SAN ANGELO, TX-- It's time to announce the first-ever San Angelo Live All-Concho Valley Volleyball team.
Just like the All-Concho Valley baseball and softball teams, we selected these players based on our expertise from covering volleyball during the 2018 season.
Some area players were left off because we were not able to obtain stats to back up the claim of them being one of the best in the area.
Area volleyball teams enjoyed tremendous success this season.
Central, Sonora and Water Valley each won district championships. Nine teams made it to the postseason with Bronte, Miles and Water Valley each making it to the regional tournament from District 7-2A.
The TLCA Lady Eagles enjoyed their first-ever playoff win with a five set win over Tornillo in the bi-district round.
Wall made it to the area round and Sonora made it to the regional quarterfinals before their seasons came to a halt.
Water Valley enjoyed the longest run of area teams, by far, with an appearance in the state championship game in Garland.
On Monday, we announced Sonora senior hitter Mary Kyle Johnson was named our All-Concho Valley MVP.
Here is the 2018 All-Concho Valley volleyball team:
Outside Hitters (3):
Kait Kirkland, So., TLCA
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Kirkland was instrumental in TLCA's historic season.
The sophomore was praised by her head coach, Meaghan Patterson, after making a smooth transition from setter to hitter this season.
The move paid off. Through their last 12 matches, Kirkland posted a team-high 95 kills to earn 4-3A Offensive MVP honors.
Kirkland wasn't just an offensive power for the Lady Eagles. She also proved to be a tough force defensively with 140 digs in that same 12-game stretch.
TLCA will likely benefit in the two more years she has in high school.
Brae Harris, Jr., Sonora
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With new head coach Judi Harris, so, too, came her two high school daughters Brae and Raeven.
That turned out to be a great thing for the Lady Broncos as she proved to be a versatile athlete in 125 sets played.
Harris adjusted to her new surroundings by posting 312 kills, 317 assists, 336 digs and 27 blocks in her first year in red and black. Those numbers earned the junior co-setter of the year with Wall's Rylee Luther for 4-3A.
Harris is expected to step up in 2019 and fill the leadership role left by Mary Kyle Johnson's graduation.
Kylie Phillips, So., Wall
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Phillips led a balanced attack for a young Lady Hawks team.
The First Team All-District selection was one of four Lady Hawks over the century mark in kills.
Along with her 156 kills, Phillips had 281 digs, 31 aces and 16 blocks this season.
Despite the youth, Wall went 28-14 this season.
Middle Blockers/Hitters (3):
Trinity Southall, Sr., Central
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Southall cemented her name as one of the best to don the orange and blue of Central with a stellar senior season.
The Lady Cats' middle helped guide Central to a 31-7 season.
Southall led the way for the Lady Cats' offense with 378 kills in 100 sets played. Along with her phenomenal year at the net, Southall had 217 digs, 26 digs and 25 aces to her name.
The 5-foot-11 senior closed out her high school career with 1,483 career kills and First Team All-District honors for 3-6A.
Kirsten Gomez, Sr., Central
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Much like her counterpart at the net, Gomez was a spark plug for Central's offense in a successful year.
Unlike Southall, Gomez made her name known with a team-high 42 blocks this season.
She was also second on the team in kills with 197 for Central.
Gomez was tabbed with Second Team All-District honors for her performance on the court this season.
Lauren Scherr, Jr., Wall
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Scherr was named to the team because she was an impenetrable wall at the net for the young Lady Hawks.
The junior blocker led her team with 54 blocks during the Lady Hawks' run to the area round. She also tallied 116 kills.
The 5-foot-8 junior was a First Team All-District selection for just that reason.
Along with those impressive numbers, Scherr also had 43 digs and 19 aces.
Right Side (2):
Kenzie Jordan, Sr., Water Valley
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Water Valley came up one win short of their third state championship in program history.
Leading the charge to Garland was the back-to-back district MVP Jordan.
In the two games at state, Jordan posted 26 kills, 27 assists and 22 digs. An average like that across their 43 games would equal 559 kills, 580 assists and 473 digs.
Jordan posted a triple-double in their opening match in Garland against D'Hanis. She recorded 13 kills, 15 assists and 13 digs in a straight-set win for the Lady Cats.
Kristen Stilley, Sr., Bronte
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Just as Jordan was the leader for Water Valley, Stilley was the same for the Lady Longhorns en route to hitter of the year honors for 7-2A.
