ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL: Van Epps was tablesetter

WORTHINGTON — The role of a setter is one of the most difficult in volleyball.

For Jackson County Central’s 5-foot-10 senior setter Michelle Van Epps, it was a role that she not only accepted wholeheartedly, but also executed to near perfection.

“The middle (hitting) position is the most physically demanding, but the setter’s position is the most mentally demanding,” Van Epps said. “A setter has to put the ball in the right location. Your hands have to be in the right position, squared-up, everything has to be perfect and, for different hitters, the ball has to be set in a different way because they have their likes and dislikes.”

There is a lot of strategy that goes into setting up hitters.

“If the passers are having a bad night, a setter needs to get to those balls to set them right for the hitter that’s going to attack them,” Van Epps said. “If the passers push the ball to the 10-foot line, the ball is most-likely going to go to the outside (hitter) and the other side can read that. With a better setter, the ball can either go outside (hitter) or back (row). If the set is good enough, the ball can also go to the middle (hitter), depending on the set they want. If the ball is right on the net or a perfect pass, a setter has to read the block on the other side.”

And if a certain hitter is having a good match, Van Epps said, “You just give it to her!”

To further illustrate her season, Van Epps committed only 14 errors in 1,252 sets, which equals a success rate of 99 percent.

The result of that effort was 953 assists, which according to the Minnesota State High School League’s website ranked Van Epps fourth in the state.

The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association awarded Van Epps with a spot on the 2012 Class AA All-State Team.

In the land of the Daily Globe, Van Epps has been named The Captain of the 2012 All-Area Volleyball Team.

Van Epps turned in 216 more assists than Macy Gunderson, of Harris-Lake Park, who was second in the area with 737. With 34 service aces, Van Epps (in a 19th-place tie) landed among the area’s Top 20. Van Epps could also play defense, posting 186 digs (tied for 29th), ranking in the area’s Top 30.

Van Epps will be playing volleyball in college. She recently signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Iowa Lakes Community College.

The Huskies completed a 24-6 campaign in 2012, capturing a Class AA Section 3 South Division Tournament championship before being swept by Marshall in the Section 3 title match. JCC made the longest postseason run of any volleyball team in The Daily Globe area.

Along with Van Epps, Kaylee Burmeister, Sydnee Donnelli, Jasmine Erickson, Sarah Brandt, Sydney Nyborg, Kathryn Nasby, Lydia Brandt, Shelby Benson, Rachel Johnson and Jade Price were the primary players who propelled the Huskies this season.

“I can not imagine not playing with them. They are a great group of girls and I will miss them very much,” Van Epps said of her JCC teammates.

Other members of the 2012 All-Area Volleyball first team include Dayna Comnick, of Westbrook-Walnut Grove; Brooke Henning, of Worthington; Holly Larson, of Windom Area; Amber Pater, of Southwest Christian; Courtney Place, of Southwestern United.

Dayna Comnick,

Westbrook-Walnut Grove

A 5-9 junior left-side hitter, Comnick had 253 kills, which stood 11th in the area, 245 digs, which tied for 20th, and 49 service aces, which ranked eighth.

“I played in the front row and in the back row,” Comnick said. “I like hitting, but we also needed good passes to get a good set to get a kill.”

Comnick said she works well by taking advice from her family.

“My older sister, Stephanie, was the coach of our C squad this season,” Comnick said. “It’s nice to come to the huddle and she tells what I am doing wrong, if I am struggling. After games, she tells me what I could have done differently or if I’m doing a nice job at something. It’s nice to have a built-in coach in the family.”

Comnick pointed to having great chemistry with her teammates (Paige Erickson, Hailey Osland, Kelsi Wahl, Hunter Priegnitz, Alexa Beyes, Madison Takle, Shiney Her and Abby Herding), who she has spent many years with on the court.

“We have been playing together since fifth grade, through (Junior Olympic) teams and, now in high school,” Comnick said. “We have great chemistry together.”

Under head coach Cathy Baumann, Westbrook-Walnut Grove went 22-7 overall and was the runner-up to Southwest Christian in the Red Rock Conference this season. The Chargers were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Class A Section 3 South Division Tournament.

Brooke Henning,

Worthington

A 6-0 junior outside hitter, Henning finished ninth in the area with 268 kills, 11th with 62 block aces and 26th with 197 digs.

Henning said the Trojans (22-11) exceeded their own expectations in 2012.

