LAKE COUNTY >> Kelseyville and Middletown high schools each landed four players on the annual edition of the All-Lake County volleyball team, which honors the top players from the 2014 season.
This year’s team includes 13 players overall representing all five of the county’s varsity volleyball programs. Players are selected on a variety of criteria, including season statistics, head-to-head team results, league placement, All-League voting, and a season’s worth of input from Lake County’s five varsity coaches. Whereas the county’s coaches have met to choose the team in past years, they asked the Record-Bee to select the 2014 squad.
The 2014 team is heavily weighted toward seniors (eight). There are also three juniors and two sophomores, both from the same school (Kelseyville).
In terms of records and league placement, the Kelseyville Knights coached by Donelle McCallister were the class of the county as they finished 12-2 in the North Central League I standings (second place behind undefeated St. Helena) and 22-9 overall, including a victory over Lick Wilmerding in the opening round of the tough North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. While the Knights didn’t possess the dominant-type hitter they had a year earlier with league MVP Jeannie Johnson, who led Kelseyville to the NCL I title, they did have a solid core of starters.
Middletown placed third in the NCL I standings at 8-6 under coach Jennifer Breiner and definitely did have that dominant middle hitter in senior Renee Edwards. Likewise the Clear Lake Cardinals, who went 7-7 and finished fourth in the NCL I standings under coach Marci Psalmonds, were led by their big hitter, senior Aliza Atkins.
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Lower Lake finished 3-11 in its first season under new coach Darcie Schmidt. Upper Lake improved greatly from 2013 even though coach Raelene Cromwell’s Cougars weren’t a huge factor in the NCL II race.
Leading the 2014 All-County team are co-most valuable players Edwards and Atkins. They preside over an All-County first team that features Kelseyville seniors Mary McCallister (setter) and Abby McQueen (outside hitter) and Kelseyville sophomore Riley Goff (setter) as well as juniors Emily Psalmonds (setter) of Clear Lake and Emily Lescher (middle hitter) of Middletown.
The All-County second team includes Middletown’s Jordan Ketchum, a junior libero, and senior outside hitter Ginacia Dusatko; Clear Lake senior libero Logan Robinson; Upper Lake senior setter Heather Hankins; Kelseyville sophomore libero Lauren Rudnick; and Lower Lake senior outside hitter Shelbie Harris.
All 13 players were invited to participate in a team photo shoot on Sunday in front of the Lake County Museum in Lakeport. All but Harris were able to attend.
