The DuPage County All-Area Girls Volleyball Team

Mary Boken, St. Francis

The four-year starter played both middle and opposite hitter for the Spartans and hopes to help them to a third straight Class 3A title. Through regionals she had 177 kills and 62 blocks. She will play at Clemson next year. "Mary has evolved into a go-to player, and she will be very missed next year," coach Peg Kopec said. "She has just grown so much from her freshman year when she was on the varsity, because of her height mainly, to become a go-to player. She plays defense and serve receives better than most people her size." She was named all-conference as well at all-tourney at Rich East and Effingham.

Rachel Burau, Wheaton Warrenville South

Tigers coach Bill Schreier considers Burau one of the best setters in school history. The two-time all-DuPage Valley Conference player and two-time Wheaton Classic all-tourney honoree, Burau had 820 assists, 158 kills, 67 blocks, 28 aces and 151 digs this year. "She only knows of one to play and that is at 100 percent effort all the time, which gets contagious with any team that she is a part of," Schreier said. "Rachel is a great communicator and holds her team to a high standard, but herself to an even higher standard."

Tiffany Clark, Benet

A libero during the club season, Clark's coach considers her "the best defensive outside in the state of Illinois." The Michigan-bound senior has 147 kills, 28 blocks and 25 aces, but just as important are her 326 digs. "The amount of balls she digs and how she plays defense and how she serve receives…people don't give her enough credit for those two aspects of the game," Benet coach Brad Baker said. "Her defense and her serve receive this year and then add in what she's been able to do for us offensively, she's just been a rock for us."

Caroline Cordes, Waubonsie Valley

The Warriors' junior middle hitter had 207 kills and 171 blocks while developing into a team leader this season. "Not only is she a great attacker, but what sets Caroline apart is her ability to block. She has been able to change the tempo or course of matches with her blocking ability," Waubonsie Valley coach Kristen Didier said. "She plays bigger than her height and has been a big net presence for us, not only getting blocks but forcing opponents to tip or take different shots." Cordes was unanimous all-Upstate Eight Conference and all-tournament at Autumnfest.

Rachael Fara, Benet

The Daily Herald All-Area Team Captain dominates matches from the middle and the Redwings - 112-9 in Fara's three years on varsity - are seeking a third straight Class 4A trophy. She has 199 kills, 71 blocks and 30 digs heading into the sectionals. "With how she played last year and going into this year, we were extremely excited," Benet coach Brad Baker said. "We knew she was going to have a great year again, and she has been great."

Lauren Fuller, Hinsdale Central

Through 33 matches the senior outside hitter recorded 379 kills, 33 aces, 30 blocks and 201 digs. Committed to play next year at the University of San Diego, Fuller was an all-tournament team selection at the Benet Invite, Wheaton Classic and Mizuno Cup. "Lauren continued to mature this year and fill her role on the team," coach Kelly Moran said. "She was asked to lead the team through her performance on the court."

Dana Griffin, Benet

The senior outside hitter improved her overall game to develop from a front-row threat last year into a six-rotation leader for the 36-1 Redwings. Griffin leads the team with 259 kills but also had 217 digs, 20.5 blocks and 35 aces through the Class 4A regionals. "Dana really came on strong at the end of last year," Redwings coach Brad Baker said. "She leads our team in kills and has taken a ton of big swings, but playing six rotations she has to play defense and serve receive for us."

Kaelan Haag, Neuqua Valley

The floor captain did everything this fall for a Wildcats program that won the Upstate Eight Conference Valley title and finished the year 25-11 after a three-game loss to St. Charles North in the regional finals. Haag, a senior setter/right hitter, was named all-tourney in all four tournaments in 2014 and the unanimous all-UEC player has a full scholarship to play at Division I Binghamton University in upstate New York. "Much of our 25-win record season was due to Kaelan's contributions both as a setter and attacker, as well as a leader for her team," Wildcats coach Kelly Simon said of Haag, who had 193 kills and 354 assists.

Molly Haggerty, St. Francis

Only a junior, the 6-foot-1 Haggerty is one of the most dominant hitters in the state and plans to join two of her sisters in playing at Nebraska. She leads the Spartans with 335 kills heading into the sectional and also has 47 blocks, 126 digs for the defending Class 3A champs. Made all-tourney at every tournament and was MVP at the Effingham Crossroads Classic. "Molly is one of the most athletic players that I have had," said long-time coach Peg Kopec. "She dominates both serve receive and attacking. She is able to hit any ball and she's very powerful."

Emily Kwak, Naperville North

Kwak will be missed dearly after starting for the Huskies at the setter position the last four seasons, the last two of which resulted in back-to-back DuPage Valley Conference crowns and 57 wins. She had 709 assists, 245 digs and 49 aces in 2014. "Emily is a steady and calming presence on the court," coach Jen Urban said. "Her leadership skills set her apart from other setters I have coached in the past. She demonstrates hard work on a consistent basis and holds herself and her teammates to high standards."

Grace Larson, Downers Grove North

"What makes Grace's stats most impressive is that we play one of the most competitive schedules in the state with only a couple of lightweights throughout the entire season, and she consistently delivered for us," Trojans coach Mark Wasik said of his team's No. 1 outside hitter. "She is one of our captains and is a six-rotation player who is a weapon as both a hitter and as a server." Larson led Downers North with 314 kills with a kill efficiency of .219, 37 aces, 2.01 serve receive average and 220 total digs.

