MNU All-Decade Team: Volleyball

All-Decade: Women's Soccer, Football, Men's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Softball, Baseball

The 2010s were a great decade for MNU Athletics. Every program qualified for the national tournament at least twice, Cross Country and Track & Field made their returns and had great success, 2 teams played for the National Championship, and Women's Basketball won it all in 2016. With all the great athletes to come through Olathe in the last 10 years, it's difficult to nail down All-Decade teams. But I'm going to give it a shot. Your Sports Information Director, Chad Jenkins, along with a handful of coaches and fans, will publish an All-Decade team for our team sports starting with the Spring of 2010.

The Process
There's no one way to do this, but here's how I'm going to do it:
- One player from a specific season will represent one starting position on the court/field. One great season by one player trumps a solid career from another.
- Academics, behavior, and likability are not going to be considered. I can't know enough about the personal lives of these athletes to make that judgment. I'm putting together the best players at each position, period.
- I've asked for input from some coaches and fans, but ultimately the final decision is mine. So direct your hateful e-mails to yours truly.
- For Volleyball, we are using 8 positions: 1 libero, 1 setter, 1 right side, 2 middles, 2 outside hitters, and an MVP (I'll explain that later).

Why Are We Doing This?
Because it's fun. If you or your relative or buddy didn't make the squad, it's not personal.

Who Are You to Make These Decisions?
A fair question. I'm the guy who has watched pretty much every home event in every sport since the Fall of 2007, and I'm in control of the athletics website.

Enough! Just Get Started!
Agreed. Here we go...

Libero
For those unfamiliar with volleyball (like me before about 2009), the Libero is a confusing position. No one knows exactly how to pronounce it, they wear a different jersey, they run on and off the court seemingly at random, they're always in the back, and they never attack. Full disclosure, the position still confuses me. But as I've learned, without a good Libero, you're not going to be a very good team. Like a golf ball driven in the middle of the fairway, Liberos make easier everything that follows. A good pass makes the Setter more effective, and an effective Setter leads to more dangerous hitters. MNU had several great Liberos in the 2010s...Becca Valdez shined at Nationals in 2012, Tashley Snyder was a 3-year starter for the best run of volleyball in program history, Savannah Mathews had big stats in 2018, and McKenna Webster was excellent in 2019. But we've settled on Laura Hamblin in the 2011 season as our pick for the MNU Volleyball All-Decade Libero. The team won the conference tournament, qualified for Nationals, and won 30 games - all marked firsts in program history. She was named 2nd team All-Conference, averaged 4.3 digs per set, and was a big part of the squad that turned the program around at the turn of the decade.

Setter
The Setter is the quarterback and is responsible for most of the decisions during the match. A good Setter knows when to spread it around and when to feed the hot hitter. Being a good defender is a plus, and being a threat to attack keeps the opponent off balance as well. During the ridiculously great run of MNU Volleyball from 2011 to 2017, a few setters stand out above the rest. Taryn Salum's dynamic athleticism earned her Conference Setter of the Year and Honorable Mention All-America in 2013, and Hannah Bettge's all-around excellence saw her named Conference Setter of the Year and Honorable Mention All-America in 2017. But for the MNU Volleyball All-Decade Setter, there's none better than Rachel Kater in either 2015 or 2016. Take your pick, in 2015 she averaged 11.6 assists per set and was not only Conference Setter of the Year, but Conference Player of the Year and 2nd team All-America. In 2016, she averaged 11.4 assists per set and was named Conference Setter of the Year and 1st team All-America.

Right Side
As right sides, these are individuals who not only are counted on to be a primary point scorer, but are also expected to be solid blockers to shut down a high-rep attacker across the net. Lauma Knupke achieved 1st team All-Conference honors in 2015 on the right side for her big offensive numbers. McKenzie Hayes was named 2nd team team All-Conference in 2016 for her impressive contribution not only on the offensive side of the ball, but also her blocking performance. But no one stands out quite like Vladislava Kopanarova - not only for her 6-2 stature - but because of her outstanding performance in 2013. She was named 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and 2nd team All-America. Vladi holds the MNU record for the highest hitting efficiency in a career, she was a big contributor to two of the best teams in program history, and she was the star of my favorite promo video...



