Girls volleyball/Fox Valley all-area team
By Jerry Fitzpatrick
jfitzpatrick@dailyherald.com
Katie Ayello St. Edward
This senior is a four-year varsity performer for St. Edward. A two-time All-Area selection, Ayello was a member of St. Edward’s Class 2A third-place team when she was a freshman in 2008. She moved to setter this season to fill a team need. She entered the state playoffs with 512 assists and demonstrated her defensive ability with 168 digs. She also contributed 26 aces, 23 kills and 9 blocks. “She is a great, coachable kid,” St. Edward coach Jaime Dovichi said. “I’ve had her since she was in fifth grade and I’ve loved every minute I’ve had coaching her.”
Jess Bartczyszyn Cary-Grove
The latest in a long line of successful Cary-Grove setters, this junior enjoyed a stellar first season directing one of the area’s fastest offenses. After watching Division-I setters Abbey Heredia and Colleen Smith the last two seasons, Bartczyszyn demonstrated what she learned by making 636 assists this year. She has also contributed 102 digs, 59 blocks, 57 kills and 21 aces. “Jess didn’t waste a minute sitting patiently on the bench the last two years,” Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said. “She learned from two great mentors and worked extremely hard on her weaknesses in the off-season to get to the level we needed her at.”
Sam Boesch Huntley
A two-time All-Area selection, this senior outside hitter is the most prolific scorer for a team with 29 wins heading into Thursday’s regional championship match. The Wake Forest recruit entered postseason play leading the Red Raiders in kills (384) and boasted a kill percentage of .375. A four-year varsity performer, Boesch also made 221 digs, 22 total blocks and recorded 25 aces in 240 service attempts. She was named to all-tournament teams at Autumnfest and Plainfield North. “In the last four years I’ve seen her grow into an amazing outside hitter,” Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “She’s a confident player who wants to be that go-to hitter on our team.”
Sam Bohne Burlington Central
This four-year varsity starter was the backbone of the defense for a team that won 21 matches. In 32 regular-season outings the senior libero made 424 digs and committed only 8 errors in 324 serve receive attempts (97 percent). She served 36 aces in 258 service attempts (14 percent) and scored 137 service points. She has a 2.51 passing average on a 3-point scale. “Sam was phenomenal in the back row,” Burlington Central coach Marv Leavitt said. “She was our most consistent player all year long.” A member of the Sky-High Black two-time AAU national champion club team, Bohne also contributed 31 assists and 15 spike kills for the Rockets.
Amy Dion Huntley
The honorary captain of the 2011 Daily Herald All-Area team has played in every Huntley varsity match for the last four seasons and was named all-conference every year. Committed to Maryland, the libero entered Thursday’s regional title match with 484 digs and only 48 errors in 427 serve receptions. She has 60 assists to go with 29 kills and 35 aces in 247 service attempts. Dion leads Huntley in serve percentage (.931). “She was the same old Amy this year,” Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “She just came out and gave everything she had every day. She’s a leader vocally and with her play. You know what you’re going to get from her every time.”
Alyssa Ehrhardt Jacobs
A repeat All-Area pick, this junior was the keystone of the attack for a Jacobs squad that won 24 matches. In her third varsity season Ehrhardt led the Golden Eagles in kills (370), kill percentage (.389), aces (72) and passer rating (2.16 out of 3.0). She demonstrated her all-around game by making 220 digs. “Alyssa has really matured and developed into a player that leads on and off the volleyball court,” Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer said. “She has been the one to come through with the point when the game is on the line. She has developed an offensive vision that naturally tells her where to put the ball down on the court.”
Jaina Jackson Huntley
A three-year varsity middle blocker, this 6-foot-2 senior developed into a force for the Red Raiders. Entering the postseason Jackson had 149 kills in 345 attacks to lead the Red Raiders with a kill percentage of .432. She also notched 38 total blocks and made 70 digs to complement her 25 aces in 250 attempts for a serve percentage of .876. Jackson was named to the all-tournament team at Plainfield North. “She really came on this year,” Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “We have the option of a middle now which makes things easier on our other hitters because the defense has to pay attention to Jaina.”
Melanie Jereb Cary-Grove
A two-time All-Area selection and a key piece of the 2010 Class 4A runner-up team, this outside hitter continued to deliver for the three-time FVC Valley Division champion Trojans. Committed to Creighton, Jereb entered Thursday’s regional championship with 261 kills and a kill percentage of .321. The all-around talent also has 259 digs, 57 blocks and 45 aces. “A lot of people just look at the player as she is now, but I wish they could see all the hard work and effort Melanie put in to get to this point,” Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said. “When you see her take over a match it makes you proud as a coach.”
Nikki Madoch Jacobs
The Golden Eagles soared to a 24-win season, thanks in part to the consistent play of their 6-foot-1 middle blocker. Madoch led her team in solo blocks (16) and assisted blocks (26) and was second in kills (182) and kill percentage (. 343). The senior also contributed 43 aces, 45 digs and 16 assists. “She was such a big leader on the court,” Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer said. “When her offense got going it definitely got the entire team going. She’s smart. She mixes up her attacks and she plays great defense.”
Eli Manning Huntley
Huntley’s setter has kept the offense unpredictable with 831 assists in 36 matches (23 avg.) heading into Thursday’s regional championship. A two-year starting setter at Huntley since she transferred from Marian Central, the senior also leads the Red Raiders in aces (37), service attempts (322), and service points (226). She handled the ball without error 84 percent of the time in 1,938 attempts. Manning also has 213 digs and 9 total blocks. “She has been amazing for our team,” Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “She is an even-keeled, silent leader who never gets too high or too low. She keeps everyone happy. I’m just glad she came to our school.”
