Meyer named top volleyball player: Greencastle junior standout ‘leads through her play’

Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Greencastle’s Maggie Meyer makes a return shot during the county tournament this fall. Meyer is the Banner Graphic’s Player of the Year.
Banner Graphic/Joey Bennett

Twelve standouts have been named to the Banner Graphic 2016 All-Putnam County volleyball team, led by Greencastle junior Maggie Meyer — the county “Player of the Year.”

Meyer had solid offensive statistics for the county champion Tiger Cubs this year with 46 aces, a 94.3 serving percentage, 15 kills and 12 assists.

But on defense is where she provided the most value to the Greencastle team, making 540 digs to put her over the 1,000 mark for her career, and only having 22 errors in service receive during her team’s 29 matches this fall.

“She is the one of the hardest-working players I have ever coached,” Tiger Cub coach Maggie Walters said. “She’s constantly working to better herself and her team.

“It is rare that a player works just as hard in every single practice as she does in games, and Maggie gives her full effort every time she steps in the gym.”

Walters noted that playing the libero position, as Meyer does, is not an easy job.

“Maggie is an essential part of our team,” Walters said. “Not only is she a great leader through her words, she leads through her play. Her team depends on her to be a consistent passer and defender, and her stats prove she is extremely dependable.

Walters noted that Meyer, who was an honorable All-American last summer at the AAU Nationals in Orlando while playing for the Crossroads of America team from Terre Haute, ran the defense for the team this year.

“She was able to communicate with the defense and offense in order to help the team put the ball away,” Walters said. “She’s fun to watch — she’s all over the court and can be counted on to make game-changing plays.”

Four players from Greencastle were selected to the team, along with three each from Cloverdale and North Putnam and two from South Putnam.

Only four of the all-county team members are seniors, providing each school with at least one returning player for the 2017 season.

Here is a look at the remainder of the all-county squad:

Greencastle

Lydia Trout, Sr. — Had 35 aces, 94.6 serving percentage, 40 kills, 127 assists, 219 digs

“She did a really nice job of always playing solid defense. Her consistent serve receive was a huge factor to our success in the back row this season. Lydia was also a great leader on and off the court.” — Coach Walters

Madison Trout, Sr. — Had 64 aces, 94.8 serving percentage, 169 kills, 266 digs

“Madison is a great all-around volleyball player. We moved her around in positions this year, and she always did an above-average job adjusting to what her team needed.” — Coach Walters

Jalyn Duff, So. — Had 26 aces, 93.8 serving percentage, 37 kills, 538 assists, 263 digs

“She had a lot of responsibility this year running the offense. We asked a lot of her as a sophomore, but she rose to the challenge. She ranked third in the conference in overall assists, and as coaches, we were able to see her working to make daily improvements in her position.” — Coach Walters

Cloverdale

Justyce Monnett, Jr. — Also lettered last year as an outside hitter. Justyce is an outside hitter and had 184 kills, 67 points, 24 aces, 142 serve receptions and 139 digs. Was sixth in the WIC East Division in kills.

Tori Combs, So. — Lettered last year as a middle hitter and had 240 kills and 77 blocks. She scored 26 points with 6 aces, 81 serve receptions and had 121 digs. Tori was third in the WIC East Division in kills and fourth in blocks

Hannah Rady, So. — Lettered last year as a setter and was named all-WIC player this year. Had 202 points, 50 aces, 22 kills, 502 set-assists and 142 digs. Hannah was third in the WIC east division with 502 set-assists and 5th in aces.

“I am extremely proud of these three young ladies. They have worked hard to achieve their goals and I see nothing but great things for them in the future.” — coach Kathy Moore.

North Putnam

Comments from coach LeeAnn Bryan:

Aleah Duncan, Sr. — “She was pretty consistent throughout the season. She earned the libero position because of her leadership in the back row. She kept the rest of the girls communicating.”

Bradi Gierke, Fr. — “Her impact on a varsity team was phenomenal for a freshman. Bradi had the most kills on the team. Her hits were very consistent, meaning she didn’t hit the ball out of bounds or in the net often. She learned a lot throughout the season as far as getting back on defense and making the smart choice when attacking a ball.”

Lyndi Parent, Sr. — “She led the team in assist and blocks. She was very smart with the ball and knew which position to set the ball to.”

South Putnam

Comments from coach Rachelle Custis:

Miranda Bieghler, Jr. — “She led in stats for scoring most points, most aces and second most in digs. Miranda was chosen as the speaking captain because she was always aware of everyone’s positional rotation. Running a two-setter rotation allowed Miranda to fill the role as a consistent front row hitter too. Miranda eagerly filled each role to her best ability with heart. I look forward to Miranda’s strong senior leadership next year.”

Caitlin Capps, So. — “She led in stats with most kills, was second in blocks and second in points. Although Caitlin was a key aspect at the net, she was always eager to improve on passing as well. Caitlin was willing to work on spiking after practices, and she eagerly participated in extra defensive drills to improve on fundamentals. I’m confident that Caitlin’s leadership, intensity and confidence will continue to grow the next couple of years.”

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