Middle Hitter/Blocker
Usually when making lists like these, there are tough decisions to be made. Not so with the 2 MNU Volleyball All-Decade Middles. Middles control the action at the net and can impact the match in several ways. A good blocking team - led by the middle - makes everyone's job easier. Whether it's partially blocking an attack, forcing roll shots, or outright ending points with a stuff, a good middle makes everyone better. Even as others have been recognized as All-Conference at the position - Anna Nostrant in '11, Emily Hester in '13 & '14, Marina Sanches in '18, and Rachel Dossett & Jacqueline Calvert in '19 - these two stand tallest among the tall: Megan Hayes in 2012, and Taylor Cowan in 2017. MNU Hall of Famer Hayes was a 4-time 1st team All-Conference honoree and 2-time Honorable Mention All-American, capping her great career with her best season as a senior. Leading the Pioneers to their best finish in program history, she controlled the net with 1.4 blocks per set and 2.5 kills per set with a .356 hitting percentage. Future MNU Hall of Famer Cowan mirrored Hayes' career as a 4-time 1st team All-Conference honoree and 2-time Honorable Mention All-American. Take your pick for her best season as she was remarkably consistent. I'll go with her senior campaign where she averaged 1.0 blocks and 3.0 kills per set while hitting .368.

Outside Hitter
Usually when making lists like these, there are tough decisions to be made. This position is so loaded that we decided to cheat a little and create a new position to cover the talent. An outside hitter has to be good at everything and they rarely leave the floor. Recording digs and attacking from the back row is required for these athletes, and carrying a heavy workload in the front makes them invaluable. Zoraida "Soly" Heredia and Sofija Berezovska DIDN'T make the All-Decade team despite a 2nd team All-America nod for Soly and an Honorable Mention All-America honor for Sofi; both in 2014. The decision for the 2 MNU Volleyball All-Decade Outside Hitters came down to trying to make a call among Gisele Silva in 2016, Linjun Ji in any of her 3 seasons from 2011-13, and Molly (Brewster) Karagyuarov in 2012. Silva had a monster year in 2016, earning Conference Attacker of the Year, Conference Player of the Year, and 1st team All-America while averaging 4.7 kills and 3.2 digs per set. She and setter Kater are the only 1st team All-America honorees in program history, so she's in without question. Ji's 3 seasons were similar to each other, and she averaged 2.8 kills and 2.8 digs per set for her career. She was named 1st team All-Conference all 3 seasons and honorable mention All-America twice. Her numbers weren't eye-popping, but her talent was. She stood out on some loaded teams and everyone who saw her play would choose her for the all-decade team in a heartbeat. She did everything well and hardly ever made a mistake. Leaving her off the All-Decade team would be a crime.

But...

MNU Hall of Famer Brewster/Karagyuarov was named Conference Player of the Year and 3rd team All-America in 2012 as she averaged 3.1 kills and 2.8 digs per set on MNU's best team ever. Her impact on the program was seen is many more ways than just the numbers. She was the team captain, the face of the program, and de facto on-court coach. She remains the only member of the 1000 kills/1000 digs club, she came back to be named Conference Assistant Coach of the Year twice, and she's currently tasked with leading the program back to national prominence as the head coach of the Pioneers. Plus, her office is three doors down from mine. How could she possibly be left off the All-Decade team?

So this is where we cheat just a bit. Your MNU Volleyball All-Decade Team:
Libero: Laura (Hamblin) Alison 2011
Setter: Rachel (Kater) Stallman 2016
Right Side: Vladi (Kopanarova) Averitt 2013
Middle Hitter/Blocker: Megan (Hayes) Taylor 2012
Middle Hitter/Blocker: Taylor (Cowan) Grubb 2017
Outside Hitter: Gisele (Silva) Moody 2016
Outside Hitter: Linjun Ji 2011
MVP of the Decade: Molly (Brewster) Karagyaurov