Ashburn's domination

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

HECTOR -- Leah Ashburn, the 2004 All-Journal Volleyball Player of the Year, was unstoppable this year as Buffalo Lake-Hector's hard-hitting yet increasingly discerning middle hitter.

Despite wearing a target on her No. 10 jersey all season as the person every team wanted to stop, Ashburn amassed 439 total kills this year, 182 more than any single hitter in the Tomahawk Conference. The junior's career total is 1,139.

Ashburn's strength -- the Mustangs' strength -- was in being able to judge when to smash a kill down an opponent's throat, when to finesse a tip into a hole, and when to rely on teammates to draw the heat from her.

Seventy-one of her 439 kills were ace tips.

"She doesn't always hit hard into a block," BLH coach Susan Alstrom said. "She does some off-speeds and tips, and uses the block really well -- she brushes it off the block."

"I had a lot of help with the girls around me evaluating the game and telling me the smart shots," Ashburn said.

Playing for a team that has a strong staff, including Brigetta Hammer, another middle who accumulated 230 total kills and 36 ace blocks this year, and a new but insightful setter, Sam Broderius, Ashburn relied on those around her, especially Broderius.

Broderius came into the season having to fill a big void left from the graduation of last year's Journal player of the year, Monica Ashburn, Leah Ashburn's older sister. But according to Ashburn, Broderius adapted well.

"I was used to working with my sister, so it was difficult at the beginning of the year," Ashburn said. "But Sam is a great setter and adjusted to us easily. She understands and accepts how we each hit -- she's really good at accommodating all of us."

Even though the Mustangs were more balanced this year than many teams had anticipated, Ashburn still got more touches than the other hitters.

"She [Leah] has the personality that teammates don't mind her getting the majority of sets," Alstrom said. "They all have the team mindset; they'll do whatever will be better for the team."

Ashburn also showed her power behind the service line, with her 96 percent serving (250/261) and 19 service aces.

Ashburn's awards include garnering all-state tournament team honors in 2003, and Tomahawk all-conference honors in 2003 and 2004.

Next year, Ashburn and the Mustangs are looking to do a little bit of the same as this year -- playing together as a team and making progress each game.

"This year ... we came together and exceeded expectations," Ashburn said. "We had to put pressure on ourselves; that will be another thing we need to do next year."

All-Journal volleyball

First Team

Hitters

Jenna Hultgren, St. James, senior, outside hitter

Hultgren turned in a great year for the Saints, with 313 kills and 202 digs. The three-time SCC all-conference player also had 48 ace blocks, 48 ace serves and with 95 percent serving.

"Jenna has great defensive skills, offensive skills, and has an incredible will to get the job done," coach Steve Chapin said. "She has been a coaches dream when it comes to hard work, dedication to her team, and overall willingness to win."

Kelsey Aden, St. James, senior, middle blocker

The three-time SCC all-conference player finished her high school career strongly.

"Kelsey has developed into a great hitter and blocker," Chapin. "She has become the player that most coaches set up their team to defend."

Aden had 290 kills on the year, with a .303 kill efficiency. She also had 106 ace blocks, with 82 digs and finished with a serving percentage of 92.7.

"She will definitely be a difficult player to replace," Chapin said. Aden will continue playing volleyball at Northern State University in South Dakota.

Charlotte McMullen, Sleepy Eye, senior, middle hitter

This year, the two-year starter led the team, not just as a hitter, with 220 ace hits, 37 tip kills and 49 ace blocks, but also with her 215 digs. The Tomahawk All-conference selection also had 94 percent serving, 18 ace serves and 137 service points.

As the season progressed, McMullen, who has 383 ace hits, 74 tip kills and 101 ace blocks in her career, became the go-to person for the Indians.

"Char is just fun to watch on the volleyball court," coach Kris Bloedel said. "She is so quick and athletic, she just makes everything look easy."

Katie Schumacher,

Wabasso, senior, MH

Schumacher had 246 ace hits and 34 ace tips for a total of 280 kills this year. In her career, she has accumulated 433 ace hits and 86 ace tips for 519. The 6-foot 1 co-captain also had 92 ace blocks (203 career) and 88 digs (176 career). The two-year All-Tomahawk Conference selection had a serving percentage of 91 with 26 service aces.

