Williamstown’s Claire Strobl named Player of the Year
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PARKERSBURG -- A season after graduating a quartet of seniors and winning the Little Kanawha Conference title, the Williamstown High School volleyball program of head coach Rachelle Cole wanted more in 2023.
That's exactly what happened when it came time for the annual LKC championship tournament in Ravenswood. Williamstown was able to make the finals and repeat as league champs after knocking off Ritchie County.
Although it took a team effort, Williamstown senior Claire Strobl was a big inspiration and the leader of the Yellowjackets.
En route to nearly 500 kills and playing the full rotation, the senior Strobl was honored by league coaches as the LKC Player of the Year.
"After losing a crucial game to Wood County Christian, the girls were determined to prove themselves," admitted coach Cole, whose squad not only won the LKC, but the sectional, regional and three-peated as Class A state champs in Charleston. "After that, we worked hard on the things we could control, changed the lineup to highlight our strengths, and played better as a team.
"We knew that the different format of the LKC Night of Champions tournament would be a long day and we had to be prepared to go the distance. We focused on one match at a time and went into the final confident. Claire never had a doubt. She went in with the mindset that we were good enough to be there and if they played as a team, they had a good shot at the outcome we wanted. She truly just loves playing the game and never quits on herself or her teammates."
Ravenswood junior Macy Casto and Ritchie County senior Jayci Gray finished as co-runners-up for the top nod in the LKC.
Casto, who had 401 kills and hit .410 with 71 aces and 633 passes on target, three-peated on the all-LKC first unit along with Tyler Consolidated senior Braeden Wall and Roane County senior Mahailey Nicholson (233 kills, .399 hit%, 91 aces, 92.4% server, 75 solo blocks, 102 digs).
Heading into the state tournament, where the Rebels finished runner-up behind WHS, Gray had 65 aces, 231 assists, 225 kills, 115 blocks, 200 digs and served at 92%.
Gray's senior teammate Sydney Kopshina (33 aces, 189 assists, 290 kills, 90 blocks, 147 digs, 91% server) was a repeat honoree on the first unit alongside Wirt County sophomore Addie Stephens (470 kills, .392 hit%, 48 aces, 93.2% server) and St. Marys senior Andlyn Corathers (32 aces, 94.8% server, 686 assists, 227 digs, 83 kills, 31 solo blocks).
Four other players made their initial appearance on the first team in Gilmer County senior Bayley Frashure, Williamstown junior Becca Shamblin, Wirt County senior Ally Nicolais and Ravenswood senior Abby Scritchfield.
Scritchfield, who had 89 aces this fall, finished with 357 and is the all-time career leader for Ravenswood. She also had 291 downed spikes and 76 blocks while hitting .460.
Frashure served at 90% and had 75 aces to go along with 28 assists and 350 digs. Shamblin had more than 400 kills this year and surpassed 1,000 for her career in the regional semifinal versus Wheeling Central. Nicolais, who had 57 aces and 680 assists while serving at nearly 95%, helped the Tigers upset Buffalo in the regional final and reach the state tournament after a one-year absence.
Clay County (Ilyuana Evans/Rylee Burkhammer) and Roane County (Piper Harlan/Paige Blosser) were the only programs who had a pair of all-LKC second team honorees.
Also making the second unit were Tyler Consolidated's Katie Grimm, Doddridge County's Sidney Hinzman, Gilmer County's Ava Dobbins, Williamstown's Kyndra Johnson, St. Marys' Mia Schofield, South Harrison's Hope Woods, Wahama's Payton Staats and Parkersburg Catholic's Jocelynn Thorn.