MaxPreps 2016 Small Schools All-American Girls Volleyball Team

Video: Sub-State
Watch Hesston's Kailey Jo Ince, the Kansas 3A Player of the Year.

MaxPreps Small Schools Player of the Year: Mariah Whalen, Newman (Wausau, Wis.), 6-1 Sr.

Whalen was a first team At-Large All-American and was on MaxPreps 2016 National Volleyball Player of the Year watch list. She is a four-time MaxPreps All-American and was MaxPreps 2013 National Freshman of the Year. Whalen averaged six kills per set, served 97 aces, blocked 86 shots and averaged 2.8 digs and 3.8 serve receptions per set this season.

In addition, Whalen is a four-time state champion with impressive career statistics – 2,732 kills (6.3 per set), 50.2 kill percentage, 349 aces, 21.7 percent ace ratio and 320 total blocks (0.7/set). Newman was 153-16-6 over the last four seasons with Whalen on the court. She has signed with Wisconsin.

Coach of the Year: Kim Metz, Jackson Center (Ohio)



Metz directed Jackson Center to a 30-0 record and the Ohio small school state championship.

The Tigers lost four sets during the season, three in the first two weeks of the season and one in the state semifinals. Between Sept. 6 and Nov. 10, they did not lose a set while winning 62.

The Tigers were led by all-state seniors Camryn Hoehne, Cassie Meyer and Alicia Kessler.

Team of the Year: Hampton (Neb.) 35-0

Coached by Diane Thorson, Hampton won the state D-2 title and lost two out of 87 sets. On Oct. 18, Hampton lost its only sets of the season and trailed Exeter-Milligan 2-0 before winning in five sets to protect the perfect season. The Hawks shutout their other 34 opponents.

The Hawks featured five seniors, but no six-foot players.



Ranked 1,281 in MaxPreps computer rankings, the Hawks had four D2 All-State players – Madison VanHousen (signed to play at Doane) and Jaime Troester (Doane) on the first team and Tayler Klassen and Tristin Mason on the second team. VanHousen was the Player of the Year.

Athletes selected as MaxPreps All-Americans were evaluated based on season performance, statistics, coaches comments, intangibles, and the importance of each athlete's contribution to her team's success.

In addition to Small Schools Player of the Year Marian Whalen, the rest of the 2016 MaxPreps Small Schools All-Americans include:

First Team
MB - Emma Funk, Our Lady Academy (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), 5-10 Jr.
Funk had a state-high 748 kills (in 111 sets) with a kill percentage of 67 percent to go with 165 points served, 89 blocks, 73 digs and 34 aces for the five-time champion Crescents.

MH - Kailey Jo Ince, Hesston (Kan.), 6-1 Jr.
Named to the Wichita Eagle All-Metro team, Ince averaged 6.3 kills as Hesston won 38 matches and reached the Class 3A championship match. She was named the state's 3A Player of the Year.

MH - Katie Smoot, Notre Dame (Belmont, Calif.), 6-2 Sr.
Smoot, who has signed with Arizona, averaged 5.5 kills in leading the Tigers to 32 wins and the West Bay League title. In a league filled with future college players, Smoot was named the WBAL Player of the Year.

OH - Samantha Drechsel, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell, Wash.), 6-3 Sr.
Headed to Maryland, Dreschel led Cedar Park to fifth place at the 1A state tournament when she averaged 5.4 kills, 3.2 digs and 3.9 serve receptions per set. She also served for 213 points.



OH - Megan Miller, Alexandria-Monroe (Alexandria, Ind.), 5-7 Jr.
Despite being shorter than half her teammates, Miller averaged 5.9 kills, 3.6 digs and 5.3 serve receptions to lead the Tigers to 27 wins. Miller, who has committed to Nebraska, also served for 284 points and had 144 aces. A three-time all-state performer, Miller was named the Anderson Times-Herald Player of the Year for the second straight year.

OH - Lauren Chastang, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.), 6-0 Sr.
Chastang led Bayside to its 15th-straight state title when she played on her sixth state title team (she started as a seventh grader) this season as Bayside won 57 of 62 matches. She averaged 4.4 kills and 3.1 digs per set in 2016. The three-sport standout has signed with Kennesaw State.

OH - Jena Otec, St. Pius X (Festus, Mo.), 5-11 Sr.
Otec, who signed with Purdue, led St. Pius to the state 2A title and a 36-4 record. She averaged 5.8 kills, 4.1 digs and 4.9 serve receptions for the Lancers, and was named to the St. Louis Dispatch's All-Metro team.

