SouthtownStar 2012 All-Area Girls Volleyball Team
November 12, 2012 9:12PM
Paige Bendell, of Sandburg
Article Extras
Updated: December 14, 2012 6:03AM
Here is a look at the Jenny’s Steakhouse/SouthtownStar 2012 All-Area Girls Volleyball Team.
PAIGE BENDELL
School: Sandburg
Year: Senior
Position: Right-side hitter
Assists: 439
Kills: 225
Digs: 225
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Blue; will attend South Carolina.
Coach David Vales: “Paige is a rare multi-sport athlete. She could play volleyball and soccer at the Division 1 level without question. As a setter, she plays one the most demanding positions in the game of volleyball and makes it look easy. As an attacker her leaping ability puts her above most blockers in the state.”
BECKY BRADSHAW
School: Oak Lawn
Year: Junior
Position: Outside hitter
Digs: 234
Kills: 198
Aces: 41
Notable: All-South Suburban Red
Coach Dennis McNamara: “Becky has a great personality. She is the type of young lady that people just want to be around but underneath the sweet demeanor is a fierce competitor that wants to win. She was instrumental in one of the biggest turnarounds in this program in the last decade.”
KRISTA BRAKAUSKAS
School: Providence
Year: Senior
Position: Setter
Assists: 417
Service Points: 279
Digs: 222
Kills: 164
Notable: All-East Suburban Catholic Conference; will attend Miami (Ohio).
Coach Rachel Ellingson: “Krista has been a blessing to the Providence Catholic volleyball team. Her leadership, skill and knowledge of the game is what makes her an overall great athlete.”
CARLA CAHILL
School: Mother McAuley
Year: Sophomore
Position: Defensive specialist
Digs: 530
Service points: 309
Good passes: 383
Notable: All-GCAC Red
Coach Jen Dejarld: “Carla has the ability to make everything look easy. She has that world vision where she can anticipate the play before it happens, and she barely has to leave her fee to make the dig.”
NATALIE CARBERRY
School: Shepard
Year: Senior
Position: Right-side hitter
Digs: 260
Kills: 230
Service points: 213
Aces: 79
Notable: All-South Suburban Red
Coach Dan Grunauer: “Natalie’s legacy at Shepard will be remembered for so much more than just her hammer left arm. She pushed her teammates to work diligently on improving every day. This work ethic produced winning records, conference championships, and even huge improvements in the classroom as well. Her influence is evident in the success of the younger levels as well.”
AMBER CLAY
School: Marian Catholic
Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
Kills: 450
Digs: 381
Aces: 67
Blocks: 65
Notable: All-East Suburban Catholic Conference
Coach Ryan Summers: “Amber is one of the most dominant kids I’ve ever coached. She has the ability to take over a game, yet between plays and at practice is humble and works hard just like the rest of the team. She doesn’t know she is as good as she is.”
JILL CONRAD
School: Stagg
Year: Senior
Position: Setter/Right-side hitter
Assists: 449
Kills: 223
Service points: 213
Aces: 36
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Red
Coach Deanna Storino: “Jill is an all-around fantastic player. While it is very fun to watch her set and run the offense, it is just as exciting to watch her swing and block. Her competitive nature is what drives her to be a better player.”
KAYLA CURRIER
School: Lincoln-Way East
Year: Junior
Position: Middle hitter
Kills: 201
Service points: 112
Blocks: 31
Notable: All-Southwest Suburban Blue
Coach Linda Vivona: “Kayla is a very dynamic player who carries a great deal of energy on and off the court. She gets the team fired up and plays with great determination.”
RYANN DEJARLD
School: Mother McAuley
Year: Sophomore
Position: Outside hitter
Digs: 370
Service points: 225
Kills: 200
Aces: 39
Notable: All-GCAC Red
Coach Jen DeJarld: “Ryan has a high volleyball I.Q., a very high knowledge of the game for a sophomore. And she has the ability to make adjustments on the fly as the match goes on.”
AMANDA DOLAN
School: Lincoln-Way Central
Year: Senior
Position: Middle hitter
Kills: 239
Assist Blocks: 165
Digs: 88
Blocks: 59
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Blue
Coach Kathy Sulkowski: “Amanda’s blocking was stellar, and she was an offensive powerhouse for us.”
DAKOTA HAMPTON
School: Sandburg
Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
Kills: 346
Digs: 275
Blocks: 30
Aces: 25
Notable: All-Southwest Suburban Blue; will attend South Florida.
Coach David Vales: “Dakota is the best attacker we’ve had at Sandburg in 10 years. Her power and court sense make her one of the best hitters in the state. Probably the best thing a top player can do is make those around her better and she does that like very few leaders we have had.”
