By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
Benet Academy junior libero Hattie Monson made the all-tournament team this season at the Wheaton Classic and Autumnfest this season, but did not receive tournament accolades at the Wheaton North Tournament.
It wasn’t that Monson had a poor showing at the event – it was that on the final day, she was simply a no-show.
Instead of playing with Benet, she was 1,800 miles away playing libero for the USA Youth National Team as it won gold at the NORCECA U18 Girls’ Continental Championship. Monson posted 37 digs and 19 serve receives overseas and was named both tournament’s best digger and best receiver.
When she was playing for Benet this season, the junior Notre Dame commit had 383 digs, 47 assists and 29 service aces and helped the Redwings to a third-place finish in IHSA Class 3A.
For her efforts, Monson is named 2018 Voyager Media Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.
“I have been playing volleyball for a long time, but it helps that our block this season has been so consistent that they have put me in the best positions where I know where to stand on defense. I have had so much experience passing so many balls,” she said. “The past two years, they have talked about being down state and they talk about what it is to be a Benet player, and I didn’t really understand that my freshman year, but as I get older, I understand how important these moments are.”
Benet Academy has had talent at the libero position over the years, but coach Brad Baker is not ready to place Monson near the top of that list.
Not just yet, anyway.
“When her career is done, we will look back then, but she is not done. She is unbelievable in serve receive, which is the most important skill,” Baker said. “She makes reads and understands the flow of the game and puts herself in a position to make those plays. People don’t give her enough credit for her speed and her ability to run down balls and completely give up her body.
“She is just a gym rat and she loves it. Those gym rat kids are the ones that you want on your side. She plays every day and barely takes a day off and when you do that, your instincts grow. When you are 30 years old and you say, ‘if I had the athletic ability I had at 20 and know what I know now…’ She already has that because she has put in the time.”
Other members of the All-Area team are:
Heidi Bonde, Minooka
Sophomore outside hitter paced the Indians with a team-high 279 kills to go along with 62 digs and 38 blocks.
“She is a great athlete who as a sophomore was one of the best hitters in the area,” said coach Carrie Prosek. “Being 6-3, and great vertical she can get around or over any block. She will be a huge threat the next two years.
Madison Cuchran,
Downers Grove NORth
Sophomore libero tallied 541 digs, 78 service aces and 50 service aces for the Class 4A runner-up Trojans.
Lucy Dumford,
Downers Grove South
The 6-foot senior outside hitter is committed to D-I High Point University in North Carolina.
She posted 287 kills, 54 digs and 49 blocks on the season. The three-year starter was all-conference, team MVP all-tournament at the Rich East Invite.
Elizabeth Dunlap,
Downers Grove NORth
Junior setter posted 979 assists to lead North to the state final match. She also had 276 digs, 65 kills, 29 blocks and 47 service aces for the Trojans.
Britney Drysch, Joliet West
Senior setter tallied 726 assists this season to go along with 31 aces, 34 kills, 17 blocks and 183 digs for the 27-10 (7-3 SPC) Tigers. She was named to the all-SPC team.
Emily Holbrook, JCA
The 5-8 senior outside hitter wproved that sub-6-footers can lead a team to a state medal. The Arizona State recruit 274 kills, 16 blocks and 337 digs on the season. Was named to the All-ESCC team
“Emily has been a three-year starter and has been a go-to player in each of those years. She has amazing jumping ability and plays like she is 6 feet tall,” said coach Christine Scheibe. “I sometimes refer to her as the Energizer Bunny who just keeps going and going. Being a six rotation player, she is an asset to the team in both the front and back row contributing with her excellent passing, back row attacks, and defense. She will be attending Arizona State University on a volleyball scholarship where she will be a libero/defensive specialist. Emily has taken her role as a captain very seriously and instituted a big sister/little sister program with the freshman team this year and has led many team bonding activities.”
Jill Hook, Lockport
Led the Porters with 395 digs and 51 service aces and also tallied 59 assists.
She was named All-SouthWest Suburban Conference as well as all-tournament at the Oak Lawn Spartan Invite. She helped lead Lockport to its first Regional Championship since 2011 and most wins (28) since 2011.
“Jill was a special player for the Lockport program as she was a starter in nearly all positions throughout her four years: Setter (Freshman), OH (Sophomore/Junior), OPP. (Junior), DS (Junior) and ultimately a Libero for her senior year,” said coach Nick Mraz. “Before the season, our serve receive was the biggest question in our offense and she stepped up to solidify our back row throughout the year.
