SVCsportszone.com's SVC Coach of the Year
I know many people share an opinion that I have a great deal of respect for, and that is the opinion that the league champ should get the Player of the Year. I just do not believe this opinion fits this year’s league. Yes, Adena is by far the best team, but I feel this is from their depth of talent and the great balance in which they attack you with each night. I left the preview this year thinking that the league would have great parity in teams two through six, and this definitely played out to be true. I did think some of those teams would finish in a little different order; however, I feel Zane Trace’s ability to separate themselves at 10-4 had a lot to do with Roepke’s ability to impact a match in a variety of ways. The senior spent most of the year in the top-five of kills, blocks, and aces in the SVC as her back row play, her serving, and of course, her presence at the net seemed to serve as the difference in several four and five set wins that I saw this season.
Joining Roepke on first team is Hannah Halcomb, Kelsey Bielanow, and Kirsti Yates of Adena. This trio helped lift the Lady Warriors to another championship. Halcomb produced a league best assist average dishing out over 10 assists per game. Bielanow finished in the top-10 of three categories in the SVC while Yates – a player whose value goes well beyond the stat sheet - finished in the top-10 of two stats. Next I went with two players that really stuffed the stat sheets in 2009. Huntington’s Megan Fultz and Southeastern’s Catherine Dresbach led their teams this year to equal 8-6 league records. Fultz finished sixth or better in three categories and Dresbach finished in the top-seven of three categories including being right at the top of both kills and digs.
Rounding out my first-team is a pair of Unioto Lady Shermans in senior setter Kenly Stidham (third in assist at over eight assists per game) and junior hitter Madison Davis (top-five in kills throughout the year at a little over four kills per game). Lastly, Westfall’s Olivia Cobb, who did miss some matches with an injury, had a great finish to the season including a performance of 33 kills against a solid Unioto team. Cobb did a little of everything for the Mustangs, and her all-around talent is highlighted by the fact that she finished in the top-ten of assists, kills, and blocks.
As I start my second team, I start with a girl that was extremely difficult to leave off the first team in Southeastern setter Kaitlin Duarte. Duarte averaged over eight and a half assists per game. I also would go with Westfall’s Alex Phillips, a sophomore who provided great net play and leadership for a team that was without some key players due to injury. Phillips produced a top-seven total in both kills and blocks. Continuing with my second-team, I give second-place Zane Trace the duo of setter Jenna Wiget (recorded a league’s fourth best assist total at just over five assists per game) and libero Amanda Prickett (league best at over seven digs per game).
Next, I return to the league champions with the selection of Allison Morgan. Morgan, one of the league’s best defenders at the net, recorded nearly a block per game this season. One of the biggest debates could probably come in picking the second Huntington player. Huntington was very balanced after Fultz; however, I feel Madison Vickers deserves this slot. Vickers played all the way around providing a variety of production for a Huntington squad that had second place in their sights before losing their final two league matches at home. Defensively, Adena Cara Coy becomes the fifth Lady Warrior on my list, and Piketon’s Alex Southworth and Paint Valley’s Whitney Hollon completes my 2009 all-league team.
My honorable mention list includes Jenny Grigsby and Olivia Arledge of Adena, Huntington’s Alex Johns, Paint Valley’s Abbie Walls, Shella Zimmerman of Piketon, Merrilee Dresbach of Southeastern, Madison Trainer and Kristen McCarty of Unioto, Westfall’s Makenzie Wippel, and Zane Trace’s Kareina Partee and Kristen Bennett.
SVCsportszone.com's
SVC Player of the Year
First Team
Jess Roepke, Zane Trace
Hannah Halcomb, Adena
Kelsey Bielanow, Adena
Kirsti Yates, Adena
Megan Fultz, Huntington
Catherine Dresbach, Southeastern
Kenly Stidham, Unioto
Madison Davis, Unioto
Olivia Cobb, Westfall
Second Team
Kaitlin Duarte, Southeastern
Alex Phillips, Westfall
Jenna Wiget, Zane Trace
Amanda Prickett, Zane Trace
Madison Vickers, Huntington
Allison Morgan, Adena
Cara Coy, Adena
Alex Southworth, Piketon
Whitney Hollon, Paint Valley
Honorable Mention
Olivia Arledge, Adena
Jenny Grigsby, Adena
Alex Johns, Huntington
Abbie Walls, Paint Valley
Shella Zimmerman, Piketon
Merrilee Dresbach, Southeastern
Madison Trainer, Unioto
Kristen McCarty, Unioto
Makenzie Wippel, Westfall
Kareina Partee, Zane Trace
Kristen Bennett, Zane Trace