Kelly Meathe Hampshire
Hampshire’s libero may not be the tallest player on the court, but she’s usually the most well-rounded. She finished her senior season with 389 digs and is receiving college interest. “She is by far the most complete player we had,” Hampshire coach Karen Whitehouse said. “She’s tiny, but she comes up with some huge plays. She was a senior who led by example. She was there when we needed a big dig and we tried to get Kelly to handle the ball for good passes.” Meathe etched her name in the Hampshire record books when she set a school single-match record with 36 digs vs. Zion-Benton.
Ashley Rosch Cary-Grove
Rosch makes the All-Area team as an outside hitter after being selected last year as a middle blocker. The three-year varsity performer moved to the outside this season, the position she was recruited to play at Illinois State. Rosch flourished, particularly in the second half of the season. Entering Thursday’s regional final she led the FVC Valley champion Trojans with 280 kills (.312 kill percentage) to go with 259 digs, 57 blocks and 45 aces. “Moving her to the outside was a concern initially, but it clicked for her midway through the season,” Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said. “I’m seeing some of the best volleyball play outside from Ashley as I’ve seen from any team in the state. To move from the middle to the outside is extremely difficult to do but she’s done it amazingly well, especially considering she didn’t start playing organized volleyball until high school.”
Liz Simonelli Streamwood
This 5-foot-2 libero was the foundation of the defense and even contributed to the offense for the Sabres. Simonelli made two all-tournament teams, thanks to her all-around dynamic play. She finished the season with 317 digs, a 2.62 passer rating and 328 serve receives. An 87-percent passer who posted 28 aces via jump serves and floaters, the senior also notched 36 kills in 134 hitting attempts, mostly on back-row attempts. “I’ve never seen another player like her,” Streamwood coach Lisa Vazzana said. “She is beyond aggressive. She never quits. She was second on our team in attacks and she was a libero.”
Maris Smith Jacobs
Smith stands 5-foot-7 but plays the outside hitter position much taller due to her strong vertical jump and even stronger will. “Even in practice Maris has to win,” Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer said. “She is such a competitor. She gets mad when doesn’t win so she just does not quit. She’s not exactly tall, but the way she plays is so huge. We totally need her energy on the court.” Smith’s impressive all-around statistics reflect her versatility: 169 kills, 225 digs, 47 aces, a 2.08 passer rating, 18 assists and 14 total blocks.
2011 Daily Herald All-Area Girls Volleyball Team
Player School Pos. Yr.
Katie Ayello St. Edward S Sr.
Jess Bartczyszyn Cary-Grove S Jr.
Sam Boesch Huntley OH Sr.
Sam Bohne Burlington Central L Sr.
*Amy Dion Huntley L Sr.
Alyssa Ehrhardt Jacobs OH Jr.
Jaina Jackson Huntley MH Sr.
Melanie Jereb Cary-Grove OH Sr.
Nikki Madoch Jacobs MB Sr.
Eli Manning Huntley S Sr.
Kelly Meathe Hampshire L Sr.
Ashley Rosch Cary-Grove OH Sr.
Liz Simonelli Streamwood L Sr.
Maris Smith Jacobs OH Jr.
* — Honorary captain
Honorable mention
Bartlett — Alexis Mason (OH, Sr.)
Burlington Central — Brenda Thasavong (MH, Sr.), Allie O’Reilly (S, So.)
Cary-Grove — Nicole Schuh (L, Sr.), Mallory Wilczynski (MB, Jr.), Sheila Wilhelmi (MB, Sr.)
Crystal Lake South — Katie Myers (L, Sr.)
Dundee-Crown — Alexa Shemanske (OH, Sr.)
Elgin — Bree Hamilton (MB, Sr.), Rachel Roth (L, Sr.)
Harvest Christian — Sydney Doby (OH)
Hampshire — Jenny Dumoulin (OH, Jr.)
Huntley — Ashley Smith (OH, Sr.)
Jacobs — Taylor Lauder (S, Jr.)
Larkin — Olivia Kofie (MH, So.), Brianna Stewart (RS, So.)
South Elgin — Ashley Oandasan (OH, So.)
St. Edward — Callie Johnson (MB, Sr.), Sarah Norman (OH, Sr.)
Westminster Christian — Cara Tyrrell (OH, Jr.), Claire Speweik (OH, So.)
Captains Honor Roll
1995 — Jaime Johnson (CL South)
1996 — Stacy Barnett (CL South)
1997 — Vicki Lublow (Larkin) and Joni Melahn (Larkin)
1998 — Sarah Ahnen (Jacobs) and Nicole Kwasniewski (Elgin)
1999 — Marion Hansen (Huntley), Julie Malm (Larkin) and Jorie Miguel (Jacobs)
2000 — Erin Borhart (Huntley) and Kelly Hopkins (St. Edward)
2001 — Erin Borhart (Huntley) and Jamie Hastings (Cary-Grove)
2002 — Meredith Stach (St. Edward) and Aimee Knott (St. Edward)
2003 — Brittney Aldridge (Hampshire)
2004 — Alyssa Groves (St. Edward)
2005 — Hillary Haen (Prairie Ridge) and Paige Johnson (St. Edward)
2006 — Hillary Haen (Prairie Ridge) and Paige Johnson (St. Edward)
2007 — Katie Post (Streamwood) and Molly Turk (Burlington Central)
2008 — Molly Turk (Burlington Central)
2009 — Stephanie Holthus (Burlington Central)
2010 — Kelly Lamberti (Cary-Grove)
2011 — Amy Dion (Huntley)