Are these absolutely the best sophomores in the state? We don't know for certain (and we're not even close to pretending that the list is anywhere near complete). What we do know is that these are very, very good players who have been nominated by some very, very passionate readers of this blog.Keep in mind that this is a mid-season list. After the last whistle blows, we'll compile another that will hopefully include even more feedback from even more readers. Players are listed in alphabetical order. Errors are inevitable and we apologize in advance. Please let us know of any factual inaccuracies.
Patti Abshire-Catholic Memorial
On a team loaded with talented sophomores, Patti is a constant and consistent presence, both for her ability to receive serve and her overall defense. She will no doubt be a key contributor if Catholic Memorial makes a deep run in the playoffs.
Alexa Barsness-Wisconsin Heights
On a senior-dominated team that's a leading contender for the D3 championship, Alexa's contribution has been impressive, ranking among team leaders in kills, digs and serving percentage. She plays all the way around and has excellent volleyball smarts, both offensively and defensively.
Brittany Bleich-Beaver Dam
Brittany plays middle and has been improving with every match. She's already a vital contributor to a very talented team. While her blocking has always been a strong suit, she's starting to crank up her number of kills as well.
Hanna Cahoon-Watertown
The only freshman on last year's D1 state championship team, Hanna stepped into the setting role when Kaley Jacobsen, last year's setter, went down with an injury the week before the season started. Hanna plays every point with a winning combination of heart and smarts.
Jenny Ciriacks-Wauwatosa West
No stranger to our 20+ kill list, Jenny is an outside hitter who dominates at the net. She has plenty of upside potential and should help Wauwatosa West hit on all cylinders throughout the remainder of the season.
Kim Frei-West Bend West
The individual who nominated Kim thinks she's the best setter they've seen in the Class of 2011. (Who doesn't think that about someone they've nominated?) This person, however, happens to be a completely unbiased source who has seen plenty of high school volleyball this season and is a self-admitted "tough critic."
Kaitlyn McIntyre-Beaver Dam
Kaitlyn crushes the volleyball as hard as anyone in this class. Really crushes it. But she does much more than just hit. She's also second on her team in digs (first place going to Wisconsin recruit Kelli Kasha).
Kortney Morrin-Grantsburg
Grantsburg has yet to lose a match this season and Kortney is a major reason why. She consistently racks up kills and does the little things that have made a big difference for the Pirates.
Kayla Pickart-Fond du Lac
Kayla's freshman season ended when current UW-Green Bay player Abbey Gitter blocked her on match point in a 15-13, fifth-game playoff loss to Hortonville. Since that disappointment, however, she has been virtually unstoppable, helping lead a Fond du Lac team of mostly freshmen and sophomores to an impressive win over Cedarburg and competitive matches against the likes of Oshkosh West and Westosha Central.
That's the list at the moment. If you don't see your favorite sophomore on it, make sure you let us know why she belongs because we'll be compiling another list at season's end. (And, of course, we sure hope we didn't miss anyone who was nominated so please let us know that as well.)
Tomorrow: Mid-Season Nominees to our Class of 2011 Boys All-Cheese
7 comments:
Jenny Ciriacks is an O/H. Crystal Graf, O/H for Madison LaFollette, belongs on this list. As do Aly Kujawa, O/H CMH, Frankie Carroll, middle WFB and Janelle Hobbs, middle Arrowhead.
Someone had also nominated Rachel Ambroch of Franklin after we published this post. Direct quote: "She has a HEAVY arm when striking the ball. Franklin is 20-4 so far this year and a lot of it has to do with Rachel."
She and the above names are definitely deserving of nomination.
We'll correct our error on Jenny Ciriacks' position.
Thanks for commenting.
agree on Rachel - forgot her. not sure of her all-around game, but she swings hard.
We received an e-mail after this post went up with the following comment:
"It is my belief that Kristin Hovie is the best sophomore in the FVA and one of the best sophomores in the state. Thanks"
Sorry it took us so long to publish it here.
Someone else provided additional details on Kristin Hovie's exceptional sophomore season for Neenah. We've paraphrased below:
"Kristin Hovie is one of the premier volleyball players not only in the class of 2011 but in the state. Some examples of this are: Her recent performances since her mid-season switch from MB to OH she has led the Neenah in kills 4 out of 5 times with a high of 17 kills against an excellent Kimberly team. This stat is further impressive because she is on the same team as Becca Stern another OH who is among the top players in the FVA. Kristin is a High-Flying, Hard-Hitting, 6 footer who has worked hard on her touch shots and defense to be switched to outside. She also participated and starred as a MB for the FC-Elite 15-1's team that played at Nationals in Texas this past year. She has a long wingspan and an approach jump of 116+ inches. As a 2 year varsity player she has also taken an active leadership role on the Neenah team who despite a lack of height and the loss of a lot of talented seniors has a 5-3 FVA record."
Amanda Dettmann, setter/OH from DSHA belongs on the list. She set for the Sting 15Gold team that took 2nd at JVDA.
I am sure that this has been done and even exceded but it is worth noting:
Last night 10/16 Alexa Barsness - Wisconsin Heights, "Class of 2011 Girls All-Cheese List" showed her consistent level of serving as she reeled off 22 consecutive serves in a 21 point swing in Game 1 vs. Waterloo. She did mix in 6 aces during that span in the 25-4 Heights victory.
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