“(Outside hitter) K.C. Riley came back to the program and we only had three other players who had played varsity with us before,” Henning said. “Everybody had to build chemistry with one-another and it took us a few games for us to gel. Once we did that, we were pretty solid.”

Henning motivated herself by setting individual goals.

“Before games, I would set goals and, if I didn’t reach them, I would be hard on myself,” Henning said. “If I didn’t do what I wanted the night before, I would come back to practice the next day and work specifically on that one thing. At the next game, I would reach that goal.”

Under head coach Melissa Schutz, Worthington was eliminated by Jackson County Central in the quarterfinals of the Class AA Section 3 South Division Tournament.

Holly Larson,

Windom Area

A 5-11 senior middle hitter and blocker, Larson was third in the area with 303 kills, second with 84 block aces.

“As a senior, my coach (Ron Wendorff) told me to be a great leader on the court and to not make many mistakes. I tried to help them by getting the most kills and the most blocks.”

Larson became a varsity starter about midway through her freshman season (2009) and stayed there for the rest of her prep career.

“I have to give Mr. Wendorff a lot of credit for helping me become the player I am today,” Larson said. “A lot of my teammates also helped me throughout the years by trying to show me better ways of doing things and motivating me.”

Larson said having Junior Olympic volleyball experience is a big advantage.

“When you’re playing volleyball in the (high school) offseason, you’re getting more touches and more repetitions than other players who aren’t playing for a club team,” said Larson, who will be playing collegiate volleyball at Waldorf in Forest City, Iowa.

Under Wendorff, Windom Area (22-9) advanced to the Class AA Section 3 South Division Tournament championship, where the Eagles were ousted by Jackson County Central.

Amber Pater,

Southwest Christian

A 5-10 senior outside hitter, Pater was 10th in the area with 256 kills, tied for fifth with 360 digs and was knotted in 21st with 33 service aces.

Pater said she was motivated by sharing the court with her friends.

“I had the opportunity to play with five of my closest friends who were all seniors that have been playing together since junior high,” Pater said. “Playing with them (Morgan VanHulzen, Shelby Klarenbeek, Jennifer Schmidt, Carissa Tinklenberg and Hannah Van Dyke) was great because we knew each other so well.”

Pater said her love of volleyball knows no bounds.

“I absolutely love playing (volleyball). That is why its so hard for it to be done,” Pater said. “I would love to have the opportunity to play again.”

Under Brian Busker, Southwest Christian (22-6) won the Red Rock Conference title with an undefeated 10-0 mark. The Eagles were eliminated by Red Rock Central in the semifinals of the Class A Section 3 South Division Tournament.

Courtney Place,

Southwestern United

A 6-2 sophomore middle and outside hitter, Place had the most kills (421) and the most block aces (89) in the area. With 51 service aces, she ranked seventh and, with 294 digs, she placed 14th.

In addition to her hitting, Place played left-back on defense, where it was her job to cover all of the tipped balls and the deep outside hits of the Wildcats’ opponents.

“Our seniors — Alyssa Hendrickson, Mandy Henkels and Sarah Baumgard — pushed us extremely hard this year because they wanted to win very badly,” Place said. “They kept us motivated.”

Another role Place held was that of a floor-leader, directing the positioning of her teammates and encouraging them to do their best.

Place also gave credit to Southwestern United first-year coach Christine Malm, who guided the Wildcats to a 23-9 overall record and an appearance in the Class A Section 3 South Division Tournament title match at Southwest Minnesota State University.

“She taught us to never give up and to hustle after every ball, even if we couldn’t get to it,” Place said of Malm. “We also had the goal of getting to the wooden floor (at SMSU) and we reached it. Even though we lost (to Russell-Tyler-Ruthon), I’d like to get back there again and win it.”

All-Area 2nd Team

Abby Herding

School: Westbrook-Walnut Grove

Position: Setter

Grade: Freshman

Stats: Digs – 186; Serve Aces – 61; Assists – 707

Kaylee Burmeister

School: Jackson County Central

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Sophomore

Stats: Kills – 288; Digs – 257; Service Aces – 32

Paige Erickson

School: Westbrook-Walnut Grove

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 286; Digs – 218

Noreen Morrow

School: Harris-Lake Park

Position: Middle hitter

Grade: Junior

Stats: Kills – 408; Blocks – 72; Service Aces – 59

Halli Tasler

School: Windom Area

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 208; Digs – 306; Service Aces – 65