OH - Jaela Zimmerman, Malcolm (Neb.), 6-2 Jr.
Zimmerman recorded 543 kills, 314 digs, 69 blocks and 45 ace serves as Malcolm reached the state C1 finals and finished 34-1. She racked up 111 kills, 83 digs and 99 serve receptions in four playoff matches. Committed to Creighton, Zimmerman was named the Lincoln-Star's Nebraska Player of the Year.

OH - Hannah Towne, Rochester (Ind.), 6-0 Sr.
Committed to Grand Canyon University for beach volleyball, Towne averaged 6.1 kills, 3.7 digs and 4.0 serve receptions to lead the Zebras to 32 wins and the state 2A semifinals.

OH - Paige Jones, New Bremen (Ohio), 6-0 Jr.
A first-team All-State selection, Jones was named the District and Region player of the year after averaging 8.8 kills for a 23-4 team that reached the regional finals. She also served for 121 (1.4 per set average) aces, recorded 2.8 digs and 4.8 serve receptions in 89 sets. Jones' 8.8 kill average as the best in the nation for players who played in 50 or more sets.



S - Kristine Gese, Notre Dame (Belmont, Calif.), 5-9, Sr.
In 104 sets, Gese dished 1,141 assists (11.2 per set average) as Notre Dame won 32 matches. In three varsity seasons, Gese compiled 3,106 assists for an 11.4 average. She was a second team MaxPreps All-American in 2015.

S - Jenna Ibieta, Metairie Park Country Day (Metairie, La.), 5-10, Sr.
Signed by Tulane, Ibieta led the Cajuns to the state D5 championship. Check out her per-set averages: 11.3 assists, 4.3 digs and 1.8 kills. She also served at a 99 percent clip with 84 aces and blocked 95 shots. She finished with more than 5,000 career assists and was named the Times-Picayune Small School Player of the Year.

S - Jessica Almgren-Bell, Head-Royce (Oakland, Calif.), 5-9 Sr.
Bell-Almgren quarterbacked a 34-1 season that ended with a state D5 title and 26-straight wins. Bell-Almgren dished out 34 assists in the state-title match. She will attend Washington University in St. Louis with her All-American twin sister Allison. Bell-Almgren was the Bay Counties League Most Valuable Player.

S - Jordyn Nelson, Greenway (Phoenix, Ariz.), 5-5 Sr.
Nelson led Greenway to the state 3A finals match as she served for 97.5 percent (72 aces and 316 points), had 121 kills, 314 digs and 1,119 assists (10.3 average).

L - Darby Hughes, Franklin (Texas), 5-4 Sr.
Hughes guided Franklin to the final eight in Texas 3A playoffs in 2016. She pulled a rare double recording more than 1,000 touches in two categories as she returned 1,001 serves (7.3 per set average) and had 1,030 digs for a 7.5 average. She was named District 20-3A Defensive MVP and All-State.

A-A - Madison Jurgens, Diller-Odell (Odell, Neb.), 5-10, Sr.
Headed to South Dakota, Jurgens was a finalist for National Small Player of the Year. She finished with an extremely rare triple of more than 400 kills (473), 400 assists (492) and 400 digs (403) for the season. She led her team to a 33-4 record and state runner-up. Jurgens had 65 kills, nine ace serves, eight ace blocks, 45 digs and 59 assists in her three state tournament matches.



A-A - Madison Ladner, Hancock (Kiln, Miss.), 5-11 Jr.
Ladner led the Lady Hawks to the class 3 title with 409 kills ( kill percentage of 61.9) with 773 assists, 171 digs, 161 aces, 113 blocks and 331 points scored.

Second Team

MB - Emma Granger, Dalton (Ohio), 6-3 Sr.
A three-time All-State performer, Granger averaged 5.8 kills (with a 62 percent kill ratio) in leading the Bulldogs to the state D4 semifinals. She signed with West Virginia.

MB - Tarynn Sieg, Eaton (Colo.), 6-1 Sr.
Seig, who will participate in track and field at Colorado State University, led Eaton to its fourth-straight state 3A title and was named the 3A Player of the Year. Seig led Eaton (27-2) with 438 kills (4.5 per set average) and 108 blocks in 97 sets. MB - Ashley Ray, Girard (Kan.), 6-5 Sr.
Ray averaged 5.4 kills and 1.4 blocks per set in leading the Trojans to a 32-9 season and into the playoffs. She has signed to play basketball at Kansas State.

MB - Jordan Jones, Goodpasture Christian (Madison, Tenn.), 6-1, Sr.
Jones led the Cougars to their fifth straight state small school championship. She averaged 1.6 blocks and 3.3 kills per set. She was named to the Tennessean's All-Mid-State team.

