6B

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Denton Record-Chronicle

Denton Record-Chronicle

2012 All-Area Volleyball

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Kim Robinson
Krum, Sr., MB
Notable: For the second straight year, Robinsons presence at the front of the net proved to be instrumental for Krum. The senior middle blocker helped the Lady Cats reach the regional quarterfinals in back-toback seasons in the first two years Krum has had a varsity volleyball program. Robinson paced the team with 361 kills. More impressively, she compiled 111 solo blocks throughout the season and tallied 99 digs despite only being on the back row whenever shes serving. Robinson will be in Shawnee, Okla., to play for Oklahoma Baptist and be a member of the Lady Bison track and field team.

Megan Dando
Lake Dallas, Sr., MB
Notable: While the Lady Falcons were unable to follow up last years remarkable playoff run with an ensuing trip the postseason, Dando proved to be vital for Lake Dallas this season. The senior middle blocker had a solid all-around season, tallying 89 solo blocks. Dando, a first-team All-District 5-4A selection, racked up 410 kills, 291 digs and 33 aces on the year. The Lake Dallas standout was one of four seniors leading the Lady Falcons all season, as her lofty numbers indicate. On any given night, Dando had the ability to lead the team in multiple categories, and she totaled 43.6 percent of her kills during district play.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Eighmy Dobbins
Argyle, Fr., OH
Notable: There were many key pieces as the Argyle volleyball team made its deepest postseason run in school history, and one of them was not only a newcomer to the area high school volleyball scene, but to high school altogether. Dobbins, a freshman outside hitter, was one of the taller Argyle players and stepped right into a pivotal role in Argyles diverse attack. She was third on the team with 340 kills and proved to be a valuable defender with 139 digs. But one of the biggest impacts Dobbins made on her team was at the service line. Dobbins used a lethal jump serve to stymie opponents with a 93.5 percent serve percentage and a team-leading 71 aces.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Blair OBrien
Argyle, Sr., S
Notable: For the second straight season, the Argyle setter made it an easy choice as to who would be named the areas Most Valuable Player by the Denton Record-Chronicle staff. OBrien capped her high school career by leading the Lady Eagles to their deepest postseason run in school history, as they lost a hard-fought, five-set match to Abilene Wylie in the Class 3A state semifinals. OBrien tallied 1,453 assists on the season, including 63 against Wylie that put her second on the all-time state list and in a tie for ninth in the national single-match record book. She helped three teammates amass at least 300 kills apiece and another get more than 200 on the season. OBrien also had 35 aces and was a standout defender, racking up 424 digs good for second on the team behind only the libero. The four-year starter will live on not only in school history, but in state and national history, as her 4,916 career assists are good for the most in Texas high school history and fourth in national history.

Clarke Oberle
Argyle
Notable: The only volleyball coach Argyle has known, Oberle had a banner season in 2012. His Lady Eagles not only made their deepest postseason run in school history, they finally got back to the regional tournament and broke through that barrier for the first time. Argyle dropped a five-set thriller to Abilene Wylie in the Class 3A semifinals after losing the first two sets. But the Lady Eagles road to the state tournament was nearly as impressive. They beat two teams ranked higher than them in the regional tournament, topping Longview Spring Hill and Decatur to advance to the state tournament. The run cemented Argyles place in the upper echelon of programs in Class 3A.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

A.J. Campbell
Pilot Point, Sr., OH
Notable: There wasnt a whole lot Campbell didnt do for Pilot Point this season. Campbells stellar senior year landed the outside hitter with the District 12-2A MVP honor and helped lead the Lady Cats to the district championship and the 2A regional quarterfinals. While her kill numbers were down from last season, Campbell, her teams captain, led the Lady Cats with 330 kills and a .317 hitting percentage. She had 61 aces, 202 digs and 80 total blocks, all of which were team highs. Along with junior Kirby Smith, Campbell solidified Pilot Points attack in its run to the district title. Campbell will play volleyball next year at Erskine College in South Carolina.

