Claire Smith gave the blessing to start the Ridgewood Spartans volleyball banquet Monday, Nov. 9, at Cambridge High School.
After a potluck supper, varsity coach Lisa Miller began the evening with thank yous from all three volleyball coaches.
“Let me start by thanking many of the people who have helped us out this season,” coach Miller stated. “Thank you to the administration at Cambridge and AlWood for helping us to make the new co-op work this year. Thank you to Robert Reagan and the SEL grant for books the girls read to help them bond as a team and for the movie. Thanks to our athletic directors, Jeff Hannam and Seth Spivey for straightening out all of the kinks with scheduling between the two schools. Thanks to the bus drivers for getting us there safely. Thanks to Abi Stevenson for helping out this year as our student assistant. She did everything from tossing balls at practice to helping spot for stats to running the clock and many other errands as we needed.”
Miller continued by thanking Nathan Stone who did a great job on the stats once again.
“By the way, he is a 27 year-old math teacher here at Cambridge and this is his third year volunteering his time to do stats,” she stated. “We really appreciate his help. Thanks to Haley Wirth, C. J. Wexell and Vicki Carlson for keeping the books this year. Thanks to the Cambridge Chronicle and Mike Clark for all the great coverage and photos this season. Thanks to the “Blue Men” for their encouragement throughout the year. Thank you to the many parents who contributed to our pasta dinner and Joyce and Ed Stevenson for hosting and contributing all of the decorations. Thanks to Miss Jansen for all of her hard work making the posters for senior night and thank you to everyone for making our Volley For the Cure such a great success. We were able to raise $1825.”
Miller ended the thanks yous with a big thanks to all the families for their support.
“We know it takes a lot in order to raise an athlete,” she stated. “All of the travel times to games, carpooling to practices, weight lifting and camps, all of the money for shirts, camps, etc, and all of the encouragement. You are appreciated even though you may not always hear it.”
Miller stated the Spartans had an interesting season with a lot of much-deserved wins and a few disappointing losses. They ended with a 27-3 season record. Their conference record was 8-1 giving them a second place finish to United. During regular season games they finished with a 14-2 record and tournament play record of 9-5.
“It was challenging at times to bring two strong teams together and these ladies worked hard,” Miller stated. “There was a lot of pressure on us as a new co-op team and they should all be complimented on their efforts.
Miller introduced each player and spoke briefly about them.
Ashley Kruger - “Ashley is our sophomore who made a big presence on the team,” stated Miller. “She may have been the youngest but didn’t let that intimidate her! Ashley ended up the season as one of our kill leaders and was probably our leader for the most opponents hit by a kill. I think some of the girls on the other teams felt that they had a big bulls-eye on them when she started to wind up. Some of her personal highs included 12 kills against Abingdon with three other games where she had 10 per game and seven blocks against Riverdale. Ashley finished with the highest kills percentage on the team.”
Cara Carlson - “Cara is a junior and one of those strong, but silent types,” Miller stated. “I hardly ever hear a word out of her, but she is working hard the entire time she is at practice. She has improved tremendously throughout the season and has been working hard as a defensive specialist. She had strong defensive digs in two matches against ROWVA and Kaneland.”
Dani Lessard - “Dani is another one of those quiet junior defensive specialists and is not afraid to dive for anything,” Miller stated. “It was amazing when I would think a ball was going to drop and then like a cobra, Dani would just strike out, get the dig, and right back in position in a blink. Dani was our fourth leader in digs with 104 for the season,. She had a game high night for digs with 11 against Rockridge and two other matches with eight. She was also fourth for serving aces with 26 with a game high ace night with six against Stark County.”
Katie Luallen - “Katie is one of our junior hitters,” Miller stated. “She may not have been one of our starting hitters, but she is one of the reasons that those starters are so strong. In practice, Katie was great at sneaking into holes and really making them work. During games when Katie wasn’t in, she was an amazing support from the bench. Katie had a game high night of two kills against Galva and had the biggest smile after one of them! She also had a game high two blocks against Bushnell Prairie City Avon.”
Hayley McDowell - “Hayley is another one of our junior defensive specialists and is one of them that shows that being quiet is not a trait for all defensive specialists,” Miller stated. “Besides being a DS, Haley is one who works hard in practice, is great at blocking and probably the team’s best dancer! Her blocks were essential when we worked on block coverage in practice. Haley had a game high night with three digs against ROWVA, one kill and one block against Galva.”
Natalie Nelson - “Natalie is one of the nicest players I have ever coached,” Miller stated. “I have never seen Natalie angry, she has never been disrespectful and never complained about a referee call. She did have a run in with the ball cart at one practice and I definitely think the cart won! That left hand swing has steadily gotten stronger throughout the year and will catch a lot of opponents off guard next year. Natalie had a game high two kills and two digs against ROWVA and a block against Bushnell Prairie City Avon.”
