FloVolleyball's 2017 Girls High School All-Americans

FloVolleyball's 2017 Girls High School All-Americans

These 26 athletes are our picks for the best girls high school volleyball players of 2017.

Jan 1, 2018 by Megan Kaplon
FloVolleyball's 2017 Girls High School All-Americans

It’s no surprise that Thayer Hall from Dorman High of Roebuck, South Carolina, has been selected as the 2017 FloVolleyball Girls High School Player of the Year, but there might be a few surprises among the 25 others who join her on the 2017 girls All-American team.

These teams are based on a combination of factors, including which players led their schools to state championships or high national ranking finishes. Many of these players also are top national recruits, with many of the major college programs represented. Not all of those who were recently in the Under Armour All-America Match, however, are on these two teams. The main reason for that is that the Under Armour Match features only seniors, while all classes are eligible for the FloVolleyball squads.

Marist High of Chicago, which was the final No. 1 team in the Flo50 national rankings, is represented on the first team by setter Molly Murrihy. The final No. 2-ranked team, Walton of Marietta, Georgia, also has a player on the first team in junior outside hitter Gabby Gonzales.

An added feature to the 26 first- and second-team All-Americans is the selection of Karin Keeney from Hebron High of Lewisville, Texas, as the 2017 FloVolleyball High School Coach of the Year.

By Mark Tennis

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Thayer Hall

Dorman | Roebuck, SC | OH | 6-foot-3 | Senior | Florida

After being named MVP for the U.S. junior national team last summer when it won the U20 Pan American Cup in Costa Rica and earning the Team East MVP title earlier this month at the Under Armour All-America Match in Kansas City, it’s not much of a shock that Hall is the FloVolleyball High School Player of the Year.

Already known by most as the top recruit in the nation heading into the 2017 high school season, Hall backed up the hype with her performance for her Dorman High School team this fall. This year’s team dropped a match in middle of the season to in-state rival Wando but came back to beat Wando in the Class 5A state championship and win its second consecutive title with a final record of 42-4. Hall finished her high school career with 2,291 kills and 1,363 digs. 

The University of Florida recruit was the youngest player on the junior national team last summer. At the All-America match, Hall had the most kills and led the East team past the West.

FIRST TEAM 

High School | Hometown | Position | Height | Year | College Commitment

Gabby Blossom

St. Joseph’s Academy | St. Louis, MO | S | 5-9 | Senior | Penn State

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year helped St. Joseph’s get past nemesis Lafayette of Wildwood to win the Class 4 state title. Blossom has been among the top-ranked setters nationally for the class of 2018 for several years, and she proved it this season with nearly 1,500 assists and more than 500 digs. St. Joseph’s (32-3) was No. 5 in the final Flo50 national rankings.

Mackenzie Cole

Connetquot | Bohemia, NY | L/OH | 5-11 | Senior | Duke

The natural libero played outside hitter for Connetquot this season out of necessity, and led the team to its second state title in three seasons. Last year, the team didn’t win the title, but played in the championship match, finishing as the runner-up. Cole also has USA junior national experience and was a First-Team Under Armour All-American.

Heather Gneiting

Pleasant Grove | Pleasant Grove, UT | MB | 6-4 | Senior | BYU

Her name is pronounced “Knighting,” but she’s the queen of Utah volleyball, with both major Salt Lake City newspapers choosing her as the top player. She also was one of the best performers at the recent Under Armour All-America Match and was named MVP for Team West.

Gabby Gonzales

Walton | Marietta, GA | OH | 6-3 | Junior | Ohio State

As the top attacker on a team that nearly went unbeaten and would have been a slam-dunk national champion (some picked the Raiders as the top team in the country anyway), Gonzales is no-brainer pick for All-America honors. She’s also the favorite heading into 2018 to be the national player of the year. Gonzales had 558 kills and a .441 hitting percentage in her junior season.

