Warriors lead the way on AKC squad

By KITSAP NEWS GROUP

What a magical year it was on the hardwood for the King’s West netters.

The Warriors advanced to state for the first time in school history, getting extremely close to earning a trophy. King’s West will bring back several key members, and while losing some too, should be poised to repeat that success in 2008.

As for Bremerton, the Knights continued to build the program back up, finishing 3-9 this season. With some young players, Bremerton too should continue to improve.

The All-Kitsap County teams are compiled by the sports writers for the Bainbridge Island Review, the Bremerton Patriot, the Central Kitsap Reporter, the North Kitsap Herald and the Port Orchard Independent. Candidates for the team are nominated by the writers for their respective areas. The nominees are then voted on by the writers, with the top vote-getters making the teams. Two honorable mentions are selected from each school for each sport. The teams include the best players from area schools that not only performed well individually, but played a role in the success of their team as well.

Below is the All-Kitsap County Volleyball Team. The AKC Football Team will appear in the Saturday, Dec. 1, edition of the Bremerton Patriot.

2007 All-Kitsap County Volleyball Team

OH — Jessica Ouellet, North Kitsap, senior — Ouellet finished her senior year with a team-high 138 kills, 151 digs and 45 aces from her outside hitter position for the Vikings. Ouellet’s ability was evident in nearly every contest this season. Whenever North needed a point, they put the ball in Ouellet’s hands. Ouellet was a major reason the Vikings won nine regular season games this year.

OH — Megan Morris, King’s West, senior — Morris led the Warriors in attack kills this season with 203, remaining steady during a season where injuries hurt the team. Morris was one of the many King’s West players to hit a staggeringly high serve percentage, adding 57 blocks and 66 digs.

OH/MB — Kelcey Dunaway, Bainbridge, senior — The senior co-captain continued with the tradition of talented players at Bainbridge as she posted a stellar stat line of 328 kills, 261 digs, 84 blocks and 48 aces this season. Ranked as one of the top seniors in the nation, she was consistent in her efforts no matter where she played as she led the Spartans back to the district tournament. Dunaway will continue her volleyball career at the University of Washington next fall. 

MB — Tara Patton, Central Kitsap, junior — Patton was the best of CK’s attackers, pounding out 233 kills with 62 blocks. But Patton, who should continue to grow as a weapon next season, also could serve it up, netting 75 aces this season.

L — Reese Dever, Central Kitsap, senior — Rarely do liberos get the recognition Theresia “Reese” Dever has received. An extremely agile and athletic player, Dever posed a big threat to opposing teams, serving up 86 aces with 65 kills. But her true skill was getting to anything and everything playable on the court, as Dever kept CK alive with her stellar defense, recording 762 digs.

L — Irene Moore, King’s West, junior — Moore threw big numbers across the stat line with 358 assists, 186 digs and a stinging 81 aces. Moore was a big reason King’s West was able to advance to the state tournament for the first time in school history.

S — Angela Spieker, Central Kitsap, senior — The impact Spieker had on CK’s volleyball team can be said plainly enough: Spieker will go down among the top setters in CK history. Spieker set the new school single-season assist record, dishing out 806 this year. She also fired 56 aces while recording 240 digs.

S — Chelsea Bell, Bainbridge, senior — The senior filled the shoes of former setter Ally Post admirably, as she registered 559 assists for the Spartans this season. She also had 147 digs and 24 aces. 

Coach of the year — Gordy Bushaw, Central Kitsap — While Bushaw’s Cougars (11-3) would have liked to advance back to state a year after claiming a trophy, the team’s accomplishments in the face of losing key seniors, especially on the offensive side of the ball, was yet another testament to Bushaw’s tutelage. CK was able to overcome inconsistencies during the season to advance within a game of a state return. Now, CK will again lose key seniors, but undoubtedly, with Bushaw at the helm, the Cougars will be able to fill those spots just fine.

Honorable Mention

L — Hillary Grant, Bainbridge — The senior co-captain always put her best out on the court for the Spartans as their starting libero for the past three years, posting a stat line of 353 digs and 32 aces. She also provided an emotional spark when it was needed.

S — Amy Cox, North Kitsap, senior — Every team needs a player who doesn’t worry about the stats and just does their job. Vikings 5’2” setter Amy Cox filled that role for the Vikings in 2007. Cox finished with a team-high 309 assists.

OH — Stephanie Eadie, Kingston, senior — The Buccaneers may only have won one contest this season, but Bucs vocal leader Stephanie Eadie did her best to make sure her team competed night in and night out. Eadie, who finished with the third most kills on the team (37 kills), led her squad on and off the court.

MB — Lauren Forney, Central Kitsap, senior — Forney was one player CK needed to step up this season. More often than not, she was able to answer that call. The CK senior recorded 186 kills and 53 blocks.

S — Jessica Wilson, Klahowya, senior — While the senior dished out just 88 assists, Wilson kept Klahowya close with 107 digs and 35 aces.

OH — Megan Rainey, Olympic, junior —  The team leader in kills, the Trojans’ top outside hitter should continue to grow as Oly’s top offensive threat.

MB — Megan Spence, King’s West, senior — Despite missing weeks with injured landing gear, Spence still topped the 100-kill mark (101), adding 41 blocks, 63 digs and 28 aces.

OH — Nica Ogazi, Bremerton, senior — Ogazi is a surprisingly nimble player. Tall and angular, Ogazi is just as often diving for a dig as she is lining up a cross-court slam. Ogazi’s net play is strong too, as she posted more blocks for kills than many outside hitters record in attacks.

MH — Stephanie Osterdahl, South Kitsap, junior — Coach Jessica Anderson called her the best player on the team in an otherwise forgettable season for the Wolves, who finished with a 4-12 record.

OH — Emily Donohue, Bainbridge — The junior did her part to fill the holes of some talented seniors lost to graduation, putting up a stat line of 127 kills, 139 digs, 19 blocks and 30 aces.

MB — Sara Jo Barrett, North Kitsap, senior — Barret was one of the Vikings go-to players throughout her senior year. Barrett was a brick wall at the net, coming up with timely blocks.

MB — Joi Niemeyer, Kingston, senior — The tallest player for the Buccaneers at 5’10”, Joi Niemeyer had an incredible 37 blocks at the net for the first year of the school. Her height and springy jumping ability resulted in Niemeyer compiling 43 kills in 2007.

OH — Katrina Hill, Central Kitsap, senior — After a junior season severely sidetracked by injuries, Hill made the most of her final year, recording 128 kills and 33 aces while helping CK deep into districts.

OH — Rachael Beierle, Klahowya, senior — Another senior on a young squad, Beierle led the Eagles with 39 kills, adding 62 digs defensively for Klahowya.

S — Amy Stone, Olympic, sophomore — Stone helped lead a young Olympic team from the setter spot, leading Oly in assists but proving versatile by finishing third on the team in kills and second in digs.

OH — Hannah Fontenot, King’s West, junior — The kid has a canon of a serve, frustrating opponents with 107 aces. Fontenot also fired 86 kills this year while adding 54 digs.

S — Cortney Echternach, South Kitsap, junior — The Wolves’ primary setter had perhaps her best performance come in a five-game loss Sept. 26 against Gig Harbor, when she had 20 assists and five digs.

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