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From large to small, volleyball teams in the Brazos Valley maintained the area's standard of excellence in the sport this season, setting school records and capping career accomplishments that might never be eclipsed.
The Brazos Valley sent Caldwell, Centerville and Iola to the state tournament, and saw A&M Consolidated make its deepest playoff run at the Class 5A level. Those teams, along with regional qualifiers Brenham, Leon, Normangee and other successful squads, produced a strong crop of candidates for The Eagle's 11th Annual All-Brazos Valley Volleyball Team.
Consol and Iola landed two players each on the prestigious first team. Senior setter Hillary Parker and junior right side hitter Shelby Dickson represent Consol, which reached the 5A regionals for the first time. Outside hitter Shelbi Bishop and libero Kelseigh Braaton made the team after helping Iola reach the Class A state final and posting a 111-12 record in four years on the varsity squad.
The first team includes Brenham junior Bethany Yeager, a repeat selection like Bishop, along with seniors April Howell of Caldwell and Alex Lacey of Centerville.
Players were nominated by their coaches and chosen by members of The Eagle sports staff.
The 2008 All-BV team features what may be a first since the newspaper began choosing honor teams for high school sports. Caldwell's Jane Anne Giese was voted Coach of the Year by her peers. Giese, who played at Caldwell and was a member of The Eagle's first All-BV team in 1998, is the first person to make our honor team as a coach and a player in volleyball.
Giese won a close vote over former BV Coach of the Year Jamie McDougald of Iola and Consol's first-year coach Cydryce McMillian.
So deep was the talent pool in the Brazos Valley that our second team is loaded with outstanding players, including all-state selections in setter Kelsey Alford and outside hitter Kim Crnkovic of Caldwell and outside hitter Jessica Green of Normangee. Other members of the second team are middle blocker Karla Gilbert of Consol, setter Kaylee Piatt of Bryan, outside hitter Chelsie Padgett of Leon and middle blocker Alysha Rogers of Franklin.
The Eagle also selected All-BV Academic Teams, led by a first team that boasts 10 student-athletes with grade point averages above 4.0 or 100, along with the top-ranked member of one class.
The Eagle also selected All-BV Academic Teams, led by a first team that boasts 10 student-athletes with grade point averages above 4.0 or 100, along with the top-ranked member of one class.
First-team academic picks include Brenham junior Yeager, who achieved the rare feat of making both first teams. Other top students include Alford, Chelsea Brumbaugh and Lauren Paine of Brazos Christian, Amanda Cernovich, Jordan Cumpton and Piatt of Bryan, Ashton Johnston of Lexington, Kelsey Lagrone of Centerville, Jill Riley of Normangee, Haley Vrazel of Cameron and Brooke Whitmire of Leon.
Along with strength and balance, the All-BV first team features players familiar with success. That group includes Iola seniors Braaton and Bishop, who led their team to the state final in each of the last two years. The Lady Bulldogs went 39-4 this season and pushed record-setting Windthorst to five games in the state championship match.
Parker and Dickson helped Consol complete a perfect run through District 12-5A and reach the fourth round of the state playoffs. Parker directed the diverse Lady Tigers offense, averaging 10.3 assists per game. Dickson emerged as one of Consol's top offensive weapons and sparkled during the playoff run, finishing the year with 197 kills and 132 digs.
Yeager and Lacey were first-team picks who also landed spots on the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state squads. Yeager, an outside hitter on our team who will play libero in college, had 338 kills and 464 digs. Setter Lacey helped a rebuilt Centerville team reach state for the second consecutive season. She averaged 38 assists, 6.4 kills and 3.2 blocks per match.
Howell joined Alford and Crnkovic in a strong senior class that returned Caldwell's Lady Hornets to the state tournament for the first time in five years. Howell had 350 kills and 315 digs, delivering 14 kills and 14 digs in Caldwell's state semifinal loss to Lucas Lovejoy.
Members of the seven-player third team include outside hitter Mercedes Alafa of Iola, setter Kacie Futrell of Leon, all-state middle blocker Leanne Jones of Centerville, middle blocker Cindy Kelly of Normangee, outside hitter Janie Neyland of Franklin, outside hitter Tiffany Regmund of Bryan and outside hitter Lindsey Zwahr of Brenham.