COURTNEY JOYCE
School: Mother McAuley
Year: Junior
Position: Setter
Assists: 584
Service points: 272
Digs: 240
Aces: 41
Notable: All-GCAC Red
Coach Jen DeJarld: “Courtney is always thinking, always trying to improve her knowledge of the game. She asks a lot of questions, and she just continues to try to soak in as much as she can to be the best player she can be.”
LEAH LAGESTEE
School: T.F. South
Year: Junior
Position: Outside hitter
Kills: 230
Blocks: 97
Aces: 24
Serving percentage: 90 percent
Notable: All-South Suburban Blue
Coach Kim Sands: “Leah is a very passionate player who wears her heart on her sleeve. When the pressure was on, she was our go to hitter.”
MEGAN LITOBORSKI
School: Lemont
Year: Senior
Position: Setter
Assists: 609
Service points: 177
Digs: 119
Notable: South Suburban Blue Player of the Year
Coach: Chris Zogata: “Megan ran our offense for two years and much of our success is due to the strategies she uses on the court.”
KAYLA PFEIFFER
School: Lockport
Year: Junior
Position: Setter/right-side hitter
Assists: 318
Kills: 223
Digs: 189
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Blue.
Coach: Erika Lange: “Kayla’s incredible instincts and court sense made her extremely hard to defend.”
ASHLEY PICKERT
School: Lincoln-Way North
Year: Senior
Position: Middle hitter
Kills: 251
Service points: 185
Blocks: 51
Aces: 35
Coach Mary Brown: “Ashley is a well-balanced athlete. She is passionate about what she does and manages to keep everything in perspective. I have enjoyed all four years watching her grow and mature.”
KARA ROCKEY
School: Richards
Year: Senior
Position: Defensive specialist
Digs: 353
Assists: 64
Kills: 42
Aces: 32
Notable: South Suburban Red Player of the Year; Will play at Indiana University-Purdue University Indiananpolis.
Coach Troy Grevengoed: “Kara has helped put Richards volleyball back on the board. She was a very passionate player that brought out the best in her teammates, and she would not be outworked by anyone.”
MALLORY SALIS
School: Marist
Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
Kills: 311
Digs: 349
Service points: 166
Aces: 77
Blocks: 40
Notable: East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year; will attend Ohio University.
Coach Natalie Holder: “Mallory is a classic “old-school” six rotation outside hitter. Her overall ball control is as exemplary as her vertical jump and her laser shots. Mal is the ultimate team player and role model. It has been an honor to watch her grow from a quiet freshman into the confident young woman that she has become.”
KAITLYN SHEREYK
School: Homewood-Flossmoor
Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
Kills: 324
Digs: 229
Aces: 21
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Blue
Coach Tony Kruse: “Kaitlyn has been the face of our program for the past four years. It’s going to be strange to come into the gym in July and not see her face or and not have her by my side. She was hard-working, dedicated and did everything we asked of her, and then some.”
KAITLN SIADEK
School: Lincoln-Way Central
Year: Senior
Position: Setter
Assists: 765
Digs: 204
Blocks: 99
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Blue
Coach Kathy Sulkowski: “Kaitlyn is an essential piece of this team, and without her we wouldn’t have had the success we had.”
MORGAN THOMAS
School: Stagg
Year: Senior
Position: Defensive specialist
Digs: 440
Service points: 303
Aces: 71
Notable: All-SouthWest Suburban Red
Coach Deanna Storino: “Morgan has really set the tone for Stagg’s Defense. She is a player who requires minimal coaching due to her immense amount of natural instincts and ability to read the swing’s from the opposing hitters.”
KENDYL TODD
School: Marian Catholic
Year: Junior
Position: Middle hitter
Kills: 215
Blocks: 90
Aces: 49
Notable: All-East Suburban Catholic Conference
Coach Ryan Summers: “Kendyl is one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever coached. She’s 100 percent ‘go’ all the time.”
EMILY WORKMAN
School: Chicago Christian
Year: Junior
Position: Setter
Assists: 886
Service points: 151
Aces: 47
Notable: All-Suburban Christian
Conference
Coach James Garcia: “Emily has meant a lot to this team, especially when nobody else wanted the responsibility of setting.”
CAROLYN YERKES
School: Marist
Year: Junior
Position: Defensive specialist
Digs: 475
Service points: 120
Aces: 30
Notable: All-East Suburban Catholic Conference
Coach Natalie Holder: “Carolyn was one of the “keys” to our success as a team this season. She is a hard-nosed defensive player who has great court vision and anticipation skills. Her ability to read both the hitters and the court is one of her many strengths as a libero.”
