The 2022 Herald-News Girls Volleyball All-Area Team

As always, there was no shortage of high-quality girls volleyball played in The Herald-News coverage area. Here is the 2022 Herald-News All-Area Girls Volleyball Team:

FIRST TEAM

Cydney Anderson, Bolingbrook, sr., OH: Had 248 kills, 26 aces, 152 digs and 25 blocks for the Raiders, who set a school record for wins in a season. ... All-conference and IVCA All-State second-team selection. ... Coach Molly DeSerf: “Cydney is one of the most athletic and dynamic players I have ever coached. She is gritty, relentless and an absolute competitor. She is a force in the game and carries herself with a high standard of excellence.”

Ava Grevengoed, Joliet West, jr., OH: Had 350 kills, 238 digs, 52 aces and 14 blocks for the Tigers. ... All-conference and IVCA All-State second-team selection. ... Coach Chris Lincoln: “Ava was a very strong and consistent presence at the net. She is a very intense player and took over many matches. She did a phenomenal job at the end of the season mixing up her shots and terminating the ball.”

Jess Horn, Joliet Catholic Academy, jr., S: Had 905 assists, 38 aces, 25 blocks, 66 kills and 138 digs for the Angels, who finished third in Class 3A. ... Coach Kisha Cameron: “Jess was chomping at the bit for the fall season to begin, and you could see how dedicated she was to the game by the amount of time she put in outside practice, studying film and asking questions. She stepped into the role of running a 5-1 pretty smoothly for her first year starting varsity against some very experienced opponents and spread the ball around well. Jess is always willing to learn and eager to give her teammates the ball they want, which really sparked our offense in the postseason.”

Lauren Jansen, Plainfield North, sr., OH: Had 327 kills, 219 digs, 58 aces, 2.09 passer rating, 28 blocks and 17 assists for the Tigers. ... Southwest Prairie Conference MVP. ... Three-time all-conference selection. ... North Dakota State University commit. ... Coach Matt Slechta: “Lauren has been a hidden gem in the state of Illinois since her sophomore year. Lauren solidifies herself as not only one of the best players to come through the Plainfield North program, but one of the best players to come through our area. She has been a tremendous captain, teammate and person all four years of her high school career. I am excited to continue to follow her career at NDSU.”

Ava Nepkin, Lincoln-Way East, sr., OH: Had 256 kills, 46 aces, 20 blocks and 238 digs for the Griffins. ... Finished her career second all-time at Lincoln-Way East for career kills with 728. , ... IVCA All-State first-team and all-conference selection. ... Loyola (Maryland) commit. ... Coach Kris Fiore: “Ava was the complete package: tall, athletic, great blocker at the net, our best passer and server, and of course she could terminate at the net. On top of that, Ava was our team captain, leader on the court and in the classroom. Ava takes all AP classes and has a GPA well over 4.0, she was well deserving of making the AVCA’s Best and Brightest First team.”

Ava Neuschwander, Joliet Catholic Academy, sr., MH: Had 192 kills, 40 aces, 29 digs and led the team in blocks with 39 for the Angels, who finished third in Class 3A. ... All-conference selection. ... Carthage College commit. ... Coach Kisha Cameron: “Ava will be hard to replace, not just because she played for me for her entire high school career, but because she has such a vast skill set and is a hard worker. She is a great leader that played very consistent for us, was fearless against some huge conference opponents, and I’m sure she’ll carry that forward for Carthage.”

Madison Shroba, Bolingbrook, sr., OH: Herald-News Player of the Year. ... Amassed 356 kills, 63 aces, 182 digs and 14 blocks for the Raiders. ... Southwest Suburban Conference Athlete of the Year. ... All-conference and IVCA All-State first-team selection. ... Lewis University commit. ... Coach Molly DeSerf: “Madison is a three-year varsity starter who led her team to a regional championship as a junior and senior. This past season she was instrumental in breaking the school record (32 wins) and leading us to our first ever conference championship. Madison is an incredibly humble leader and an absolute workhorse. She is the epitome of what any coach would want in an athlete. She sets the standard daily within our gym and is an absolute force on the court.”

SECOND TEAM

Olivia Chovanec, Joliet Catholic Academy, so., OH

Sarah Harvey, Bolingbrook, jr., S/OH

Jada James, Lincoln-Way East, sr., OH

Kiera King, Lincoln-Way Central, jr., S/OH

Lily King, Minooka, sr., S/OH

Gabby Piazza, Joliet West, jr., MH

Grace Ulatowski, Lemont, sr., OH

HONORABLE MENTION

Chloe Anderson, Romeoville

Kinsey Bakhaus, Plainfield Central

Kameron Blizniak, Romeoville

Ellie Blotnik, Joliet Catholic Academy

Demi Cole, Romeoville

Layla Collins, Plainfield Central

Addison Fair, Gardner-South Wilmington

Hannah Frescura, Gardner-South Wilmington

Jackie Gladstein, Plainfield North

Lainey Green, Lockport

Brooke Gwiazda, Peotone

Kayla Jepson, Morris

Grace Juergens, Lockport

Ellie Kulpinski, Providence Catholic

Natalie Lawton, Morris

Emma Malek, Plainfield South

Ella Maletich, Plainfield North

Payton Mandac, Providence Catholic

Jaylee Mills, Wilmington

Ashlyn Noon, Joliet West

Keira O’Donnell, Lemont

Bella Reyes, Wilmington

April Rice, Lemont

Kara Schaak, Minooka

Aleksa Simkus, Lockport

Ava Smith, Morris

Ella Strausberger, Plainfield North

Alyssa Teske, Lincoln-Way Central

Allie Wuestenfeld, Joliet Catholic Academy