2022 NewsTribune Volleyball Player of the Year

Fieldcrest junior Allie Wiesenhofer has been around volleyball since she was very young.

Her first exposure to the game came from playing with her older sisters, Gracie and Emmie.

Wiesenhofer started playing organized volleyball in first grade and joined the Illini Elite club team as a fourth grader.

When she’s not playing school or club volleyball, she’ll go hit with her friends. Wiesenhofer will even walk around her house passing a volleyball.

“I’m been playing it for practically my whole entire life,” Wiesenhofer said.

She watched from the stands as her sisters played for the Knights. Both were on Fieldcrest’s state team in 2013, and Emmie played on the Knights’ sectional championship squad the next year.

“They kind of taught me everything,” Allie Wiesenhofer said. “They very much have given me my competitive attitude and my drive to always be the best that I can be.”

Having been exposed to the game so young and playing with and watching her sisters, Wiesenhofer also developed a solid understanding of the sport.

“Because I’ve been playing volleyball for so long, I feel like I know the game very well,” Wiesenhofer said. “I think I can see things and read things that other players might not be able to see.”

Fieldcrest coach Cathy Sanders said Wiesenhofer’s volleyball IQ is higher than most.

“She definitely has a deeper knowledge, I think, than a lot of players at this level,” Sanders said. “She has this intuition, and she understands things. She also understands that she’s still working to get better. Even though she has this deep understanding of the game, she still has this thirst for more knowledge.”

Wiesenhofer’s knowledge of the game combined with her physical skills have made her a go-to player for the Knights.

She put down 3.5 kills per set, which ranked second in the area, and recorded 3.7 digs per set, which was ninth in the area.

Wiesenhofer led Fieldcrest to a 29-5 record, a third-place finish in the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament, a regional championship and a sectional final appearance.

For all she accomplished this season, Wiesenhofer is the 2022 NewsTribune Volleyball Player of the Year.

“Allie had an excellent season,” Sanders said. “She’s definitely one of our anchors on the court. She stepped up in that role. She was our floor captain. That was based on her knowledge of the game and her understanding of what that role is. I couldn’t be more proud of how Allie played. She stepped up and took on leadership, and she stepped up her level of play.”

As a three-time All-HOIC selection, including unanimously the past two seasons, opposing team’s often focus their defense on stopping Wiesenhofer.

“I think she’s learning to see the court better to see where the openings are,” Sanders said. “She’s not afraid to try different things. She understands that being a good hitter requires a variety of skills. You’re not always hitting. Sometimes, you’re tipping. Sometimes, you’re rolling. Sometimes, you’re looking for a block. With her hitting, she’s kind of the total package. When teams keyed on her a little more this year, she learned how to adjust to that.”

Wiesenhofer said her aggressive approach helps her at the net.

“I’m always trying to get the kill,” Wiesenhofer said. “I’m always trying to find ways I can score. Even on balls that maybe others wouldn’t try to score on, they’d just try to put it over, I always try to get the point.”

Wiesenhofer stepped up in the postseason with 29 kills in four matches, including nine kills – along with eight digs and six points – in an upset over Tri-Valley in the regional final after the Vikings beat Fieldcrest twice in the regular season.

“High pressure games are my favorite to play in because the intensity is real,” Wiesenhofer said. “Playing against good teams is so much more fun than winning easily because you know that you earned it.”

While Wiesenhofer thrives in high pressure situations, she’s also able to provide a calming presence and lifts up her teammates.

“She leads through example on the court with her play,” Sanders said. “In practice, she jumps in where she’s needed and likes to challenge her teammates and kind of push them. I think when she brings up her level of play, the girls respond by bringing up their level of play. She celebrates team accomplishments. She’s truly a team player. She’s out there talking, calling the ball and being involved in every play. She’s definitely blossomed into an on court and off court leader.”