North Adams senior Brea Stout goes down for a dig in action from the Lady Devils’ loss to South Webster in the Division III district title match. (Photo by Tim Daulton)
The 2022 North Adams Lady Devils volleyball squad finished as Division II District Runners-Up. (Photo by Tim Daulton)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
It was another successful season, and if you go by tournament play, the most successful in North Adams Lady Devils volleyball history. The Lady Devils have had more wins in previous campaigns but never had they made a trip to the district championship, which they accomplished this season.
After upsetting once-beaten Nelsonville-York in the Division III district semi-finals, Coach Katie Ragan and her squad traveled to Waverly High School on Saturday, October 29 to face the South Webster Lady Jeeps, a Final Four team last season in Division IV. Again, the Lady Devils were underdogs but they put up a fight from start to finish with the Lady Jeeps before South Webster escaped with a win in three sets- 25-22, 25-18, 25-19.
“We finished the season with a record of 17-8 overall, 11-2 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference,” said Coach Ragan. “We won the sectional championship and finished as district runner-up, the farthest any North Adams volleyball team has ever gone. We played our best volleyball in the tournament and I am very proud of this team for how they improved from the beginning of the season to the end.”
A number of Lady Devils also had outstanding individual seasons, especially senior Keetyn Hupp.
According to Coach Ragan, Hupp was named SHAC Co-Player of the Year and was named District 14 All-District First Team. Hupp ended her senior season with 449 kills, with a varsity career kill total of 1,105, making her the third player in NAHS history to eclipse 1,000 career kills, joining Rylee Copas and Charlee Louden on that exclusive list.
Hupp also led the SHAC in kills and hitting percentage and was third in the state in Division III in total kills. She will play in the District14 All-Star game on November 14 at Southeastern High School.
Really blossoming into her own this fall was sophomore Katelynn Boerger, who was named All-SHAC and earned District Honorable Mention. Boerger also led the SHAC in service aces with 91.
In addition, senior Brea South was named All-SHAC and freshman Natalie Ragan led the team with 744 assists on the season.