Stilley also showed versatility at the net, attacking and defending in various spots during Bronte's run to the regional final.
While listed as a middle blocker and hitter, Stilley's thunderous left hand sets her up perfectly to play right side, as some teams found out.
Through the first 14 matches of the season, Stilley tallied 82 kills and 22 blocks.
That kill ratio would've equated to 234 kills across their 40 games this season.
Setters (4):
Veronica Guerrero, Jr., Central
Guerrero was the one behind the scenes directing Central's potent offense in 2018.
The First Team All-District 3-6A selection posted an area-high 926 assists this season.
To go with that eye-popping number, the junior also had 270 digs, 68 aces and 33 kills.
She was also one of 12 Lady Cats tabbed with Academic All-District honors.
Rylee Luther, Sr., Wall
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Luther was named co-setter of the year with Sonora's Brae Harris after a stellar year directing the Lady Hawks' offense.
The lone senior on Wall's roster posted 377 assists in 2018.
Luther also proved to be a stellar asset on defense, as well, with 138 digs.
She also had a pretty tough serve to handle. Luther had 32 aces this season.
Raeven Harris, So., Sonora
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Just as her sister Brae did, Raeven had a great first year at Sonora.
Raeven was one of three setters Sonora used on the court during 2018. She thrived with 228 assists for the Lady Broncos in that role.
She also proved her ability to play anywhere on the court with 155 kills and 410 digs.
At the service line, Harris had 32 assists. Defensively at the net, she posted 24 blocks.
Shelby Kolls, Sr., Water Valley
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Kolls was an Academic All-District selection for Water Valley, but was left off the first, second and honorable mention teams in 7-2A.
She was integral in Water Valley's run to the state final.
Once in Garland, the senior shined in an attempt to leave her legacy on the program.
In two games, Kolls posted 29 assists and 11 digs in the state tournament.
Defensive Specialists (3):
Bri Delacruz, Sr., TLCA
The Second Team All-District 4-3A selection made sure to leave her mark on the changing culture at TLCA.
Through their final 12 matches, she posted 214 digs.
Her work in the back of the Lady Eagles' defense was critical in their five-set win over Tornillo in the bi-district round.
Kirstyn Greebon, Jr., Water Valley
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Greebon has big shoes to fill considering her mother, Brenda, is the head coach and a state champion Lady Wildcat.
She did well in that regard this season, earning defensive specialist of the year in District 7-2A.
In her two matches at the state tournament, Greebon had 27 digs to help Water Valley to a second place finish.
Factor in that 13.5 digs per match average to the 43 matches Water Valley played and Greebon would have an astonishing 580 digs this season.
Candra Barnett, Jr., Wall
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Barnett was named 4-3A's co-defensive MVP with Grape Creek's Nita Betts after proving to be tough to get past for Wall's defense.
Barnett had a team-high 446 digs this season to help the Lady Hawks get to the area round, where they lost to Bushland.
To go with her impressive defensive numbers, Barnett also had the team-lead in aces with 38. She also had 13 kills and 15 assists this season.
Newcomer of the Year
Kodi Davis, Fr., Sonora
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Judi Harris will be thankful she has Davis in her program for three more years.
The freshman was District 4-3A's newcomer of the year after a respectable debut on varsity.
Davis had 46 kills, 46 digs and 32 blocks for the Lady Broncos this season. She was second on the team with those 32 blocks.
She posted those numbers while playing 107 sets for Sonora this season.
Coach of the Year
Brenda Greebon, Water Valley
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With the way area teams played this season, choosing a coach of the year was not exactly easy.
Miles, Veribest, Bronte and Water Valley each came from the same district and made runs no shorter than the regional quarterfinals. Veribest was the only team from the district not to make it to the regional tournament from that district. Water Valley beat Veribest in the 1A Region I quarterfinal.
Sonora's first-year head coach Judi Harris led a new team to continued success, which is not exactly easy to do as a new coach. Wall's Robynn Jones was able to take a team with just one senior to a district championship match and the area round. TLCA's Meaghan Patterson led the Lady Eagles to their first-ever playoff win.
Central's Connie Bozarth led the Lady Cats to a district title and a 30-win season.
However, thanks to a passionate coaching style and love for her alma mater, Brenda Greebon led her Lady Wildcats back to the state tournament for the first time since 2011.
Getting your team to a second place finish in the state, much less getting to the state tournament, makes you a front runner for Coach of the Year. That's why she was selected as our Coach of the Year.
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