MB - Sarah Swanson, Elkhorn South (Neb.), 6-1 Sr.
A repeat first-team Super-Stater and MaxPreps All-American, Swanson recorded 399 kills, 72 ace blocks and 38 ace serves. Swanson, who has committed to TCU, connected on a school-record 31 kills in her final regular-season match. She also has school records for kills in a season (515) and career (1,227).



OH - Cassidy Haufler, Centralia (Kan.), 6-1 Sr.
Named the state 1A Player of the Year, Haufler led Centralia to a 44-1 season and a state title (its third in four season with Haufler on the court). She averaged 5.4 kills and 4.0 digs per set. In addition, she served for 65 aces and 267 points.

OH - Samantha Gioiosa, Bogota (N.J.), 5-6 Jr.
Named NJ.com's Player of the Year, Gioiosa averaged 7.7 kills per set in leading Bogota to its eighth Group 1 state title. She also averaged 5.9 serve receptions and 5.0 digs per set. She averaged better than eight kills per set in her final 10 matches of the season and 10 in the state title match.

OH - Sam Burgio, Eden (N.Y.), 5-10 Sr.
Averaging 6.1 kills and 4.3 digs per set, Burgio led Eden to the state C title and a 43-3 season. She also served 114 aces in 114 sets. Burgio, who has signed with Maryland, is a repeat MaxPreps All-American selection.

OH - Makenzie Fink, Eastland (Lanark, Ill.), 6-1 Sr.
Fink averaged 7.3 kills with a 54.6 percent kill average and added 31 aces serving 92.2 percent, had 236 digs and returned 345 serves as the Cougars reached the state 1A title match. The two-time all-stater will attend Northwestern College.

OH - Alison Almgren-Bell, Head-Royce (Oakland, Calif.), 5-9 Sr.
Almbreg-Bell teamed with her All-American sister, Jessica, to lead Head Royce to a 34-1 season and a state 5A title. She had 15 kills in the title match. She will attend Washington University in St. Louis with her sister.

S - Kiana Mayer, Bronson (Mich.), 5-8 Jr.
After helping Bronson win a state championship as a sophomore outside hitter, Mayer moved to setter this season and became one of the top setters in Michigan. A first team All-State selection, she ran the offense for this year's state title team with 1,468 assists (sixth most in MHSAA single-season history). She also had 94 aces, 184 kills and 312 digs.



S - Cassie Davis, Colorado Springs Christian (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 5-6 Sr.
As a senior, Davis dished 1,040 assists to bring her career and state-best total to 3,715 (137 more than the previous leader). Davis also led the team with 88 aces and was fourth on the team with 118 kills. She added 44 blocks and 387 digs.

S - Selina Xu, Menlo School (Atherton, Calif.), 5-11 So.
Xu led Menlo to the state D4 championship when she averaged two kills, two digs and 5.5 assists per set.  She also served for 188 points. In the state-title match, she had 12 kills, 12 digs and 19 assists.

L - Taylor Smythe, Estancia (N.M.), 5-8 Jr.
Smythe, an All-State first team selection, led Estancia to the state quarterfinals when she served 94 percent, dished out 250 assists and picked 832 digs (9.8 per set average).

L - Ellie Marx, Evansville Mater Dei (Ind.), 5-6 Jr.
Marx finished the season with a state-leading 777 digs (6.6 per set average) and led Mater Dei to a berth in the 2A semifinals. She was named the Evansville All-City Player of the Year.

A-A - Maia Dvoracek, Truckee (Calif.), 6-1
Committed to Cal Poly, Dvoracek was named Nevada's 3A Player of the Year when she averaged 4.8 kills per set and added 51 aces 54 blocks, 199 digs, 236 assists and 306 serve receptions.

A-A - Payton Nutter, Bethlehem Academy (Faribault, Minn.), 5-9 Sr.
A four time All-State selection. Nutter finished the season with 423 kills, 301 assists, 212 digs and added 28 service aces. Nutter, who was named the Fairbault Daily News Area Volleyball Players of the Year four times, will play at Concordia (Minn.).



Third Team

MB - Breana Edwards, Rainier (Ore.), 6-1 Jr.
With 621 kills (6.8 per set average, 54.4 kill percent), 129 blocks, 301 digs and 62 aces, Edwards repeated as Lewis and Clark 3A Player of the Year and was the key in leading the Columbians the OSAA 3A state tournament. Named the Longview Daily News' Player of the Year, Edwards has committed to Indiana.

MB - Roxanne Morris, Goliad (Texas), 5-11 Sr.
Named the Victoria Advocate's Player of the Year for the second-straight year, Morris led Goliad to a 44-2 season and the Texas 3A title. She finished with 551 kills, 322 digs, 72 aces and 126 blocks.

