Three volleyball players earn All-NCC honors

by Marianne Gasaway

Three members of the Clear Lake High School volleyball team have received All-North Central Conference honors.

Sophomore Xada Johnson was a First Team selection as an outside hitter.

“Xada really worked on her defense during the off season and I think that showed this past season.  There is still a lot of room for her to grow in the sport and that is exciting,” said Clear Lake Head Coach Heather Johnson.

Johnson ranked fifth in the league in kills per set with an average of 2.71.  She recorded 76 kills in 28 sets played in the conference.  Her 0.138 kill efficiency put her 15th in the league. She ranked third overall in kills for all sophomores in Class 3A and finished in the top 41 in kills for all classes and grades.  Johnson was 11th in digs with 98 in 28 sets for an average of 3.5 and tied with teammate Emily Theiss at 17th for blocks (10), averaging 0.36 in the NCC season.

Senior Jaden Ainley, who played libero for the Lions, was named to the All-NCC second team.  Ainley was a strong defensive player for the Lions and ranked third in the league in digs with 134 in 28 sets for an average of 4.8.  Her 12 assists ranked 18th in the league.  She also was the Lions’ team leader at the service line, made 90 of 93 service attempts (96.8 percent).  She recorded 10 aces against conference opponents.

“Jaden has been so fun to coach because of her competitiveness and hustle. She rarely let the ball drop twice in the same spot within a set. She just doesn’t give up on balls and I love that about her!” said Coach Johnson.  “In addition, she has that right balance to provide focused fun at practices and in matches. She will be missed.”

Middle hitter Hannah Blaha was a chosen as a member of the All-NCC Third Team. 

Blaha led the Lions in blocks with 23.  She recorded four solo and 19 assists for an average of .82 per set.  She averaged 1.5 kills per set, making 42 or 124 attempts in 28 sets.  She also was along the team leaders in serving, making 100 of 105 attempts for 95. 2 efficiency with five aces. 

“Hannah put up some solid numbers this year and I am excited to see how she progresses into next season.  She was a force at the net and we are excited to have her for another season,” said Coach Johnson.

The Lions finished in the middle of the NCC pack this year with a 4-3 match record and 14-14 set record in conference contests.  Overall, the team was 10-19.

As a team, Clear Lake ranked fifth in both kills and kill efficiency.  The team put down 237 kills for an average of 8.46 per set.  The numbers translated to a 79 percent efficiency ranking.

The Lions were second in the league in serving, putting in 542 of 580 service attempts for 93.4 efficiency.  They delivered 41 aces.  In addition to Ainley and Blaha’s efforts, senior Makella Jacobs ranked seventh among conference players, making 90 of 93 attempts with 10 aces for 96.8 efficiency.  Senior Ashlyn Fread was 14th in the NCC, making 103 of 109 attempts with nine aces. 

“As always, volleyball is the ultimate team sport— you truly can’t do anything without your teammates,” said Coach Johnson.  “These individual honors are wonderful, but it takes an entire team for that to happen. So to all the Clear Lake volleyball players— congrats on building the program this season.”