Three Green River Lady Wolves volleyball players were named to All Conference and two were selected for All State.
Lady Wolves Katie Banks, Andri Dewey and Hannah Hix were selected for All Conference, while Banks and Dewey were selected for All State.
All Conference players are chosen by a nomination and voting process.
“As a coach I cannot vote for my own athletes,” head coach Rikki Shantz said.
After All-Conference selections are complete, the 4A division coaches once again vote to determine who will receive All-State honors. Once that vote is complete, those who make the top 15 are named All State.
“It’s a really big honor,” Shantz said. “I always think the best of my kids and get to see them at their best, but you never know what other coaches see.”
Shantz was happy to share what she sees in each of the Lady Wolves named to All State and All Conference.
“Katie: She is a big hitter. Everyone sees that,” Shantz said. “What I see from Katie is so much more. She is a very hard worker. She is great in the back row; and she is a great ‘lead by example’ type of player.”
“Hannah: She is one of the smartest hitters I’ve ever coached. She sees the court so well, so that made her one of the top hitters in the conference,” she said. “That’s why she got All Conference votes, but even more importantly, and something other coaches might not see, is what a great leader she is.”
“Andri: She is definitely an athlete. As a setter she was like the coach on the court, which was invaluable to us this year. She got the second most points of anyone in the conference so she was very close to getting the conference player of the year,” Shantz said. “Other coaches see her athleticism, reaching 9’6” on the block as a 5’4” athlete, her speed, and quickness, but she was much more to us than that. Her vocal leadership and being a great teammate was huge for us this year.”
Shantz said all three of these Lady Wolves brought leadership to the team this year.
“They were all great examples of what a great teammate and leaders are,” she said. “I hope other players noticed their good examples. Sometimes it’s hard to be a great teammate or a great leader, but these three did it every day without wavering.”
For seniors Dewey and Hix, this was their final season and it was nice to receive the individual recognition.
“They’ve both worked so hard so I think it’s a great honor to them,” Shantz said. “Knowing those two kids though, I think they might have been willing to give up some of those individual awards for a win at the state tournament. They were definitely ‘team first’ kids.”
Shantz said these Lady Wolves were successful because they knew what it meant to work hard during the season and in the off season.
“I think those three are more concerned about team success,” she said. “This was an award they earned by trying to make their team the best it could be. I don’t know if they are hanging their hat in those individual accolades.”
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