Claire Smith - “Claire is one of our four setters,” Miller stated. “As a junior she had a lot of competition against the three senior setters, but she always had a smile on her face and kept working hard, even when Dana clobbered her with the blocking board! She has improved a lot throughout the season and I look for her to transition into one of the key setting positions easily. She had a game high of three assists with ROWVA and one ace against Galva.”
Sammi Stevenson - “Sammi is a junior hitter who worked hard all season,” Miller stated. “She was able to step in and fill a big spot when Michelle was injured. It didn’t matter what position we put her in, we knew she would work hard and do whatever you asked. Sammi was one who was always there to help with a lot of little stuff, like setting up the net, sweeping the floor, finding everyone with messages and anything else we needed! She had a game high four kills against Williamsfield, three digs against Princeville, five blocks against Mercer County, two aces against Galva and even an assist against Bushnell Prairie City Avon.”
Ella Teel - “Ella is a junior hitter who eventually got promoted to defense as well,” Miller stated. “She was usually a source of entertainment for most of us. When I asked the team about some of their funniest memories of the season, Ella was in most of them. One person even just wrote, ‘Ella’! Whether it was with her sound effects, tight-rope walking or just someone picking on her, Ella was always a good sport. She had a game high of seven kills against Abingdon, four aces against Princeville, eight blocks against Fulton, 12 digs twice against Rockridge and Fulton, plus three assists against Wethersfield. Ella was a integral part of the success of our team this year and we get to keep her for another year!”
Dana DeSutter - “Dana was one of our senior setters who also worked hard as a hitter for us,” Miller stated. “Dana was very versatile and it was a good feeling knowing I had someone of her skill level ready to go in pretty much anywhere we needed. She was one of them who usually ended up on the floor when we were scrambling for the ball, but she always came up with a smile and still had that tongue sticking out! She had a game high five kills against Riverdale, nine assists against Sherrard, three digs in four different matches, three aces in three different matches and five blocks against United and Rockridge.”
Danyelle English - “D was one of our senior hitters,” Miller stated. “She was a strong force at the net and did a great job as a setter when needed! She didn’t say a whole lot but just kept working hard. Danyelle put in many, many hours as an office aide making all the copies for the books that you are all receiving! Thank you so much. She also had an amazing serve when she didn’t psyche herself out! D finished the season with eight kills against Abingdon and five aces against ROWVA, 11 blocks against Mercer County and Bushnell Prairie City Avon. She also had five digs against Orion and three assists against Mercer County.”
Cheyenne Grant-Witt - “Cheyenne was a senior defensive specialist who made everyone squirm when she did the splits,” Miller stated. “I know it’s the dance background, but it still doesn’t seem normal for a body to do that without getting hurt! She probably had one of the top three best floor burns, too, from all of those sprawls on the floor. She finished the season with a game high nine digs against Abingdon, two kills against ROWVA, five aces against Galva and even one assist against Galva.”
Victoria Hanson - “Victoria was a senior defensive specialist who was usually one of the best cheerleaders on the team,” Miller stated. “Her enthusiasm and spirit was definitely contagious! Her passing improved throughout the season and she was always willing to fill in as a hitter too. She ended the season with two digs against Wethersfield, one kill and one ace against Galva.”
Amanda Kruger - “Amanda was one of our senior hitters and defense,” Miller stated. “She was a co-captain who is a great role model to young athletes. She has worked hard to support and teach the younger athletes. Amanda was recognized as All-Tournament Team at the Carl Sandburg Tournament. She ended the season as a top leader for many of our team stats including dig leader, ace leader, second in blocks and third in kills. She finished with a game high kills of 12, 17 blocks and three assists against Wethersfield, five aces against Abingdon and 15 digs against Princeville.”
Kiersten McKie - “Kiersten was one of our senior setters,” stated Miller. “During the summer, Kiersten really struggled on her serves, but worked extremely hard and finished with a 93 percent serving average. I still wondered if some of them were going to make it over, but it worked to keep the other team guessing as well! Did anybody else ever notice when Kiersten was stressing out? All you had to do was start counting how many times she tightened her pony! She finished the season with a game high assists of 20 against Illini West, 10 digs against Wethersfield, four aces against Williamsfield and two kills against Riverdale.”
Jennifer Saulnier - “Jen was a senior defensive specialist,” Miller stated. “She was probably our most creative person on the team when it came to picking what the losers had to do in our contests. Some of the highlights were making the losers sing, ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ with the motions and having them all give a teammate a compliment. I know the team enjoyed these a lot more than by choice of running. Jen finished the season with game high digs of seven against ROWVA, three aces against Mendon Unity Christian, one assist against Abingdon and one kill against Annawan.”
