Wildcats earn three spots on all-league volleyball team

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 9, 2022

Louisburg seniors Allie Kennedy and Adyson Ross were recently named to the All-Frontier League second team, while senior Claire Brown was an honorable mention.

After a strong finish to its season, postseason awards are starting to trickle in for the Louisburg volleyball program.

Louisburg, which finished fourth at the Class 4A state tournament, saw a few of its players get recognized by the Frontier League coaches as the all-league team was released last week.

The Wildcats earned three spots on the team, which includes second team honors for seniors Allie Kennedy and Adyson Ross, along with an honorable mention selection to senior Claire Brown.

In a league that had three teams reach the Class 4A state tournament, Louisburg coach Leanna Willer was pleased to see her players get recognized.

“I think our team was well-represented,” Willer said. “It was a weird year in the sense that we were seventh (out of 8 teams) in the league, yet we made it to the state tournament and ended up fourth in the state.

“Considering our whole year performance and our league games, having these three seniors selected as all-league was a great way to honor them and their careers. Our league was as strong as always, so we are happy to have these three representing our school.”

Kennedy was a force in the middle for the Wildcats as she led the team with 305 kills from her middle blocker spot. She also had a team-high 59 blocks to go along with 25 aces.

She also thrived in the postseason as she was named to the Class 4A State All-Tournament Team by the Kansas Volleyball Association following the team’s fourth place state finish.

“Allie really stepped up this year as a leader on the court and for the whole program,” Willer said. “We knew she was a strong hitter, but she really established herself as a powerful presence on the court for our team, and she stepped up to make big plays when we needed her to. She even made some fantastic defensive plays while she was back there serving.

“Allie was a great teammate, especially encouraging to Megan (Quinn) as they developed that setter/hitter connection, and her passion and desire for this team to succeed carried us through the last month of the season. Her energy was felt by everyone in the gym, and I am so glad that she was able to play the whole season, fighting until the very end.”

Ross changed positions halfway through the season for Louisburg. She moved from an outside hitter to libero for the Wildcats, which was a drastic change in responsibilities.

The Louisburg senior thrived in her new defensive role as she led the team with 363 digs and had 41 aces.

“Adyson is one of those kids you always want on your team, no matter the sport,” Willer said. “She was a great captain for us throughout the season, and her selflessness was apparent as we moved her all over the court when trying to find the right team lineup and dynamic.

“We knew we wanted her on the court all the time, and we ended up needing her in the libero role as her serve receive and defense stabilized our entire team. Her consistency was pretty remarkable and she truly embraced her role. I am so glad the other coaches in the league were also able to see what a difference maker she was for us in that position.”

Brown played all six rotations for the Wildcats and was a force at the net. She was second on the team with 283 kills and also had 39 aces.

She was also one of the team’s strongest players defensively as she was second on the team with 358 digs.

“Claire had a standout junior season last year, and had some big goals coming into 2022,” Willer said. “She was great for us on the outside, but Claire really shines as a fantastic six-rotation player. She made an impact on every play with her serve receive and defense in addition to her swings.

“We don’t have a distinction for hitters on whether they play all six rotations or not, but I think Claire is one of the best all-around players in our league.”

The postseason awards didn’t stop there for Brown. She was also recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as an all-region selection.

Brown was one of 11 Kansas girls selected to the team in a region that consists of players from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The Wildcats also thrived in the academic arena as well. Ross and senior Emma Prettyman were named to the AVCA Best and Brightest first team, while Brown was a third team selection.

The AVCA Best & Brightest Award is an award meant to honor individual high school Senior student-athletes who excel on and off the court. To be eligible for the Best and Brightest Award, Senior student-athletes must have earned at least a 3.5 Unweighted/4.0 Weighted GPA (or the equivalent, if using a different GPA scale) during their junior year and play in 50 percent of their varsity team’s sets during their senior season.