"Katie was our key player from the beginning," coach Jenna Brand said. "She dominated the middle ... averaging 9.5 kills and 3.5 ace blocks per match. Katie was a big reason we finished second in the conference."

Krystal Schwanke,

Springfield, sophomore, MH

This two-year starter led the Tigers with 249 kills, 81 ace blocks and tips, while finishing second on the team with 103 digs. This promising 6-foot sophomore was a unanimous All-Tomahawk Conference pick this season and has compiled over 450 kills and 150 ace blocks in just two years.

"Krystal's best attributes as a player are that she loves to play the game and wants to play the game the way it is meant to be played -- aggressively and with power," coach Lincoln Robinson said.

Molly Mathiowetz, St. Mary's, sophomore, MH

Despite only being a sophomore, Mathiowetz quickly developed her all-around skills and has become a natural on the court.

In her second year on varsity, Mathiowetz turned in an impressive performance, with 251 kills, 156 digs, and 49 ace blocks. She also added 41 ace serves, and 45 ace tips.

Lindsey Kahle, Sibley East, senior, outside hitter

The unanimous MVP of the Minnesota River Conference led the Wolverines with 247 digs and in serve receive this year. She was second on the team with 232 kills. The two-time all-conference performer also had 28 ace serve, and for her career has 427 digs, 411 kills and 66 ace serves.

"Standing just 5-foot 5, but with an amazing vertical leap, Lindsey has been a great player at the net and defensively for us," coach Chip Wolverton said. "She gets to every ball and is an exceptional passer."

Nicki Flygare, MVL, senior, outside hitter

Not only did Flygare lead the Chargers with 230 total kills (383 career kills, including tips), but she also led the team with 145 digs (231 career), getting the most touches on defense for MVL. In addition, the co-captain had 28 blocks (48 career) and had a serving percentage of 94 with 41 aces and 142 service points (92 percent, 80 aces, 311 career points). Flygare ranks fourth at MVL all-time for career kills with 351 attacks and eighth for ace serves, with 80.

"Nicki is a very coachable athlete who has a passion and a sheer joy of the game. Very often, she got the team fired up with a key kill or ace serve at a crucial time," coach Julie Detjen said. "She's a great leader who led with her hustle."

Mary Otis, New Ulm, senior, outside hitter

The three-year starter for the Eagles had 155 kills this year to bring her career total to 424. This year, she also had 17 ace blocks (57 career), 52 digs (236 career, only played back row one year), and served at 83 percent with 35 aces. After playing two years as a middle hitter, Otis moved to outside hitter her senior year.

"Although the change did hurt her individual stats, it was the best move for the team and she embraced it," coach Becky Otte said. "She has been the player that other teams focus on stopping. She is our go-to player when we need a big play."

Leah Ihrke, Sibley East,

junior, outside hitter

The two-year starter led the Wolverines with 38 ace serves and 235 kills. She was second on the team with 220 digs and was a 91 percent server. The all-conference selection has 435 kills, 463 digs and 65 aces on 91 percent serving in her career.

"Another great passer and hitter, Leah sets a great example for us every day with her hard work," coach Chip Wolverton said. "Leah's serve is also a weapon for us."

Brigetta Hammer, BLH,

senior, middle

Hammer served at a 98 percent clip (282/287), with 15 ace serves this year. She amassed 177 kills and 53 ace tips (230 total) for second on the team. She also had 36 ace blocks and 48 digs. Hammer has become a valuable passer for BLH after playing in Leah Burgstahler's shadow last year. She is the member of two conference championship teams and went with the team to state last year and understood her role on the team.

Eva Voss, MVL, senior,

middle hitter

As the first line of defense for the Chargers, Voss led MVL with 76 block kills this season and ranks fifth in MVL history with 140 career block kills. The co-captain also had 171 kills on the year (282 career), with a .271 kill efficiency. She also contributed 69 digs (77 career) and 93 percent serving, with 137 points and 22 aces.

"We wanted Eva to get a hand on as many balls as possible to set up our transition offense," coach Julie Detjen said. "She worked hard to improve her quick tempo attack and posed a threat with every attempt out of her ... spot."

Krista Armbruster, St. Mary's, senior, middle hitter

The co-captain of the Knights' volleyball team, Armbruster finished the year with 176 kills, 122 digs and 43 ace blocks.