Thayer Hall

Dorman | Roebuck, South Carolina | OH | 6-3 | Senior | Florida

Also chosen as the FloVolleyball National Player of the Year.

Nicklin Hames

Webb | Knoxville, TN | S | 5-11 | Senior | Nebraska

She’s been a sensational setter since her 8th grade season and committed to the Huskers in 2015. Hames also has that unique combination that every All-American high school team is looking for and that’s great success at helping her school win championships while moving up the charts in USA player development. Hames led Webb to its fifth straight state title this season. She was also on the U.S. youth national team that played in the U18 World Championships over the summer.

Molly Murrihy

Marist | Chicago, IL | S | 6-0 | Senior | Memphis

It’s not automatic for the top player on the final No. 1 team in the Flo50 to be a First Team All-American, but it sure helps. Murrihy set a school record with 1,132 assists, but was more than just the Redhawks’ setter. She added 206 digs, 132 blocks, and 130 kills. 

Charley Niego

Mother McAuley | Chicago, IL | OH | 6-0 | Senior |  Notre Dame

As a junior, Niego was the top player on the final No. 1 team in the Flo50 and was the Gatorade State Player of the Year. She was just as impressive as a senior, but the Mighty Macs weren’t as strong as a team. Still, they were the No. 3 team in Illinois and were No. 13 in the final Flo50. 

Brooke Nuneviller

Corona del Sol | Tempe, AZ | OH/L | 5-11 | Senior | Oregon

It wasn’t a dream finish for Nuneviller, as Corona del Sol lost in the Class 6A state final to Xavier Prep, but her career at Corona del Sol is hard to beat. The Aztecs won that title the year before and Nuneviller became one of the nation’s most highly sought libero recruits. She led the Aztecs with 593 kills as an outside hitter. They ended 41-3 and were No. 14 in the final Flo50 national rankings.

Erin O’Leary

Novi | Novi, MI | S | 5-10 | Senior | Michigan

Regarded as one of the best players in Michigan girls volleyball history, O’Leary wrapped up her career with back-to-back state player of the year honors. She put up huge assist totals, including 33 in her final match, but also was first on the team in aces and second in digs. O’Leary could even knock down points at the net.

Amanda Phegley

Berkeley Prep | Tampa, FL | MB | 6-4 | Senior | Penn State

She started her career at P.K. Yonge in Gainesville but transferred to Berkeley Prep for her final two seasons. This season, Phegley led the Buccaneers in kills and blocks as they won a state title and were No. 21 in the final Flo50 national rankings with a 30-2 record.

Ella May Powell

Fayetteville | Fayetteville, AR | S | 6-0 | Senior | Washington

We struggled to figure out what to do with the amazing combo of Powell and teammate Haley Warner. They’ve been among the top national recruits since they were freshmen, but in the last two seasons their team at Fayetteville wasn’t successful enough outside of Arkansas to warrant having two First-Team All-Americans on a squad of 13 girls. We went with Powell, who earned the state Gatorade Player of the Year honor after her sophomore and junior seasons, on the first team with Warner on the second.

Adanna Rollins

Hebron | Lewisville, TX | OH/OPP | 6-0 | Senior | Minnesota

She stepped up all season for FloVolleyball High School Coach of the Year Karin Keeney, but never more than with the 18 kills she had in the Hawks’ win over Seven Lakes of Katy for Hebron’s third straight Class 5A state title. Rollins was a First-Team Under Armour All-America pick and the Dallas Morning-News Player of the Year.

SECOND TEAM

Kamrin Caoili

Archbishop Mitty | San Jose, CA | OH | 6-0 | Senior | Santa Clara

When Caoili was at her best the Monarchs were tough to beat, and she tended to be at her best in the CIF state playoffs. She was the West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year and is expected to get other state and Bay Area honors (although those haven’t been chosen yet). Mitty won its second straight CIF State Open Division title and was No. 4 in the final Flo50 national rankings. Caoili was a key starter for both of those title teams.

