The following athletes and head coach were selected for the Lawrence Journal-World’s All-Area Volleyball team for the 2022 season.

Players were nominated by their coaches and the team was selected by the Journal-World sports staff.

• Player of the Year: Sawyer Thomsen, Free State

The Cal-bound senior had a monster season for the Firebirds, earning all-Sunflower League and all-state tournament team honors. She led Class 6A with 126 blocks and was third in the class with 64 aces. She also added 324 kills, all while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average.

• Coach of the Year: Jayme Savage, Free State

The veteran FSHS coach led the Firebirds to a school-record fourth consecutive trip to the Class 6A state tournament and the Firebirds nearly advanced to the semifinals while there. Seventh-seeded Free State knocked off No. 2 seed Wichita Northwest in two sets and then took Mill Valley and Blue Valley North to the wire in all four sets played. Against one of the toughest schedules in the state, Free State finished the season 26-14.

• Rylee Unruh, Free State

A second-team all-Sunflower League selection, the Washburn-bound setter finished the season with 824 assists — third most in Class 6A — along with 63 blocks and 42 aces while controlling things from the middle for the Firebirds.

• Maddie Powell, Free State

A senior libero and defensive specialist, Powell finished the 2022 season with 363 digs on 485 receptions, ranking her second in the Sunflower League and eighth in Class 6A. She also added 80 assists and was a key part of the Firebirds’ trip to the state tournament.

• Seenane Brewer, Lawrence High

This three-year varsity starter recorded 170 kills, 161 digs and 16 blocks during her junior season with the Lions. Her produc-tion and all-around play led to an honorable mention all-Sunflower League nod.

• Taylor Damme, Perry-Lecompton High

Damme delivered another strong season during her junior year at PLHS, leading the Big 7 League in both blocks (101) and kills (373). Her play at the net earned her a spot on the all-league team.

• Josie Pickett, Eudora High

Named the Cardinals’ offensive player of the year, the senior outside hitter earned second-team all-Frontier League honors after leading EHS in kills (244) while hitting .247 for the season and averaging 3.3 kills per set. She also netted 96 digs, 198 serve receptions (with just 28 errors) and 18 blocks.

• Ellie Suber, Eudora High

Named the Cardinals’ team MVP, Suber was an honorable mention all-Frontier League pick after racking up 693 assists, 113 kills, 123 digs, 50 aces and 27 blocks. The junior setter hit .277 as an attacker and had a 95% success rate as a server. Her team-high 50 aces ranked eighth in all of Class 4A.

• Lucy Rieke, Tonganoxie High

The junior middle hitter played a huge role in helping the THS enjoy one of its best seasons of the past decade. She finished 11th in the league in kills (263) and hitting percentage and also added 75 blocks while picking up a second-team all-league nod. Rieke and the Chieftains made their first state tournament appearance and had their first winning season since 2016.

• Satchel Koch, Veritas

Koch was both a setter and outside hitter for Veritas this sea-son, and she finished her senior year as the team leader in kills (278) while recording 180 assists. Her athleticism and all-out effort led the team to a 19-15 record with big wins over Seabury, Manhattan Chief and Christ Prep.

• Vivian Hill, Bishop Seabury Academy

A junior outside hitter, Hill led the Seahawks in both aces and kills and was named first-team all-Kaw Valley Conference. She was one of the team’s three six-rotation players and showcased her all-around game throughout the 2022 season.

• Chaney Barth, Baldwin High

A senior outside hitter for the Bulldogs, Barth was a six-rotation player for BHS and her statistics showed that. She fin-ished with 375 kills, 244 digs, 47 blocks and 32 aces. She earned first-team all-Frontier League honors and was one of BHS’s go-to players anytime it needed a kill no matter where she was on the court.

• Fisayo Afonja, Baldwin High

A junior middle hitter who played in 93 sets, Afonja was also a six-rotation player for BHS. She finished the season with 297 kills, 217 digs, 150 blocks and a 94.3% serving percentage on 315 attempts. She earned first-team all-Frontier League hon-ors.

Honorable Mention: Lydia Alvarado, Veritas; Ava Houk, Veritas; Myla Nover-Estes, Free State; Geme Ajekwu, LHS; Finley Rieke, Tonganoxie; Bailey Poje, Tonganoxie; Mikinzi Smoots, Tonganoixe; Kylie Vandervoort, Tonganoxie; Camille Farha, Bishop Seabury; Avery Bergan, Baldwin.