Local girls take top spots on all-district teams
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lady Lion volleyball team took three of the top superlative honors and several first and second team places in the District 6-2A All-District selections.
Albany ended the regular season as co-champions of the district along with Hawley. Ranger also was included in the 2A division of the district, which was a mixture of 1A and 2A teams.
The Lady Lions (23-5) advanced to the state semi-final round before falling to Crawford last week, while Hawley was eliminated in the area game by Colorado City.
Senior Alli Hill was tapped as the district’s MVP, while junior Sarah Beth Cotter was named co-Offensive MVP along with Breanna Leathers of Hawley.
Albany junior Clara Holson was picked as the district’s Outstanding Setter, and coach M.J. Reneau shared the Coach of the Year honors with Hawley coach Amy Eckoff.
“I was very pleased with the results,” Reneau said. “All the awards were very well-deserved.”
The coach reported that Hill had a total of 209 kills for the season, along with 171 digs.
“Alli had a great season both on the front and in the back,” Reneau said. “Her stats show just how versatile she was overall.”
The coach also said that Cotter led the district in kills with 331 for the season, while Holson had 632 assists (sets).
The Lady Lions also were awarded three first-team spots and four positions on the second team.
“I was very happy with how many of the girls were recognized by the district coaches,” Reneau said. “I am just so proud of the all the girls and the great season they had.”
Selected for the first team were seniors Torie Fuentes, Blanton Belcher, and Addie Beth Denton. Second team honors went to seniors Hannah Trail and Cydney Nelson, along with juniors Tristen Brown and Ansleigh Garcia.
The coach also announced that seven Lady Lions were named to the All-District Academic Team for maintaining an academic average of 90 or above. Those players include Blanton Belcher, Carli Edgar, Alli Hill, Torie Fuentes, Hannah Trail, Sarah Beth Cotter, and Clara Holson.
This year’s team advanced to the final four in the state semifinal round for only the second time in program history. The first trip to the state tournament was in 2008 when Reneau was a member of the team as a senior.
The state title for 2A was won by Iola, who defeated Crawford in four sets.
