Valley Conference champions…Subsection 2A champions…Section 2A runners up.
While the 2022 version of the varsity volleyball team was the most successful in the program’s history, Tuesday’s award banquet in the school commons was an opportunity to recognize the individuals who made it happen.
The Valley Coaches elected the dig, set, spike holy trinity of Emma Sweere, Greta Hahn and Ava Hahn to be on the All-Conference First Team.
Sweere scooped 393 digs and finished her career with a school record 1362 digs. She also served 25 aces, set 23 assists and sent over six kills. For her efforts she was also voted by her teammates as the team’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.
“She saved a lot of rallies for us and really frustrated a lot of opposing hitters,” said head coach Dave Nixon, who presided over the ceremony.
Greta Hahn passed for 790 set assists. She also lifted 230 digs, hit for 57 kills, sent over 18 service aces and put up 6.5 ace blocks/block assists.
For her efforts when the Clippers took on Springfield in the playoffs, she earned the KNUJ player of the game.
Benefiting most from her sister’s sets, Ava Hahn swung for 293 kills to lead the Clippers. Also at the net, she had 14.5 ace blocks/block assists and 10 set assists. For those efforts, the Clippers penciled her in as the Offensive Most Valuable Player.
In the back row, the sophomore scraped 265 digs. Behind the service line, she airmailed 56 aces to earn the team's Most Ace Serves award.
“With new players on the court, she had a big role to fill,” said Nixon.
Middle hitter Lexy Waldon was named by Valley coaches as a member of the All-Conference second team. The senior swatted 175 kills and put her hands up for 37.5 blocks/block assists. She also served 25 aces and had 53 digs and four set assists.
As a year ago, Waldron finished the season with just one kill, one dig and one set assist, it was no surprise she was voted by the team as one of two Most Improved Players.
Also looming large in the middle, Sarena Remiger was picked to be an All-Conference Honorable Mention. The senior smacked down 145 kills and put up 42 blocks. She had 29 digs and one set assist.
Since in 2021, her résumé included just a pair of kills, Remiger was voted by the team as the other Most Improved Player.
“Neither played much last year, and a lot of our success was because of them,” Nixon said about Waldron and Remiger.
Also an All-Valley Honorable Mention was back row specialist Savannah Meyer. The sophomore excavated 244 digs. At the net, she had three kills, 11 set assists and assisted one ace block. She had 31 ace serves and, only missing four serves for a 98 percent success rate, won the Highest Service Percentage award.
Meyer and Remiger earned a Clipper Spirit award.
“They were always rallying the team, always cheering for everybody else, always had a good attitude,” Nixon sad.
Meyer, Sweere and Ava Hahn received a Miss Hustle award.
“All three were on the floor a lot and were willing to sacrifice their body to keep the ball off the floor,” Nixon said. “They were always hustling, always going after anything and everything. I never had to ask them to work harder.”
Steadily getting more and more court time as the season progressed, eighth grader Melia Sathoff was chosen by the team as the Rookie of the Year. She had 66 kills, 39 digs, 5.5 ace blocks/block assists, 21 ace serves and two set assists.
A year ago, Sathoff bypassed the seventh-grade team and played with the eighth graders. This year, she sprang over the C-squad, played a little with the JV but landed squarely on the varsity team as the season progressed.
In other performances to note, senior Harley Connor had 102 kills, 83 digs, 21 ace block/block assists, 33 set assists and 45 ace serves. Laci Hollerich had 133 kills, 69 digs, 10.5 ace block/block assists, 12 digs and a pair of ace serves. Chloe Anderson had 79 digs, 10 set assists and one ace serve. Jersie Kelley had 13 digs, seven kills, two ace serves and one set assist. Jocelyn Bartell had four kills, two digs, one ace block assist and one ace serve. Lacey McCabe had 66 kills, 39 digs, 5.5 ace blocks/block assists, two set assists and 21 ace serves. Maya Lassiter had three digs, two kills, one service ace and an ace block assist. Sophie Perkins had 18 set assists and 10 digs.
All players lettered as well as did managers Addie Gibeau and Madison Peterson.
The Clippers excelled in the classroom as well as on the court. With a GPA of over 3.5 during the season, Sweere, Connor, Waldron Remiger, Hollerich, Ava Hahn, Bartell, Lassiter, Meyer, Perkins and McCabe were earned All-Conferenced Academic awards. As seniors with a GPA of over 3.8, Sweere, Waldron and Connor were named to the Academic All-State team. With a GPA of over 3.75 for the top 10 players, the team earned a state gold academic award.
“It was a fun season,” Nixon said. “I think part of the fun that we had was the fans and the parents getting really involved, the dress ups and the themes.”
He said that making sure all players respected one another was key to the Clippers' success.
“We stress a lot being servants of each other and giving to one another other. I always told them that the only thing that was going to hold us from getting back to the section final was ourselves, and the nice thing was we didn’t let that get in the way.”
The Clippers only lost two sets in Valley play, one to LCWM and one to Alden-Conger.
“Once we decided to play, it wasn’t a question on who was the better team,” Nixon said. “We just had to start playing our style and in system. I thought we steadily improved throughout the year. We had some moments where we struggled, but I don’t know a team that doesn’t have that. We came tighter as a team, and the nice thing is we were playing our best volleyball at the end of the year. I take pride in having teams that are competitive but don’t get upset by a lower-seeded team. There was no question that when we were playing in playoffs that even when we struggled here or there that we got this, were fine and were going to push through.”
But Nixon said the Clippers would like to play Mayer Lutheran again, a team that ended up two points away from winning the state championship for the second year in a row. It was the first section championship Nixon had coached in a decade.
“I love the playoffs. It was a lot of fun, and we made it. This team worked really hard. It did a lot in the summer. I’m fortunate to be a part of this program. Thank you for a really fun season, thank you parents, coaches.”
The Clippers will still be working hard in the off season. Every returning player is playing club volleyball this winter.
“If we want to get back to the section final and progress further, it’s going to take a lot of work,” Nixon said. “We have big shoes to fill in two middles, an outside and a libero, so whatever you can do in the off season is going to make you so much better. Put the work in, and you will be rewarded. I don’t know anyone who ever regretted working hard.”
The Clippers voted Meyer and Greta Hahn as next year’s captains.
Above: Award winners Savannah Meyer (Clipper, Miss Hustle, Highest Serve Percentage, All-Conference Honorable Mention), Emma Sweere (school record career digs, Defensive MVP, Miss Hustle, Academic All State, All-Conference First team), Sarena Remiger (MIP, Clipper Pride, All-Conference Honorable Mention), Harley Connor (Academic All-State), Lexy Waldron (MIP, All-Conference Second Team, Academic All-State), Ava Hahn (Offensive MVP, Most Ace Serves, All-Conference First Team), Greta Hahn (Miss Hustle, All-Conference First Team, KNUJ Player of the Game) and Melia Sathoff (Rookie of the Year).
Letter winners are L-R, front row: Sophie Perkins, Savannah Meyer, Chloe Anderson, Greta Hahn, Ava Hahn and Lacey McCabe. Back row: Maya Lassiter, Melia Sathoff, Sarena Remiger, Harley Connor, Lexy Waldron, Emma Sweere and Laci Hollerich. Missing are Jersie Kelley and Jocelyn Bartell as well as managers Addie Gibeau and Madison Peterson.
Earning All-Valley Conference honors were Savannah Meyer, Lexy Waldron, Sarena Remiger, Emma Sweere, Ava Hahn and Greta Hahn.
Seniors Harley Connor, Sarena Remiger, Lexi Waldron and Emma Sweere.