Lexie Lobdell, Metea Valley

Lobdell set the Mustangs single-season mark with 293 kills while earning All-Area honors a second straight year. The senior outside hitter also had 40 aces, 14.5 blocks and 191 digs this season while earning all-Upstate Eight Conference honors and all-tourney recognition at the Warrior Blast. "Lexie over the last four years has matured into a fantastic volleyball player and a great leader for our volleyball program," Metea Valley coach Dave MacDonald said. "The second half of the season she took the team on her shoulders and would not allow her team to go down without a fight."

Monica Loftus, Montini

The Broncos' senior outside hitter followed up a solid junior year with an even more impressive senior campaign. Loftus leads the regional champs with 261 kills and also had 130 digs, 23 aces, a 2.05 serve receive, and 52 blocks heading into this week's Class 3A sectionals. "Monica is a co-captain, six-rotation player who is our killer leader, while also being second in blocks and fourth in digs," Montini coach Steve Dowjotas said. "She's an offensive weapon front row and back row."

Kamryn Malloy, St. Francis

Only a sophomore, the 6-foot outside hitter/middle blocker has played a big role in the program's 25th straight regional crown and yet another 30-win season in Wheaton. Malloy has 198 kills, 53 blocks, 32 aces and 202 service points through the team's first 37 matches. "Kamryn I think is amazing for her age, and she enjoys learning new shots," Spartans coach Peg Kopec said. "I believe she can hit any ball set to her, yet she is constantly trying to improve her repertoire."

Natalie Schilling, Glenbard West

The 6-foot-1 junior, who has committed to play at Duke, is a three-year starter at outside hitter who made the All-Area first team as a sophomore in 2013. She is the school's all-time leader in kills with more than 900. "To say we are excited about her senior season is an understatement," Hilltoppers coach Peter Mastandrea said. "Natalie has the potential to be one of the finest players to come through our program. She has been a pleasure to coach and is an exciting player to watch. She is a quality student with a 5.4 GPA."

Kacie Stoll, Timothy Christian

Stoll, who has helped the program win four straight conference titles, had another outstanding year in 2014 after making the move to right side. Heading into sectional play she had 293 kills with a .313 hitting percentage, 32 blocks, 149 digs, 30 aces and .935 reception percentage. "She is a true all-around player that can do anything I ask of her and always shows up in the big matches," coach Scott Piersma said. "... She is definitely one of the best players to ever come through Timothy, and what she has contributed to the program can't possibly be measured."

MacKenzie Watterson, Glenbard South

The junior outside hitter consistenly came up big for the 27-9 Raiders, finishing with 344 kills, 226 digs and 37 aces. "MacKenzie was a force for us offensively, setting a school record for kills in a season," Glenbard South coach Chad Grant said. "She controls the ball very well and has a high contact point. She was put in a lot of situations where the other team knew that she was getting the ball, but she was still difficult to stop. Also, her serve receive was instrumental to our success this year." She made the all-tournament teams at Wheaton North and Glenbard West as well as being all-Metro Suburban Conference.

Megan Wernette, Naperville North

The three-year varsity starter had 215 kills, a .429 hitting percentage and 26 blocks for the DuPage Valley Conference champion. "Megan performed at a very high level for the Huskies this season," Naperville North coach Jen Urban said. "She led the team in kills, and this is rare for a middle hitter. She was a constant force in the middle this season and had the ability to take over matches with her hitting."

Sydney Vischer, Wheaton Academy

"Sydney has been a great leader for us this season with her play and her role as one of the team captains," coach D.A. Nichols said of one of the stars who has helped the team finish with a 30-7 record. "She is a great six-rotation player for us ... carries a lot of responsibility in all areas ... she is in serve receive, and gives us a go to person when we need a point." Vischer has 415 kills, 241 digs, 55 aces and 28 blocks. The four-year varsity starter was named player of the year in the Metro Suburban Conference.

Erica Walker, Wheaton North

The senior libero's defense was a big reason the Falcons' program made giant strides this fall. Walker had 363 digs, 53 assists, 31 aces while serving at 93.6 percent, and she passed at a 2.57/3.0 clip. "Erica's drive to be perfect has led the Falcons to an unbelievable season," coach Carole Kristensen said. "With her court awareness and direction she makes defense and passing look so easy." The three-year varsity starter and Wheaton North captain this year is committed to Ohio University.

Honorable Mention

Sydney Bauman, Glenbard South, MB, senior; Jessica Bosse, Wheaton Academy, Libero, senior; Becky Breuer, Waubonsie Valley, OH, senior; Alison Burlelbach, Glenbard West, OH, senior; Natalie Canulli, Benet, libero, senior; Gina Cappetta, Montini, setter, junior; Alex Davis, Hinsdale Central, libero, senior; Phoebe Havenaar, Naperville Central, MH, senior; Sam Herron, Naperville Central, OH, junior; Emily Krachenfels, Neuqua Valley, setter/RH, senior; Hanna Markewycz, Timothy Christian, libero, senior; Kristin Martin, Wheaton Warrenville South, OH, junior; Dani Messa, St. Francis, setter, junior; Sara Nielsen, Benet, setter, sophomore; Alex Preuss, York, OH, junior; Veronica Snelling, Benet, OH, sophomore; Abby Tiesman, Wheaton North, OH, junior; Kelly Thornton, Wheaton North, setter, senior; Katie Vondra, Downers Grove South, OH, Senior; Kate Wagner, Glenbard West, setter, junior.