Michelle Williams - “Michelle was a senior hitter who brought a lot of energy to the team,” Miller stated. “Unfortunately, she missed several games due to an injury, but continued to be a strong supporter from the bench! Whenever Michelle was hitting in practice I always wished I could borrow a radar gun to actually see how fast those were moving! Sometimes they were moving so fast that it was hard to follow and see if they were in or out! Michelle was recognized as All-Tournament Team at both the Carl Sandburg Tournament and the Aledo Tournament She ended the season with a game high 13 kills against Rockridge, three assists against Fulton Unity Chrisitan, four aces against ROWVA, eight digs against Macomb and three blocks in three different matches.”
Stephanie Williams - “Stephanie was one of our seniors and was a setter and hitter for us,” said Miller. She was a co-captain who had a great knowledge of the sport. Stephanie was a great hustler, outstanding athlete and like our quarterback out there. She will be a great asset to her college team next year. She led many of our stats this year, including assists and blocks, tied for lead in kills, second in aces and third in digs. Stephanie was recognized as All Tournament Team at all three of our tournaments this year: Carl Sandburg, Aledo and Sherrard. She finished the season with a game high 14 kills against Wethersfield, 24 assists against Abingdon, eight digs against Williams, 18 blocks against Wethersfield and four aces against ROWVA and Abingdon.”
Amanda Kruger and Stephanie Williams were named to the All-Conference First Team. Ashley Kruger and Michelle Williams were selected for All-Conference Second Team. The team is voted on by area coaches.
Several Spartans were selected for the All-Conference All-Academic Team. They were: Dana DeSutter, Danyelle English, Cheyenne Grant-Witt, Victoria Hanson, Amanda Kruger, Ashley Kruger, Haley McDowell, Kiersten McKie, Natalie Nelson, Jennifer Saulnier, Sammi Stevenson, Ella Teel, Michelle Williams and Stephanie Williams. To be named to the All-Academic Team, a student athlete must have a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 grade point scale.
Statistic awards were announced.
“We ended the season with some really strong stats,” Miller stated. “These stats will set the bar for future Spartan volleyball players. I anticipate many of the stats to stand for quite some time!”
Ashley Kruger and Stephanie Williams tied for having the most kills, 131 each. Williams led in assists and blocks, with 307 and 166, respectively. Amanda Kruger led in digs, 147. Victoria Hanson earned the Spartan Spirit Award and Cara Carlson was named the most improved player of the season. Williams was also named the most valuable player by her teammates.
Miller introduced Lyndsey Jackson, Ridgewood frosh-soph coach.
“Thank you Coach Miller and I would like to congratulate the varsity on a great season!”
The frosh-soph ended their season with a record of seven wins and 12 loses.
“I don’t think our season should be remembered by the win/loss record, but how much the girls improved throughout the season and how much fight the girls showed in their matches,” stated Jackson. “We had 11 of our matches go to three games, which is both physically and mentally tough.”
Jackson called the girls up one by one and talked about each one.
Hanna Swanson - “Hanna was both a setter and hitter for us,” stated Jackson. “She was a team captain and she earned her volleyball and captain pins along with her frosh-soph letter.”
Emalee Brink - “Emalee was a middle hitter and earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter,” stated Jackson.
Taylor Vincent - “Taylor could play both front and back row, she was primarily a left side hitter and earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter,” Jackson stated.
Aly Smith - “Aly was primarily a defensive specialist this year, however, if we needed her, she could also play the front row and hit too,” Jackson stated. “She earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter.”
Jacquie Imhoff - “Jacquie was a defensive specialist and a back up setter for the team,” Jackson stated. “She earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter.”
Hailey Clark - “Hailey was primarily a defensive specialist but she could also play the front row as well,” Jackson stated. “She has earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter.”
Kayla VanWatermeulen - “Kayla played mostly as a front row hitter,” Jackson stated. “She earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph leter.
Erika Roden - “Erika could play both front and back row,” Jackson stated. “She earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter.”
Chelsey Meirhaeghe - “Chelsey was a setter for the team and earned her volleyball pin and frosh-soph letter,” Jackson stated.
Taylor Brooks - “Taylor could set and play front and back row,” Jackson stated. “She earned her volleyball pin, frosh-soph letter and numerals.”
Annie Gelaude - “Annie was a team captain and could play both front and back row,” stated Jackson. She was primarily a left side hitter and earned her frosh-soph letter, volleyball pin and captain pin.”
Kelsey Lavin - “Kelsey was a front row player, hitting from the middle and right side and she earned her frosh-soph letter and volleyball pin,” Jackson stated.
Patty Brown - “Patty was a front row player and a right side hitter,” stated Jackson. “She earned her volleyball pin, frosh-soph letter and numerals.”
