Three CL players earn All-NCC Volleyball honors

Three members of the Clear Lake High School volleyball team have been named to 2020 All-North Central Conference Volleyball Teams.

Delaney Eden, a senior, was selected as a Middle Hitter on the All-NCC First Team.  Eden recorded eight solo blocks and 13 assists in 20 sets played during the conference season.  Her numbers showed an average of 1.05 blocks per set.

“Delaney was a Third Team pick last year. This year, dispute injuries, was second in the conference for blocks, including 8 solo blocks,” said Coach Heather Johnson.  “Although offensively, her numbers weren’t where she wanted them to be, we wanted the ball in her hands in crunch time of matches. Her passion for the game is so evident and will be missed.”

Kaitlyn Vanderploeg was a Second Team All-NCC pick as an Outside Hitter.  Vanderploeg also averaged 1.0-5 blocks per set, with two solo blocks and 18 assists in 19 sets played.  The senior also recorded 35 kills in 103 attempts for a kill efficiency rating of 0.223.  She made an average of 1.84 kills per set to lead the Lions.

“Leading the conference in blocking and enthusiastically leading her team vocally grabbed her a second team conference pick this season,” said Johnson.  “Her never-give up attitude will be missed next season and grateful for the contributions she made to the program.”

Jaden Ainley received All-NCC honors as a libero.  The Clear Lake junior ranked third in the conference in dogs with 84, for an average of 5.25 per set.  She was also among the league leaders in assists with seven in 16 sets played, for an average of 0.44.

“Jaden’s 5.25 dig/set average was the third highest in the conference. This was new role for Jaden this year and she was a really consistent presence for us in the back row. I’m excited to see how she develops next season,” said the coach.

“As always, individual accolades are great and well-deserved.  As a coach and former player, what I love the most about volleyball is that it is the best team sport- you simply can’t play it alone. You rely on each other so much,” continued Johnson.  “You can’t catch the ball, you can’t control where the other team plays the ball. You truly need everyone to play the game well.  We talk about bettering the ball and  playing for each other all of the time. What I love about our players is that they all know that the team mates helped them earn their success”

Clear Lake’s varsity team finished fourth in NCC standings with a 3-4 NCC match record.  They were 11-13 in sets.  Overall, the Lions had a match record of 10-18.  Their overall set record was 30-44.  The Lions should continue to be a growing force in the conference, with a total of six players finishing among the top 20 in the NCC for blocking: Autumn Van Horn (6), Chelsey Holck (16), Xada Johnson (19) Ali Maulsby (20).

Clear Lake’s junior varsity team finished in a tie for third among NCC teams with a record of 4-3 in the NCC and 6-12 overall.

Lion freshmen were 1-5 in conference matches.