Jessica Van Beek

School: Sheldon

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Junior

Stats: Kills – 273; Blocks – 49

All-Area 3rd Team

Lexi Ackerman

School: Central Lyon

Position: Setter/hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 174; Blocks – 56; Service Aces – 65; Assists – 318

Miranda Brueggeman

School: Harris-Lake Park

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Junior

Stats: Kills – 224; Digs – 355; Service Aces – 32

Mandy Henkels

School: Southwestern United

Position: Setter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Service Aces – 66; Assists – 600

Janessa Peters

School: Mountain Lake Area

Position: Outside hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 296; Blocks – 56; Service Aces – 43

Morgan Van Hulzen

School: Southwest Christian

Position: Middle hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 180; Blocks – 69; Service Aces – 30

Jasmine Erickson

School: Jackson County Central

Position: Middle hitter

Grade: Senior

Stats: Kills – 181; Blocks – 61; Digs – 150

Honorable Mention

Shelby Klarenbeek, Sr., Libero, SWC; Jasmine Carlson, So., Libero, WA; Shelby Mattson, Sr., Middle hitter/Setter, WA; Paige Leuthold, Sr., Setter, HBC; Meghan Leuthold, Sr., Middle hitter, HBC; Haley VanWhye, Sr., Outside hitter, HBC; Chloe Arfsten, Sr., Outside hitter, RRC; Brooke Rasmussen, Jr., Libero, RRC; Tara Svalland, Sr., Outside hitter, WHS; Anna Koepsell, Sr., Libero, WHS; Lydia Brandt, Sr., Outside hitter, JCC; Sydnee Donnelli, Sr., Outside hitter, JCC; Hailey Osland, Sr., Middle hitter, W-WG.

ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL

2012 Final Standings

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

W L W L

Marshall 6 0 29 5

Jackson County Central 5 1 24 6

Windom Area 4 2 22 9

Pipestone Area 3 3 10 15

Worthington 2 4 22 11

Redwood Valley 1 5 10 18

Luverne 0 6 4 20

RED ROCK CONFERENCE

W L W L

Southwest Christian 10 0 22 6

Westbrook-Walnut Grove 9 1 22 7

Southwestern United 8 2 23 9

Murray County Central 7 3 11 9

Red Rock Central 6 4 14 13

Mountain Lake Area 5 5 12 13

Hills-Beaver Creek 3 7 6 18

Adrian 2 8 9 15

Edgerton 2 8 3 25

Fulda 2 8 5 20

Ellsworth 1 9 7 18

CAMDEN CONFERENCE

W L W L

Minneota 10 0 31 4

Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 8 2 14 15

Dawson-Boyd 7 3 21 7

Canby 7 3 20 11

Central Christian 6 4 22 9

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 6 4 20 13

MACCRAY 5 5 13 14

Renville County West 3 7 10 19

Lakeview 2 8 12 16

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sun. 1 9 6 17

Lincoln HI 0 10 2 25

SIOUXLAND CONFERENCE

W L W L

MOC-Floyd Valley 8 1 33 8

Sioux Center 8 1 31 7

Sheldon 8 1 25 10

Central Lyon 6 3 23 8

Boyden-Hull 5 4 21 7

Sibley-Ocheyedan 3 6 14 15

George-Little Rock 3 6 14 18

Okoboji 3 6 11 17

Rock Valley 1 8 5 23

West Lyon 0 9 3 17

CORNBELT CONFERENCE

W L W L

West Bend-Mallard 4 1 29 5

Harris-Lake Park 4 1 25 15

North Union 4 1 23 17

Clay Central-Everly 2 3 18 10

Graet.-Terrill/Ruth.-Ayrs. 2 3 4 22

Corwith-Wesley-LuVerne 0 7 1 25

KILLS (minimum 150)

Place, SWU 421

Morrow, HLP 408

Larson, WA 303

Peters, MLA 296

Burmeister, JCC 288

Erickson, WWG 286

Klaassen, GLR 280

Van Beek, SHL 273

Henning, WOR 268

Pater, SWC 256

Comnick, WWG 253

Bose, MCC 247

Donnelli, JCC 234

Brueggeman, HLP 224

Brandt, JCC 220

Tasler, WA 208

Stoneberg, TMB 196

Gervais, TMB 193

Osland, WWG 188

Erickson, JCC 181

Van Hulzen, SWC 180

Vogel, SHL 176

L. Ackerman, CL 174

K. Ackerman, CL 171

Doeden, SO 163

Johnson, WOR 158

Arfsten, RRC 157

Larsen, RRC 157

Przymus, TMB 155

Svalland, WOR 154

Engen, RRC 152

BLOCK ACES (minimum 30)