Jazmine Toribio - “Jazmine was a defensive specialist and back up setter for the team and earned her frosh-soph letter and volleyball pin,” stated Jackson.
Kylie Carey - “Kylie was a front row player and middle hitter and she earned her frosh-soph letter, volleyball pin and numerals.”
Hope Lentz - “Hope was another one of our defensive specialists and she earned her frosh-soph letter, volleyball pin and numerals.”
Jackson announced the stats awards and the ones voted on by the team.
Annie Gelaude had the most kills and most digs for the year. Hanna Swanson had the most assists for the year and was named the most valuable player of the year. Emalee Brink had the most blocks and Hailey Clark earned the Spartan Spirit Award. Hope Lentz was named the most improved player of the year.
“Girls, I would like say that I really enjoyed coaching all of you this season,” Jackson stated. “I hope you learned a little about volleyball, about yourself and had some fun too! I have so many good memories from this season but one that sticks out in my head was how you girls would do the stanky leg in our team huddles! I would like to wish the sophomores good luck next year on varsity, you will be missed! Freshmen, I want to challenge you to continue to work to improve on your skills and to make next season more successful than this year. I look forward to coaching you next year!”
Jackson introduced freshmen coach Shea Ericson.
“I would like to start off by first thanking the girls for an awesome season,” Ericson stated. “I appreciate your hard work and dedication every day. This year was new to everyone and I felt we really adjusted well with the co-op. We played 12 matches this season and had five wins, six losses and one scrappy tie. I am proud of your efforts and how much you improved individually as players and as a whole team this season.”
Ericson introduced the players and talked briefly about each one.
Haley Schmoll - “Haley was a captain for the team and a defensive specialist,” Ericson stated. “She could also play the front row when needed. I love her easy going personality no matter what I asked her to do, she did it with a smile. Haley did an amazing job getting her passes where they needed to be. We could always count on her to get the job done.”
Hope Lentz - “Hope was also a team captain and a defensive specialist,” Ericson stated. “She also had an amazing serve and she was a player that never complained about anything and would play hurt because she didn’t want to give up and sit out. She always gave 100 percent and did a great job getting her passes to the setter.”
Molly Jo Smith - “Molly played the front row and did some back row as well,” stated Ericson. “She improved so much in the front row throughout the season. She really started to see the other teams holes and did a great job smacking the ball down. Blocking was something else she did an awesome job at. I enjoyed her sweet nature and seeing her bust out into random dance moves.”
Chrissy Dub - “Chrissy did some setting but also played the front row,” Ericson stated. “She is an amazing motivator. I always saw her cheering her teammates on and trying to get them pumped up. Whatever I asked her to do she did it with a smile. Once she got comfortable with her approach I could really see her improve each game.”
Kelsey Speer - “Kelsey played the front and back row for us,” Ericson stated. “She is one of the most laid back players. She was always encouraging others and tried her best at all times. Her ability to play all positions made her my ‘jack of trades’ player.”
Halie Ryan - “Halie played the back row this year,” Ericson stated. “As the season progressed her passing really improved and I was happy to see her become more comfortable and confident on the court. I really enjoyed having her on the team and appreciate her hard work.”
Katie Stevenson - Katie played the front row for us and I really enjoyed having her on the team,” Ericson stated. “She was very encouraging both on and off the court. Katie did a great job in the front row and improved greatly in the back row when i needed her.”
Kylie Carey - “Kylie played the front row and has very quick reflexes and was able to make some amazing plays because of them,” Ericson stated. “Her hitting was awesome and she really did a great job at hitting the ball down. I enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the season. Kylie also has a pretty mean serve that players better beware of next season.”
Taylor Brooks - “Taylor started off just setting but then became a hitter as well,” stated Ericson. “Her love for the game was evident and when she came she was ready to play. She always hustled and gave it her all, being a great leader on the court. Taylor’s fun personality would always make me laugh.”
Brooklyn Wexell - “Brooklyn was another captain on the team and was a setter as well,” Ericson stated. “She also wanted to hit. Her hustle was great. She was all over the court. She did an awesome job getting to the ball each play and I really enjoyed seeing her make some incredible players. Her facial expressions would always make me laugh when she was all over the court. She has a lot of heart and did a great job this season.”
Ericson announced the awards. Wexell and Smith were named the most valuable players. Wexell also had the most assists and Smith, the most blocks. Schmoll had the most digs and Brooks, the most kills. Ryan was named the most improved player of the year and Dub won the Spartan Spirit Award.
“Parents, you also deserve a huge thank you for everything,” Ericson stated. “I appreciate your time, your willingness to get your child to and from practice, dish out money when needed and everything else. With games at 4:45 p.m., I know it made it difficult to get there, but we really appreciate all of your support throughout the season. I also want to thank coach Miller, coach Jackson and Nathan Stone.”
