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PARKERSBURG - Ripley High School senior Lexy Kessel has been honored by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as the 2009 state volleyball player of the year.

The two-time Mountain State Athletic Conference POY topped a field that included runner-up Sam Bailey of Doddridge County as well as Preston's Paula Renteria and Rainelle Dunlevy of Oak Glen, who tied for third.

"I am surprised because we didn't make it to the state tournament," replied Kessel, whose team lost in the sectional finals to Parkersburg High School and then was eliminated in the regional semifinals by eventual state champion Spring Valley.

"It was nerve-racking the whole year and it was disappointing to lose, but at least the two people we lost to were in the state finals."

Kessel, who is currently ranked third in her class of more than 200, will continue her volleyball career at Marshall University for head coach Mitch Jacobs.

Last year, Kessel and her teammates reached the state championship match before falling to Musselman.

At 5-foot-8, Kessel knows her days as a hitter are numbered except for club ball, but she's quite content joining the Thundering Herd to be a defensive specialist.

"I think my passing got better from last year and I do think my hitting was better," said Kessel, who holds Viking school records for career kills (1,749), single-season downed spikes (701), career digs (1,658), single-season digs (742) and hitting efficiency (.371).

"I've always known if I wanted to play Division I that I would be a passer and I had to start focusing on that as a sophomore. I think I might like passing better than hitting. It's a little more difficult to master than hitting."

Ripley head coach Corby Stalnaker knows players like Kessel don't come around very often and she's going to be missed in Jackson County.

"She busted her butt every play," Stalnaker said. "It's just her overall game. She can pound it or dink it.

"She can also set. She had to be a setter a couple times and that's what makes her very competitive."

The Vikings, who were riddled with injuries and sickness and rarely had their full team available, finished this season at 39-14-2 with half of their losses coming between Parkersburg (five times) and Spring Valley (two times).

Kessel knows going from Class AAA volleyball to Division I will be a big jump, but she's ready to give it her best.

"I think at first it will be a lot different from high school because those hitters are beasts," she said. "But, I think I'll be able to make the adjustment.

"I need to get stronger and probably need to work on my quickness, but it's always been kind of a dream of mine to play at Marshall."