Place, SWU 89

Larson, WA 84

Engen, RRC 74

Morrow, HLP 72

Vande Stouwe, CL 72

D. Eben, GLR 69

Linder, WOR 69

Van Hulzen, SWC 69

DeKam, EDG 66

Bruns, WOR 68

Larsen, RRC 63

Henning, WOR 62

Erickson, JCC 61

Osland, WWG 61

Scholten, SHL 61

Carsetensen, GLR 59

Sandbulte, GLR 59

Post, EDG 58

L. Ackerman, CL 56

Peters, ML 56

Carlson, WA 55

Syverson, MLA 54

Doeden, SO 53

Svalland, WOR 49

Van Beek, SHL 49

Svalland, WOR 49

Mattson, WA 47

K. Ackerman, CL 44

Bose, MCC 41

Nyborg, JCC 40

Johnson, WOR 37

Vogel, SHL 37

Van Marel, SHL 36

Brandt, JCC 34

Vanden Hoeck, CL 32

Derickson, RRC 30

Hacker, WA 30

Heltemes, MLA 30

Kedl, RRC 30

Stoneberg, TMB 30

DIGS (minimum 150)

Haupert, PA 487

Carlson, WA 455

Peterson, TMB 380

Koepsell, WOR 360

Pater, SWC 360

Brueggeman, HLP 355

Schmidt, MCC 349

Wolter, SO 334

Bose, MCC 320

Nasby, JCC 316

Rasmussen, RRC 315

Riley, WOR 308

Tasler, WA 306

Place, SWU 294

Soupir, TMB 277

Gunderson, HLP 276

Burmeister, JCC 257

Schreier, MCC 249

Evans, PA 248

Comnick, WWG 245

Grace, HLP 245

Ackerman, SO 233

Arfsten, RRC 227

Gath, HLP 227

Pryzmus, TMB 224

Erickson, WWG 218

Osland, WWG 216

Falk, MLA 215

A. Eben, GLR 204

Henning, WOR 197

Johnson, SHL 192

Winters, HLP 190

Herding, WWG 186

Van Epps, JCC 186

Mattson, WA 182

Gervais, TMB 181

Gravenhof, WOR 171

Hook, TMB 170

Kinley, WOR 167

Miller, CL 165

K. Ackerman, CL 164

Erickson, RRC 159

Harbets, WOR 159

Erickson, JCC 150

SERVICE ACES (minimum 30)

Henkels, SWU 66

L. Ackerman, CL 65

Tasler, WA 65

Herding, WWG 61

Winters, HLP 61

Morrow, HLP 59

Place, SWU 51

Comnick, WWG 49

Schreiner, MCC 47

Jongewaard, SHL 46

Stettnichs, GLR 46

K. Ackerman, CL 44

Gunderson, HLP 44

Peters, MLA 43

Carlson, WA 42

Smith, RRC 42

Grace, HLP 41

Menning, EDG 40

Post, EDG 36

Sorenson, WA 36

Harbets, WOR 35

Klaassen, GLR 34

Van Epps, JCC 34

Arfsten, RRC 33

Donnelli, JCC 33

Gath, HLP 33

Kruisselbrink, PA 33

Pater, SWC 33

Pryzmus, TMB 33

Rasmussen, RRC 33

Riley, WOR 33

Brueggeman, HLP 32

Burmeister, JCC 32

Stofferan, SO 32

Derickson, RRC 31

Dukes, MLA 31

Bose, MCC 30

Giese, MCC 30

Henning, WOR 30

Van Hulzen, SWC 30

ASSISTS (minimum 150)

Van Epps, JCC, 953

Gunderson, HLP 737

Herding, WWG 707

Hook, TMB 638

Henkels, SWU 600

Leuthold, HBC 600

Dukes, MLA 500

Nettick, PA 484

Jongewaard, SHL 462

Mattson, WA 432

Stettnichs, GLR 420

L. Ackerman, CL 318

Gravenhof, WOR 315

Smith, RRC 306

Harbets, WOR 273

Derickson, RRC 296

Peterson, WA 249

Stofferan, SO 234

White, SO 227

Menning, EDG 224

Snyder, CL 216

Giese, MCC 208

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