 2011 NDN All-Area volleyball squad.
We polled the area coaches and four out of five emailed in their nominations for the team.
FIRST TEAM:
Cheyanne Crandall, Neosho
The senior Missouri Southern commit led the Lady Wildcats with 172 kills and 110 blocks on the season in the always tough Central Ozark Conference. The first team All-COC selection really turned it on for Neosho in the latter part of the season after officially committing to MSSU. Crandall was described by a number of coaches as the best player in the area.
Shelbey Thomlinson, East Newton
Thomlinson has already piled up the postseason honors for the Lady Patriots in 2011. After leading the area with 396 digs (a new school record), the junior libero earned first team All-Big 8 honors (unanimous) to go along with second team all-district and honorable mention all-region accolades.
Darien Stancell, McDonald County
Stancell had a monster year for the Lady Mustangs, tallying an area-leading 304 kills and 184 digs. She also had 40 aces on the season. The senior hitter earned second team all-region honors as well as first team all-district.
Kourtney Moreland, Diamond
Moreland was the motor behind the Diamond Lady Wildcats as they finished 24-5-2. Diamond was ranked in the top 10 in Class 2 for most of the season and finished as the district runner-up to Pierce City.
Annie Howard, Seneca
It was a rough year for Seneca, but Annie Howard was a bright spot for the Lady Indians. The junior hitter tallied 139 kills and 39 blocks. Howard was an all-district pick as well.
Whitney Thomlinson, East Newton
Like her twin sister, Shelbey, Whitney had a record-breaking season for the 20-8-2 East Newton Lady Pats. Whitney finished with an area-leading 536 assists and was a 97.6 percent server (a new school record).
Callie Shaver, McDonald County
The Lady Mustangs’ libero was No. 2 in the area with 332 digs this season. The senior libero also had 38 service aces on the season. Shaver earned a second team all-district honor for McDonald County.
SECOND TEAM
Hailey Heilig, East Newton
Helig was the Lady Patriots’ top offensive threat, finishing with a team-leading 148 kills. The junior earned second team All-Big 8 honors after compiling a 91.8 percent serve rating and tying Shelbey Thomlinson’s school record for digs in a match with 25.
Another fall season is in the books for the Neosho Daily News coverage area. There were plenty of athletes who earned high praise for their on the field (or court) performance this year. Today, we unveil our 2011 NDN All-Area volleyball squad.
We polled the area coaches and four out of five emailed in their nominations for the team.
FIRST TEAM:
Cheyanne Crandall, Neosho
The senior Missouri Southern commit led the Lady Wildcats with 172 kills and 110 blocks on the season in the always tough Central Ozark Conference. The first team All-COC selection really turned it on for Neosho in the latter part of the season after officially committing to MSSU. Crandall was described by a number of coaches as the best player in the area.
Shelbey Thomlinson, East Newton
Thomlinson has already piled up the postseason honors for the Lady Patriots in 2011. After leading the area with 396 digs (a new school record), the junior libero earned first team All-Big 8 honors (unanimous) to go along with second team all-district and honorable mention all-region accolades.
Darien Stancell, McDonald County
Stancell had a monster year for the Lady Mustangs, tallying an area-leading 304 kills and 184 digs. She also had 40 aces on the season. The senior hitter earned second team all-region honors as well as first team all-district.
Kourtney Moreland, Diamond
Moreland was the motor behind the Diamond Lady Wildcats as they finished 24-5-2. Diamond was ranked in the top 10 in Class 2 for most of the season and finished as the district runner-up to Pierce City.
Annie Howard, Seneca
It was a rough year for Seneca, but Annie Howard was a bright spot for the Lady Indians. The junior hitter tallied 139 kills and 39 blocks. Howard was an all-district pick as well.
Whitney Thomlinson, East Newton
Like her twin sister, Shelbey, Whitney had a record-breaking season for the 20-8-2 East Newton Lady Pats. Whitney finished with an area-leading 536 assists and was a 97.6 percent server (a new school record).
Callie Shaver, McDonald County
The Lady Mustangs’ libero was No. 2 in the area with 332 digs this season. The senior libero also had 38 service aces on the season. Shaver earned a second team all-district honor for McDonald County.
SECOND TEAM
Hailey Heilig, East Newton
Helig was the Lady Patriots’ top offensive threat, finishing with a team-leading 148 kills. The junior earned second team All-Big 8 honors after compiling a 91.8 percent serve rating and tying Shelbey Thomlinson’s school record for digs in a match with 25.
Tori Eads, Neosho
The junior setter led the Lady Wildcats with 323 assists. She will eclipse the 1,000-assist mark for her career early next season. She also had 92 kills and 28 blocks for Neosho en route to earning honorable mention All-COC honors.
Bailey Smith, Seneca
The Lady Indians’ lone senior led the team with a 94.2 percent serve rating. She finished the season with a team-best 76 digs.
Kenzie Dill, McDonald County
Dill did everything that was needed for the Lady Mustangs, finishing second on the team in digs (201), kills (114) and first on the team with a 92 percent serve rating.
Christin Wheeler, East Newton
Wheeler earned honorable mention All-Big 8 honors this season after posting 137 kills and 67 blocks as the Lady Patriots’ middle hitter. Wheeler was also a first team all-district pick.
Molli Cooper, Seneca
The Lady Indians’ sophomore setter led the team with 127 assists and was second with a 92 percent serve rating. Became a team leader in her first year back on the court after a year of softball in 2010.
Madison Baker, Diamond
The senior stepped in and did an admirable job for a Diamond team that looked as though it was depleted offensively. Baker earned all-conference honors for the Lady Wildcats and helped them to a district runner-up finish.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cheyanne Crandall, Neosho and Shelbey Thomlinson, East Newton
After much debate, this race was a dead even. Statistically, Thomlinson had a dominant season for East Newton. However, if you ask area coaches who the best player is, most of them say it’s Crandall. Two things can be certain: First, MSSU got a winner in Crandall. Second, the future is bright for East Newton volleyball as both Thomlinsons and a host of other all-area juniors return to the court in 2012.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Rachel Butterfield, Seneca
Butterfield was not a starter all season, however she was in the rotation for Melissa Lathrom’s Seneca Lady Indians. Then, early in the season, the freshman was thrust into the starting lineup when the Lady Indians’ starting setter was hurt. Butterfield proceeded to record 124 assists (second on the team) and 27 digs for Seneca. After the injury, Butterfield never relinquished her starting position.
