The 2024 Southern Hills Athletic Conference All-Conference Volleyball Team was honored at ceremonies held on October 27. Front row, from left, Mackenzie Anderson, Fairfield; Katelynn Boerger, North Adams; Addy Carraher, Lynchburg-Clay; Kelsey Clark, Fairfield; Paige Evans, North Adams; Angel Gray, Peebles; Kylee Hamm, Whiteoak; Jobey Hattan, Fairfield; Aulbrea Meade, North Adams; Back row, from left, Remi Moon, Fairfield; Maya Murphy, Fayetteville; Kylie O’Connor, Lynchburg-Clay; Harlie Polley, Ripley; Natalie Ragan, North Adams; Kylie O’Connor, Lynchburg-Clay; Ashlah Staten, West Union; Victoria Thompson, Fayetteville; and Rylie Young, Manchester. (Photo provided by the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)
NA’s Boerger repeats as Player of the Year
2024 SHAC Volleyball Coach of the Year Katie Ragan (North Adams) and Player of the Year Katelynn Boerger (North Adams). (Photo provided by the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)
Katelynn Boerger, North Adams (SHAC Volleyball Player of the Year) (Photo by Tim Daulton)
Aulbrea Meade, North Adams (Photo by Tim Daulton)
Natalie Ragan, North Adams (Photo by Tim Daulton)
Angel Gray, Peebles (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Ashlah Staten, West Union (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Rylie Young, Manchester (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Paige Evans, North Adams (Photo by Tim Daulton)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
By a recent vote of the coaches, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference announced the 2024 Volleyball All-Conference Team. Eighteen girls from the conference schools received All-Conference honors, seven of them from the Adams County high schools, plus the SHAC Coach of the Year.
The All-Conference performers from Adams County schools are an experienced group, five seniors and two juniors, led by North Adams with four honorees, and one each from Peebles, Manchester and West Union.
As they normally do, the North Adams Lady Devils, guided by Coach of the Year Katie Ragan, dominated conference play, losing just one set all season in the conference and winning another gold ball trophy with their perfect 13-0 mark in the SHAC.
The Lady Devils were led by SHAC Player of the Year for the second time, senior hitter Katelynn Boerger. Boerger had an outstanding senior season, leading the SHAC with 416 kills, one of those being the 1,000th of her career. Boerger was also tops in the SHAC with 62 blocks and also contributed 51 service aces and 237 digs, showing her versatility in playing the back row as well as the front row.
Also named All-SHAC from North Adams was senior Aulbrea Meade, who was first in the conference with 78 service aces. Meade was also fourth in the SHAC with 43 blocks and added 174 kills and 182 digs.
Two juniors from the Lady Devils earned All-Conference honors, Paige Evans and Natalie Ragan. Evans had 141 kills, 29 service aces and was fourth in the SHAC with 311 digs. From her setter position, Ragan easily topped the conference with an impressive 799 assists, picking up her career 2,000th along the way. Ragan also contributed 55 kills and 171 digs to a Lady Devils squad that finished 21-3 overall.
Peebles senior Angel Gray capped off her fine career with an All-Conference selections, leading her team with 252 kills, which ranked third in the conference. The Lady Indians finished 6-7 in conference action with Gray second in the SHAC in blocks with 47. The Peebles senior also added 38 service aces and 171 digs.
The lone Manchester representative on the All-SHAC squad was senior Rylie Young. The Lady Hounds were the most improved team in the SHAC, finishing 5-8 in the conference, and were paced by Young’s 113 kills, 47 service aces and 282 digs.
The final county representative on the All-SHAC squad comes from West Union, who finished 4-9 in conference play. Senior Ashlah Staten has her season cut short because of a knee injury, but not before she accumulated a stat line of 35 kills, 235 assists from her setter position and 154 digs.
The remainder of the 2024 SHAC All-Conference Volleyball Team included: Mackenzie Anderson, Kelsey Clark, Jobey Hattan and Remi Moon (Fairfield); Addy Carraher, Kylie O’Connor and Joslyn Rockey (Lynchburg); Kylee Hamm (Whiteoak); Maya Murphy and Victoria Thompson (Fayetteville); and Harlie Polley (Ripley).
The All-Conference members were recognized at the SHAC Fall Sports Awards, hosted by North Adams High School on October 27.
2024 SHAC Volleyball Final Standings
Division I (Big School)
North Adams 13-0
Lynchburg 10-3
Peebles 6-7
West Union 4-9
Eastern Brown 1-12
Division II (Small School)
Fairfield 12-1
Fayetteville 9-4
Manchester 5-8
Ripley 4-9
Whiteoak 1-12
