Volleyball season was duck season.
Anyone facing players from The Herald-Dispatch All Tri-State high school volleyball team sometimes ducked to avoid their powerful smashes.
Leading the squad are co-players of the year Lilly Adkins of Spring Valley and Baylee Smith of Cabell Midland. Smith finished with 386 kills, a .507 kill percentage, 28 aces, 113 blocks, 122 digs and 17 assists. Adkins made 66 aces, 85 assists, 881 digs, 887 serve receptions and 66 aces. Her serve percentage was .932.
Adkins owns college offers from Pikeville and West Virginia State.
Both Adkins and Smith led their teams to the semifinals of the state tournament. Smith helped the Knights win the Mountain State Athletic Conference championship. Adkins aided the Timberwolves in winning the Class AAAA Region 4 title.
ƵLillyƵs a great player and leader for us,Ƶ Spring Valley coach Brooke Smith said. ƵShe stepped up big for us and is a great teammate. SheƵs such a competitor.Ƶ
Cabell Midland coach Shannon Gerencir offered similar sentiments about Baylee Smith.
ƵBaylee is a fantastic player but also a leader,Ƶ Gerencir said. ƵShe works hard every day and stays after practice if she feels like she needs to accomplish more. SheƵs a great student, great athlete and will do great things. IƵm very proud of all she has accomplished and canƵt wait to see what else she does.Ƶ
Brooke Smith earned coach of the year honors after leading the Timberwolves to a 42-16-4 record in her first season. She edged FairlandƵs Allie Marshall, another rookie coach, who guided the Dragons to their third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship and to the district final for the first time since 1994.
Gerencir, who coached Cabell Midland to the MSAC championship, and ƵhlandƵs Jason Clark, who led the Kittens to the state tournament, also were in the running for coach of the year honors, as was Wayne coach Brooke Heck, who took the Pioneers to the state tournament.
Also on the first team was Jilly Yost of Cabell Midland. Yost, a junior, had 51 kills, 58 blocks, 64 aces, 325 digs and 1,206 assists. Huntington High senior Mallori Dunn-Martin, also a track and field state champion, might have been the hardest hitter on an All-Tri-State team full of powerful girls.
If anyone can rival Dunn-MartinƵs power, itƵs Spring Valley freshman Emma Edwards, who made 449 kills, 151 blocks and 84 digs.
WayneƵs Addie Adkins, a second-team all-stater, helped the Pioneers to the state tournament. She made 472 kills, 50 blocks, 302 digs and 28 assists.
Huntington St. JoeƵs Katie Vickers made the first team. The Irish junior had 551 kills while hitting .314 and served .931 with 98 aces. Vickers also made 366 digs and 43 assists.
Players from West Virginia took up seven spots on the first team. An Ohio girl, Rock HillƵs JƵLynn Risner, also made the team. A University of Pikeville signee, Risner made 429 kills, 41 digs, 28 blocks and 338 digs.
The second team rivals the first as far as talent. RacelandƵs Allayson Rigsby was 31st in the commonwealth in kills with 481. Katie Lawson and Holly Watts of Cabell Midland were second-teamers. So were ƵhlandƵs Grace Clark, FairlandƵs Maci Workman, Spring ValleyƵs Kiki Brumfield and Avery Ellis, and South PointƵs Adyson Copley.