“Her serve was an added bonus as her float would eat up many teams to get them out of system on a consistent basis.”
Kyla Kenney, Benet
Sophomore outside hitter 281 kills, 31 blocks, 152 digs and 17 service aces for the Class 4A third-place Redwings.
Joins Monson and Ally Van Eeckeren as the only Benet players to play six rotations.
Taylor Landfair, Plainfield Central
One of the top hitters in the area, the University of Minnesota recruit posted an area-best 505 kills on the season as well as 242 digs.
Margaret Mahlke,
Downers Grove NORth
The 6-foot outside hitter posted 458 kills, 46 blocks, 246 digs and 35 aces for the best team in North history based on advancement.
She is a four-year starter for the Trojans and helped the team to a second-place finish in Class 4A. She will play collegiately at St. Louis University. She was all-tournament at Plainfield South, the Wheaton Classic and Autumn fest.
“She has been a steady, reliable force for us throughout her time in our program and is one of the primary reasons we advanced to the Elite Eight last year and had another successful season this year,” said coach Mark Wasik. “She is the epitome of a coach’s player and consummate teammate. She leads by both example and with her voice and she has the fullest admiration of her teammates and coaches.”
Natalie Mitchem, Bolingbrook
Senior Outside Hitter was a four-year varsity starter who converted from a three-rotation middle to a six-rotation outside hitter as a junior.
She posted 396 kills, 46 aces, 43 blocks, and 257 digs this season.
She is on the Under Armour All-American Watch List, Top 100 Players in the Class of 2019, She is SouthWest Suburban Conference MVP her sophomore, junior and senior season, and was unanimously voted to the 2018 Moldenhauer Classic all-tournament team.
She holds the school record in kills with more than 800 in her career.
“Natalie is the driving force that flipped our varsity program from a 7-21 record in 2017 to 23-9 in 2018,” said coach Molly DeSerf.
She will play next season at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
Taylor Morgan, Lockport
Junior outside hitter paced the Porters with 213 kills to go with 21.5 blocks, 131 digs and 18 aces. She was named a member of the 2018 AVCA Phenom List.
“Taylor was our volume hitter who often went six rotations to become a back row threat,” said coach Nick Mraz. “She was a leader not only on the court but off as her positivity was infectious when her team needed it most.”
Bella Ray, JCA
Junior was named to the all-tournament teams at the Metea Valley/Oswego East Tournament and the Glenbard East Autumnfest as well as all-ESCC.
She posted 260 kills and 102 blocks for the Class 3A third-place Angels.
“Bella has been a dominant middle hitter this entire season. We are a better team when she is in the front row because teams have a very hard time stopping her,” said coach Christine Scheibe. “She has a variety of different shots, and she has worked very hard over the course of the season to develop even more shots by working on new angles and improving her footwork. She has kept her hitting errors to a minimum with a kill percentage of 46.3 percent. She has set a school record for kills by a middle hitter. Bella has also been an excellent leader this year. As a captain, she has lead team activities and been a role model for her teammates.”
Zoey Seput, Minooka
Junior setter paced the young Indians with 860 assists to go along with 38 aces, 96 blocks and 263 digs.
She was all-tournament at Plainfield North and was first team All-Southwest Prairie Conference.
“This is her second year running our offense,” said coach Carrie Prosek. “She is a very talented setter where opponents have a very hard time reading where she setting. We love her competitiveness and leadership that she brings to the court. Hands down the best setter in the area.”
Katie Shook, Plainfield Central
The Alabama commit tallied 453 digs on the season to go along with 30 service aces and 46 assists.
Mekenzie Smith, Plainfield North
Junior libero tallied 423 digs, 31 assists, 20 service aces and a 2.10 passer rating this year for the Tigers.
Natalie Stefanski,
Joliet West
Junior outside hitter was first team all-Southwest Prairie Conference and was all-tournament at the Peg Bryan Memorial Tourney, Glenbard West Invite and LW Central Autumn Knights Invite.
On the season, she posted 354 kills, 2298 digs, 29 blocks and 46 service aces.
lly Van Eeckeren, Benet
Senior Creighton recruit tallied 741 assists, 161 digs, 115 kills, 70 blocks and 38 service aces in helping the Redwings to a third-place finish in Class 4A. She was all-tournament at Autumnfest and was named to the ESCC All-Conference team.
“She is the best blocking setter we have ever had,” said coach Brad Baker.
Madisen Werdell,
Maine South
Hawks libero tallied 553 digs and 45 aces on the season.