MH - Shaylee Johnson, Fleming (Colo.), 6-2 Sr.
Johnson, who will play at North Platte Community College, led Fleming to a 29-2 record and the state 1A title. She was named 1A Player of the Year after recording 251 kills, 102 total blocks and had 275 digs.

OH - Jessica Hayes, Abilene (Kan.), 5-10 Sr.
Hayes averaged 7.0 kills for her 37-5 team. She also served 97.3 percent and averaged 3.1 digs. She is a two-time All-State recipient and has signed with Emporia State.

OH - Kiley DeBerg, Hudson (Iowa), 6-4 Sr.
DeBerg ranked second in Iowa with 6.6 kills per set and took Hudson to the state-title match. At the state tournament, she finished with 80 kills. An Illinois recruit, DeBerg was state 1A Player of the Year and was named to Iowa's All-Elite eight-member team. OH - Katie Furlong, Galena (Ill.), 6-0 Sr.
Furlong had a national-best hitting percentage of 65 percent and a kill average of 68.4 in averaging 5.9 kills per set to lead Galena to a 32-5 season. She also averaged 3.2 assists and 2.8 digs per set and served for 43 aces and blocked 49 shots.



OH - Jenna Culhan, Lake Worth Christian (Boynton Beach, Fla.), 6-0 Sr.
Culhan, who signed with Liberty University, recorded 476 kills (4.6 per set), 464 digs (4.5 per set), 32 blocks and 62 aces as the Defenders advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals. She was named the state 3A Player of the Year.

OH - Charity Bradley, Desert Hills (St. George, Utah), 6-4 Sr.
Bradley, the daughter of former NBA standout Shawn Bradley, led the Thunder to a berth in the state 3A finals. She was region co-Most Valuable Player and 3A all-state. Signed with Washington State, she averaged 5.1 kills and 3.7 digs per set.

OH - Emma Lawrence, Bishop England (Charleston, S.C.), 5-9 Sr.
Led by Lawrence, the Bishops won a national record 17th-straight state championship this season. Lawrence totaled 335 kills and 342 digs and 34 aces, and was named the state's 3A Player of the Year. She was also the state champion in the 1,600-meters and finished second in the 800 for the Bishops' track and field squad.

OH - Kaylee Thomas, St. John Lutheran (Ocala, Fla.), 5-8 Sr.
Thomas led St. John's to the state 2A title and a 26-5 season when she averaged better than four kills, serve receptions and digs per set and served 80 aces. She has signed with Alabama.

S - McKinley Fox, Santa Catalina (Monterey, Calif.), 6-1 Jr.
A three-year starter, Fox compiled 841 assists this year and helped take the program on a record-breaking season that included a 27-0 start and the Cougars' first Central Coast Section D5 title. She was named the Monterey Herald's Volleyball Player of the Year.

S - Carley Nicholson, St. Pius X (Festus, Mo.), 5-5, Jr.
Nicholson averaged 11.31 assists in leading St. Pius X to the state 2A title and a 36-4 season. She posted 36 aces and 234 digs. She averaged 13 assists in the state playoffs and 14 per set in the final two matches.



S - Lexi Spence, Wapahani (Selma, Ind.), 5-6 Jr.
Spence, who had 61 assists in winning state-title match, averaged 10.9 assists during the Raiders' 32-6 season.

L - Jessica Houghton, Menlo School (Atherton, Calif.), 5-8 Sr.
Houghton was a defensive standout for the Knights as they won the California D4 title. She averaged 4.4 digs and 6.1 serve receptions in a 25-8 season. She also served for 238 points, 42 aces and a 90 percent average. She has signed with Michigan.

L - Sydney Peteresen, Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa), 5-6 Jr. 
Named the 3A Player of the Year, Petersen led the Wolverines to the state title when she totaled 622 digs (4.7 per set average) and served 92 percent on nearly 600 serves. Petersen, who has committed to Texas, was named to Iowa's All-Elite eight-member team.

A-A - Rylie Vaughn, Newman (Wassau, Wisc.), 5-9 Jr.
Vaughn did everything for Newman as the Cardinals won their fourth-straight state D4 title. She averaged 3.6 kills, 2.8 digs, 5.5 assists and 3.1 serve receptions (with just 10 errors) to earn All-State honors. She also served 96.5 percent for 423 points and 96 aces.

A-A - Landry Wagner, Iola (Texas), 5-7 Sr.
Wagner led Iola to its second-straight state 2A title. Named the state tournament MVP, Wagner had 25 kills and 19 digs in the state-title match as Iola finished the season 42-1.