The 2025 All-Southern Hills Athletic Conference Volleyball Team. Front row, from left ; Alyssa Bales, Fairfield; Bently Burns, Eastern; Jaeden Drury, Fairfield; Paige Evans, North Adams; Halle Greene, Lynchburg-Clay; Ava McLaughlin, Lynchburg-Clay; Remi Moon, Fairfield; Christina Murphy, Fayetteville; Back row, from left: Maya Murphy, Fayetteville; Kendra Padgett, Ripley; Ava Pistole, North Adams; Emma Pistole, North Adams; Natalie Ragan, North Adams; Hayden Rideout, Manchester; Joslyn Rockey, Lynchburg-Clay; Kennadi Storms, Whiteoak; and Shelbi Weakley, West Union. Not pictured is Aiva Brumley, Peebles. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic COnference)
Ragans sweep Player, Coach of the Year awards
The Ragan family and North Adams made a clean sweep of the Coach and Player of the Year awards for 2025 in SHAC Volleyball. From left, Coach of the Year Katie Ragan and Player of the Year Natalie Ragan. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Another fall sports season for the southern Hills Athletic Conference has come to a close and the conference has awarded its annual postseason awards. The fall sports awards ceremony was held at North Adams High school in late October and part of that ceremony was the announcement of the All-Conference Volleyball Team. Seven young ladies from the four Adams County school were named All-Conference, including the rare Coach and Player of the Year being a mother-daughter combo.
After rolling to their third consecutive gold ball trophy with a 13-0 conference mark, the North Adams Lady Devils placed four girls on the SHAC All-Conference Team. Senior setter Natalie Ragan had another banner year, dishing out 669 assists, adding to her career and school record total of 2,682. Ragan’s efforts led the coached to name her as the SHAC Player of the Year, while her mother Katie earned yet another Coach of the Year honor.
North Adams senior Paige Evans was named All-Conference for a season which saw her collect her 1,000th career dig, along with 167 kills and 31 service aces. Juniors Ava and Emma Pistole were also named to the All-Conference Team, with Ava putting up a stat line of 218 kills and 92 digs with Emma adding 223 kills, 64 digs and 63 blocks.
One of the players to watch in the future has already caught the eye of the conference volleyball coaches as Manchester freshman standout Hayden Rideout earned All-Conference recognition in her first year of high school action. The high-flying Rideout collected 129 kills, 147 digs, 51 blocks and 35 service aces as the Lady Hounds finished 8-12 overall under head coach Morgan Johnson.
The West Union Lady Dragons finished 7-15 in the 2-25 season and senior Shelbi Weakley was the lone Lady Dragon to be named to the All-Conference Team as she produced a season of 168 kills, 20 service aces, 69 digs and 30 blocks.
Peebles senior and multi-sport athlete Aiva Brumley pulled off the double honor of being named to the SHAC All-Conference Teams in soccer and volleyball. On the volleyball court in 2025 for the 7-16 Lady Indians, Brumley garnered 123 kills, 244 digs and 44 service aces.
The remainder of the SHAC All-Conference Volleyball Team includes:Alyssa Bales, Jaeden Drury and Remi Moon (Fairfield); Bently Burns (Eastern Brown); Halle Greene, Ava McLaughlin and Joslyn Rockey (Lynchburg-Clay); Christina Murphy and Maya Murphy (Fayetteville); Kendra Padgett (Ripley); and Kennadi Storms (Whiteoak).
SHAC 2025 Final Volleyball Standings
Division I (Big School)
North Adams 13-0
Lynchburg-Clay 11-2
West Union 5-8
Ripley 4-9
Eastern Brown 0-13
Division II (Small School)
Fairfield 10-3
Fayetteville 10-3
Manchester 6-7
Peebles 6-7
Whiteoak 1-12
