Aesoph, Fites, Nilsson, Haven named to Class B All-State Volleyball Team
Four local athletes have been named to the South Dakota High School All-State Volleyball Team.
Not surprisingly, all four came from teams that recently completed successful seasons.
Isabel Aesoph of Faulkton, Mary Fites of Aberdeen Christian, Ava Nilsson of Warner and Ella Haven of Northwestern were all named to the Class B All-State Team.
Isabel Aesoph, Faulkton
Aesoph played a big role at the state tournament in Rapid City, where the Trojans placed fourth after falling to top-seeded Platte-Geddes 3-2 in the third-place match.
“She was really strong for us in the front row, but she also made many big plays on defense. She just really can read the court and knew how to read a defense and an offense … It just really made her stand out,” said Faulkton head coach Mallory Schlechter.
On the season, Aesoph had 457 kills, 230 sets, 31 assists and 59 aces. She also contributed two solo blocks, 14 assists blocks and 547 digs.
“She was definitely our leader. She was the one that can kind of bring everybody together and get them going and get them amped up, but also calm them down,” Schlechter said.
Mary Fites, Aberdeen Christian
Fites played a big role in a historic season for Aberdeen Christian as the Knights reached the state tournament for the first time in program history.
The senior outside hitter had 247 digs, along with 311 kills and a 90% serve rate, connecting on 55 aces. In her varsity career, which started in eighth grade, she had 1,366 digs and 1,046 kills.
“She is a standout athlete who works hard on and off the court, and she is the type of player that any coach would want on their team because of her coach-ability, her team-first attitude, along with her drive and quality character,” Christian head coach Maggie Jett said. “To be selected to an all-state team while competing year after year in one of the toughest Class B regions in the state shines a light on what a competitor and dedicated athlete (she) is.”
Ava Nilsson, Warner
Nilsson, who has started for the Monarchs since eighth grade, led Warner to the State B state title.
She had 111 kills, 247 digs, 988 assists and 45 blocks for the Monarchs this season. Nilsson also had 71 had ace serves.
“Ava walks in the gym every day ready to work hard and improve her skills,” Warner head coach Kari Jung said. “She is able to motivate her teammates with her positive energy.”
Ella Haven, Northwestern
Haven, a junior, led the Wildcats in every statistic except assists. For two seasons, Haven was a middle blocker for the Wildcats, but this season, she changed positions to become a sixth-rotation passing outside.
"Pretty much everything we did, our offense and defense, kind of ran around her," Northwestern head coach Nora Graft said.
Haven had 451 kills, 313 digs, 72 aces and 53 blocks on the season.
The complete all-state teams for all three classes follow.
Class AA
First team
Liz Kopp, Brandon Valley
Abby Meister, Harrisburg
Bergen Reilly, Sioux Falls O’Gorman
Brynn Kirsch, Sioux Falls Lincoln
Elizabeth Denevan, Sioux Falls Roosevelt
Joslyn Richardson, Sioux Falls Washington
Ellie Walker, Sioux Falls Washington
Second team
Emily Dale, Huron
Ayvrie Kaiser, Pierre
Lizzie Tyler, Mitchell
Brogan Beck, Sioux Falls O’Gorman
Baily Plourde, Sioux Falls Lincoln
Mya Vandrovec, Sioux Falls Roosevelt
Jadyn Schetnan, Sioux Falls Washington
Class A
First team
Ellie Brozik, Winner
Olivia Kieffer, Rapid City Christian
Logan Miller, Dakota Valley
Audrey Nelson, Madison
Lily Ranschau, Garretson
Sydney Tims, Sioux Falls Christian
Katie VanEgdom, Sioux Falls Christian
Second team
Tevan Erickson, Elkton Lake Benton
Jocelyn Manzano, Mount Vernon/Plankinton
Abby Siemonsma, Hill City
Jorja Van Den Hul, Dakota Valley
Emma Yost, Wagner
Honorable Mention
Jaelyn Benson, Garretson
Brooke Berens, Parker
Logan Bly, Garretson
Anna Egge, Rapid City Christian
Kyla VanDonkersgoed, Sioux Falls Christian
Mataya Ward, Belle Fouche
Class B
First team
Isabel Aesoph, Faulkton
Mya Boomsma, Wolsey-Wessington
Hadley Carlson, Arlington
Ella Haven, Northwestern
Jayda Kenyon, Chester
Ava Nilsson, Warner
Karly VanDerWerff, Platte- Geddes
Second team
Mary Fites, Aberdeen Christian
Mackenzie Hemmer, Colman-Egan
Adisyn Indahl, Burke, Junior
Copper Lurz, Philip- Senior
Julia Weber, Bridgewater-Emery
Honorable Mention
Dani Deffenbaugh, Kimball/White Lake
Avery DeVries, Platte-Geddes
Tyra Gates, Miller
Grace Parry, Arlington
Tiffany Pelton, Avon
Katelyn Schroeder, Hitchcock-Tulare
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: South Dakota highschool volleyball class B northwestern warner