"Krista is a very talented and strong player," Stef Whittet said. "She has worked hard not only during the regular season, but in the off season as well."

Armbruster finishes with 660 kills, 214 digs and 121 ace blocks. She plans to continue playing volleyball at the college level.

Allie Renberg, Sleepy Eye, senior, middle hitter

The 6-foot 1 Renberg had 190 kills and 221 digs for the season, adding 87 ace blocks to hold the Sleepy Eye ace block season record, 30 ace serves, and 125 points on 228-of-253 serving. She set the Indians' single-match ace block record with 10.

"It is really fun to watch Allie play volleyball, and with her height and talent she has the ability to just dominate a game," coach Kris Bloedel said.

Renberg is a Tomahawk all-conference selection this year.

Abby Olmscheid, Nicollet, senior, outside hitter

As captain of the Nicollet volleyball team, Olmscheid led the Raiders in kills, with 143, and in digs, with 218. She also paced Nicollet in ace serves, finishing the season with 43. Olmscheid was named to the Valley all-conference team.

Setters

Kaye Husby, St. James, senior, setter

The SCC all-conference senior had 774 set assists on the year, and also added 130 digs and 27 kills. "Kaye is the one player on our team that has unending heart and dedication to everything that team means," St. James volleyball coach Steve Chapin said. "Her leadership skills are amazing."

Sam Broderius, BLH,

sophomore, setter

The sophomore was BLH's back-up setter last year and was able to travel to state with the Mustangs as a freshman, helping her get the experience that allowed her to reach 711 set assists this year. She also had 26 tip kills and 16 ace hits, as well as 27 ace blocks and 47 digs. Broderius served 98 percent and 23 ace serves.

"She has done a wonderful job stepping in and setting this season," coach Susan Alstrom said. "We are glad she is a sophomore and she is still learning to make better choices."

Amber Wortz, GFW,

sophomore, setter

Not only did the sophomore setter accumulate 485 set assists and 53 tip kills, she also had 31 blocks and 30 ace hits (for 83 total kills). She was third in the Tomahawk Conference in tip kills and set assists. On defense, the Tomahawk all-conference selection made 150 digs. Wortz also had 23 ace serves, with 81 percent serving.

"Amber emerged as a great setter throughout the year," coach Bob Kaukola said. "She was able to save many passes with her athleticism. She is an intelligent player with tremendous potential."

Scoring

Points were awarded by Journal sports staff as follows: First place 18, second place 17, third place 16, fourth place 15, fifth place 14, sixth place 13, other votes 5.

First Team

Leah Ashburn (2 first place) 92

Jenna Hultgren (3 first place) 80

Kelsey Aden 71

Charlotte McMullen (1 first place) 57

Katie Schumacher 57

Kaye Husby 74

Second Team

Nicki Flygare 47

Krystal Schwanke 46

Molly Mathiowetz 44

Lindsey Kahle 44

Mary Otis 23

Sam Broderius 34

Third Team

Leah Ihrke 20

Brigetta Hammer 20

Krista Armbruster 20

Abby Olmscheid 19

Eva Voss 15

Allie Renberg 15

Amber Wortz 20

Others receiving votes:

Laura Huiras, St. Mary's, junior, setter/hitter (10); Jessica Dallmann, Wabasso, junior, setter (10); Ashley Hoffmann, New Ulm, senior setter (10); Whitney Haala, St. Mary's, senior, outside hitter (10); Mel Schmidt, RRC, senior, outside hitter (10); Jessie Zuhlsdorf, Sleepy Eye, senior, outside hitter (10); Jamie Lilleodden, St. Mary's, sophomore, setter (10); Stephanie Krzmarzick, St. Mary's, senior, OH (5); Beckie Jackson, GFW, senior, outside hitter (5); Klare Swenson, Nicollet, middle hitter (5); Karissa Kramer, MVL, junior, outside hitter (5); Allie Kelly, Comfrey, junior, setter/hitter (5); Briana Czer, MVL, senior, right side hitter (5); Christa Fishel, RRC, senior, setter (5); Andrea Ring, MVL, junior, setter (5); Kelly Gewerth, Cedar Mountain, senior, setter (5); Maribeth Vaske, Nicollet, senior, outside hitter.