Ryan's Picks for Players of the Year

Another season has come and gone for Missouri High School Volleyball and each year the talent keeps getting better. I want to highlight my picks for the best players in each class. My picks are based on what they accomplished during their careers and what impact they have on their respective teams. Would their school be as successful without this athlete?   Class 1 Player of the Year   [player_tooltip player_id='168900' first='Alexis' last='Hoffman'] – 6'1” – Middle/Setter – Advance   No player in Class 1 impacted her team more than Alexis as she had a touch in just about every position the Hornets had this season. The 6'1” middle and setter was a major force in the last two years and the driving force for the team's success against Class 1 teams. Advance only lost 1 set all season to Class 1 teams and that was the team they swept for the state title. You can tell she's been around the game her whole life as her volleyball IQ is off the charts. She would pick apart teams by either slamming the ball or tipping to an open spot.  Alexis has led her team to back-to-back Class 1 state championships. She ended her career with state titles during her freshman, junior, and senior years with a combined record of 118-27-7 and her career stats are 1423 kills, 159 aces, 251 blocks, 743 digs, and 915 assists. Hoffman is off to play for Notre Dame College in Cleveland, OH where she will be an immediate impact player.   Class 2 Player of the Year   Breckyn Koeller – 5'3” – Setter – Hermann   Koeller was only a two-year starter for the Bearcats but what she accomplished was remarkable. In her first season quarterbacking the offense for the Class 2 power she guided her team to a 2nd place finish and turned around and did that again this season. She will leave the program as one of the top setters in school history and that says a lot about her leadership. Breckyn leaves the program with 2304 career assists in just two seasons. If she had been the starter from day one and ran the offense for four years Breckyn would be on pace to break 4000 career assists. In her two seasons, Hermann would finish with 2 2nd place finishes and a record of 52-29-1. Her biggest accomplishment was guiding a young and unproven roster this season to the state championship match.   Class 3 Player of the Year   [player_tooltip player_id='124226' first='Autumn' last='Bax'] – 6'1” – Opposite – Blair Oaks   I remember Autumn at the final four her sophomore year and I said then she will guide the Falcons to 3 straight state titles. Don't get me wrong Blair Oaks is by far not a one-woman show, but Autumn takes the team to a new level. She is an extremely gifted athlete on the volleyball court and basketball court. She is a massive attacking lefty opposite that not only hits cannons but puts up a monster block on the right pin. In this year's state championship match, she wasn't her usual self the first two sets and when her team was down 0-2, she decided it was time to take over. Autumnatic as they call her finished with 19 kills in the championship match ending her career with back-to-back to back Class 3 championships. She guided her team to a career record 122-22-2 and 1519 career kills, 288 blocks, 699 digs, and 101 aces. Blair Oaks has a history of being good, but Autumnatic made them great.   Class 4 Player of the Year   [player_tooltip player_id='169895' first='Tara' last='Greenberry'] – 6'3” – Middle – Incarnate Word Academy   Tara is a massive presence in the middle for the Red Knights and since she has been a regular IWA has played for two state titles with a 2nd and 1st place finish. She has over 1100 career kills and 195 blocks and probably alters her opponent's attacks more than any player in the state. The Houston commit still has another year left of high school before moving off to wreak havoc for the Cougars. In the state championship match this season, she finished with 17 kills and five blocks, and when IWA needed a point Tara delivered. The most impressive part about Tara's game for me is that I feel she's only at about 70% of her full potential.   Class 5 Player of the Year   [player_tooltip player_id='119226' first='Carlie' last='Cisneros'] – 6'0” – Outside – Liberty North   Carlie is rated as one of the top players in the nation and what makes her so good is her defense. Yes, she is a dominant force at the net and can-do things with the ball that made me in awe of her ability but the part of her game that is outstanding is her defense. Carlie is one of the best defenders I've watched in person in a long time. Missouri has a ton of outstanding liberos, but Carlie can get to balls that most kids can't because of her length and her ability to see where the ball is going before it's hit. At the Rockwood Tournament this season she made some incredible digs. Her attacking is on point. She can place the ball anywhere on the court she wants, and her control is something to watch. Arizona got themselves a gem of a player and I can't wait to watch what she accomplishes in college. Carlie ends her career with 1642 kills and 1292 digs. She made Liberty North a state title contender all four years and helped the Eagles to a 111-17 record with a state title and 3rd place finish.

Another season has come and gone for Missouri High School Volleyball and each year the talent keeps getting better. I want to highlight my picks for the best players in each class. My picks are based on what they accomplished during their careers and what impact they have on their respective teams. Would their school be as successful without this athlete?