MARTINSBURG -Cabell Midland may not have finished as the state volleyball champion, but star Cassie Weaver has landed as captain of the Class AAA all-state volleyball team, released Sunday by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
The Knights were knocked out in the first round of the state tournament, but Weaver's performance certainly didn't go unnoticed.
Her year-long performance turned heads, as well.
Weaver, who has signed to play at Marshall University, is the top vote getter after putting up some of the biggest numbers in the state in every major category.
The Mountain State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Weaver recorded 583 kills, 531 digs, 69 aces and 101 blocks in leading Cabell Midland to a 35-14-2 record. She finished with 1,500 digs and 1,852 kills for her career.
"Cassie is always trying to better herself whether it be with her hitting or her defense. Cassie is never satisfied with just mediocre play and is often harder on herself than most coaches would be on her," stated Cabell Midland coach Cynthia Machmer.
Fact Box
The Class AAA all-state volleyball team released by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team
Cassie Weaver, Cabell Midland, Senior (CAPTAIN)
Hannah Shreve, George Washington, Senior
Corisha Smith, Musselman, Senior
Brittany Ritter, Spring Valley, Senior
Taylor Lord, Musselman, Soph.
Imani Ward, Parkersburg, Senior
Anne Patterson, Woodrow Wilson, Senior
Abby Brown, Greenbrier East, Soph.
Kendra Pemberton, Spring Valley, Senior
Sydney Downey, George Washington, Senior
Second Team
Paige Warner, Parkersburg, Senior (CAPTAIN)
Lexi Spencer, Parkersburg South, Senior
Alexis Williams, Huntington, Senior
Carla Gunnewig, Winfield, Soph.
Haley Connor, Princeton, Senior
Lexi Mourier, George Washington, Senior
Taylor Reidel, Cabell Midland, Senior
Kaitlin Ferretti, Musselman, Sophomore
Leah Blend, Buckhannon-Upshur, Junior
Kaitie Shaver, Greenbrier East, Junior
Special Honorable Mention
Emily Ernest, Woodrow Wilson; Mackenzie Leigh, Buckhannon-Upshur; Tahje' Houston, Capital; Cassie Ford, Greenbrier East; Sarah Kelly, Spring Valley; Kaitlyn Semler, Hedgesville; Erin Jerden, Lewis County; Kayla Boggs, University; Madison Smith, Oak Hill; Sara Tennant, John Marshall; Aarron Ward, Logan; Kaitlynn Weaver, Ripley; Meredith Lauerman, South Charleston; Megan Morrison, Parkersburg; Kaylee Dickerson, Shady Spring; Casey Batt, Morgantown; Carly Greer, Wheeling Park; Cassidy Ferrari, Hedgesville
Honorable Mention
Kassidy Lemons, Spring Valley; Delaney Najar, Princeton; Jen Hatton, Morgantown; Sara Ferguson, Winfield; Ronni Vance, Logan; Kayleigh Rexroad, Parkersburg South; Angela Staffileno, Brooke; Karli Boober, Martinsburg; Jolyn Jurek, Musselman; Kaci Riffle, Point Pleasant; Sarah Arthur, George Washington; Jenny Brumfield, Cabell Midland; Sheree Claybourne, Riverside; Kelsey Robertson, Shady Spring; Maura James, St. Albans; Adriana Thomas, Woodrow Wilson; Elizabeata Leinhart, Washington
That determination got Weaver on the first team for a second straight year. George Washington's Hannah Shreve earned a third straight first-team pick. Musselman's Corisha Smith was also a repeat first-team selection.
Shreve, a West Virginia University signee, led the Patriots to a state title with a 15-kill performance against the Applemen in the title game. For the year, she finished with 438 kills, 73 aces and 162 blocks.
Musselman's Smith, an outside hitter, had 495 kills, 210 digs and 60 aces.
George Washington and Musselman each had an additional player on the first team for the first time. For the Patriots, setter Sydney Downey, who moved up from second team, recorded 1,336 assists,172 digs and 111 aces. The Applemen's Taylor Lord, just a sophomore, had a team-high 554 kills and 331 digs for state runner-up Musselman, which was in the state championship for the third straight year.
Of the remaining first-team selections, two were from Spring Valley, the 2011 champion and state semifinalist this year. Those players were senior captains Brittany Ritter and Kendra Pemberton. Ritter had 314 kills, 346 digs and 32 aces, while Pemberton had 1,028 assists, 102 kills, 342 digs and 57 aces.
Parkersburg's Imani Ward and Woodrow Wilson's Anne Patterson, second-team selections last season, and Greenbrier East's Abby Brown also earned first team honors.
Ward helped the Big Reds reach the state semifinals, producing 479 kills, 242 digs and 60 blocks. Patterson was a four-year starter for the Flying Eagles.
Brown, who helped Greenbrier East reach the state tournament, had 550 kills, 78 aces and 343 digs.
Parkersburg's Paige Warner was chosen as the Class AAA second-team captain. The rest of the second-team selections included Huntington's Alexis Williams, Winfield's Carla Gunnewig, Princeton's Haley Connor, George Washington's Lexi Mourier, Cabell Midland's Taylor Reidel, Musselman's Kaitlin Ferretti, Buckhannon-Upshur's Leah Blend, Greenbrier East's Kaitie Shaver and Parkersburg South's Lexi Spencer.