ALL-AREA FIRST TEAM

KENDALL WAGNER Denton, Sr., OH Wagners production didnt taper off in her senior year with the Lady Broncos. The Denton outside hitter racked up 362 kills, 58 aces and 421 digs for the Lady Broncos this season, leading her squad to a playoff berth. KATY KEENAN Argyle, Soph., MB Keenan had another impressive year for Argyle, a Class 3A state semifinalist. The middle blocker notched 393 kills, 78 blocks and 28 aces this year for the Lady Eagles. Keenan also had a .925 serve percentage on the season. MADELINE MAYER Calvary, Jr., MB Mayers stats wont look as impressive as everybody elses because her team rarely failed to sweep its opponent. Mayer still managed 207 kills and TAPPS Class 2A first-team all-state and 2A all-tournament selections. CORY GRANT Calvary, Sr., OH Grant was another key piece that helped Calvary win the schools first TAPPS volleyball state championship. Grant earned Class 2A firstteam all-state and all-state tournament selections. The senior had 196 kills and 178 digs this season. MADISON WALFORD Guyer, Jr., S Walford earned a District 5-4A firstteam selection after a solid junior year with the Lady Wildcats. Walford compiled 478 assists and 80 digs in district play, helping Guyer reach the area round of the Class 4A playoffs. M.K. KEARNEY Sanger, Sr., OH Kearney was stellar all around for Sanger this year. The senior outside hitter had 334 kills, 64 aces and 448 digs for the Lady Indians. Along with Morgan Turkoly and Madyon Hillis, Kearney kept Sanger afloat in a tough district.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Brooke Robertson
Argyle, Jr., OH
Notable: Robertsons offensive attack was instrumental in Argyles trip to the Class 3A state semifinals. Robertson, a selection to the all-state tournament team, had a match-high 26 kills in the semifinal loss to Abilene Wylie. Robertson led Argyle with a team-high 425 kills in a season that saw the Lady Eagles reach the state tournament for the first time in school history. Robertson had 30 aces and a .911 serving percentage, a 2.55 pass rating and notched 171 digs this season. The outside hitter is only a junior and will be one of the many key pieces returning for the Lady Eagles next season, as they surely will be looking to advance to the state title game and improve on this years results.

ALL-AREA SECOND TEAM

HAILEY FOSTER Ryan, Sr., OH Foster was one of the few seniors on Ryans youthful roster this season. Before she missed the final four games of the season because of injury, Foster racked up 171 kills, 85 assists and 126 digs for the Lady Raiders. MIKAYLA YATES Guyer, Soph., OH Yates earned District 5-4As Newcomer of the Year award, a sign of good things to come for Guyer. The sophomore outside hitter had 183 kills, a .299 hitting percentage and a.918 serve percentage in 5-4A play. JADE AKINS Denton, Soph., OH Along with Kendall Wagner, Akins efforts helped the Lady Broncos reach the area round of the Class 4A playoffs before losing to Aledo, an eventual state finalist. Akins had 314 kills, 26 aces and 311 digs. KIRBY SMITH Pilot Point, Jr., OH Smith, a junior outside hitter, had a big year for Pilot Point to help the Lady Cats win the District 5-2A crown. Smith compiled 270 kills on a .239 hitting percentage and had 27 aces to go with a first-team All-District 5-2A nod. SIERRA J AMES Argyle, Sr., MB James level of play increased as Argyle advanced deeper into the Class 3A playoffs. The senior middle blocker had 238 kills, 48 1/2 blocks, 55 aces and 149 digs for the Lady Eagles. LAINE LOWRY Argyle, Jr., L Lowry solidified Argyles back row this season and came up with key digs all year. Lowry finished the year with a 2.44 pass rating and racked 510 digs, a key piece of Argyles deep playoff run.

Denton Record-Chronicle photos