Devon Chang

Santa Margarita | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | S | 5-11 | Senior | UCLA

This year, California doesn’t have an obvious Ms. Volleyball winner like Lexi Sun was last year, but Chang is definitely among the leading candidates. After helping the Eagles reach the CIF Open Division state final as a junior, Chang guided them to the CIF Division I state title as a senior. She’s the Orange County Register Player of the Year and had 1,171 assists, a season total that would be at the minimum top 10 in state history.

Lily Cooper

Lafayette | Wildwood, MO | MB | 6-5 | Senior | Duke

Cooper was a first-team All-State pick and set school records at Lafayette for blocking. She also averaged nearly two kills per set. Lafayette (35-3) ended No. 19 in the final Flo50 national rankings after a loss to St. Joseph’s and First-Team All-American Gabby Blossom in the state final.

Camryn Ennis

Reagan | San Antonio, TX | S/OPP | 6-0 | Senior | Kansas

There was a reason why the Rattlers were No. 1 in the Flo50 for a good portion of the season, and although they didn’t win the Class 5A state title, they had a player who came through time and time again. Ennis, the San Antonio Express Player of the Year, had 743 assists, 290 kills, and 421 digs in her final high school season.

Mackenzie Fidelak

Niwot | Niwot, CO | OH/OPP | 6-2 | Senior | Stanford

Colorado is another state in which it’s very hard to determine a No. 1 player, but the Stanford-bound Fidelak was about as versatile as can be. She’s mainly been a setter, but for her high school team she did everything, as evidenced by her five triple-doubles in the season. Niwot had a new coach, but Fidelak led them to a state semifinals appearance and earned the Class 4A state player of the year honor.

Jael Johnson

Avon | Avon, IN | MB | 6-3 | Senior | Purdue

Johnson’s team emerged as the best in Indiana in the 4A state playoffs, defeating Crown Point in the state final match in which Johnson had 12 kills. She led the team in kills and blocks for the season with 437 and 92, respectively.

Kayla Kaiser

Assumption | Louisville, KY | MB | 6-1 | Senior | Georgia Tech

Kentucky’s coaches voted Kaiser as the overall Ms. Volleyball for the state this season. She helped the Rockets go 40-3, win another state title, and end up ranked third in the final Flo50.

Sydney Petersen

Dike-New Hartford | Dike, IA | L | 5-4 | Texas

Another standout from this Dike-New Hartford, a small school well-known in the volleyball world, Petersen led her team to its third state title in four years. There is an all-class state player of the year for Iowa, and Petersen won that honor. 

Taylor Rowland

Cox Mill | Concord, NC | MB | 6-3 | Senior | Auburn

Her team wasn’t as successful as it was projected to be at the start of the season, but Rowland’s totals were as strong as ever. The returning Gatorade State Player of the Year had 520 kills, a career-best total for digs and blocks, and was close for aces. 

Siena Secrist

Mater Dei | Santa Ana, CA | OH | 5-11 | Senior | USC

She helped the Monarchs hand Walton of Marietta, Georgia, its only loss and also led Mater Dei to the CIF Southern Section Division I title. Secrist was the CIFSS Division I Player of the Year, and Mater Dei (37-6) was No. 9 in the final Flo50 national rankings.

Haley Warner

Fayetteville | Fayetteville, AR | OPP | 6-2 | Senior | Florida

With teammate Ella May Powell quarterbacking the Bulldogs as the setter, Fayetteville won another state title and Warner again put up strong totals. A four-time all-state pick, Warner piled up more than 2,000 kills in her high school career.

Lanie Wagner

Xavier Prep | Phoenix, AZ | OH | 6-2 | Senior | Lipscomb

Wagner joins her club teammate Brooke Nuneviller as an All-American after leading Xavier Prep to the Class 6A state title. The Gators also ended No. 8 in the final Flo50 national rankings. Wagner was team MVP and on the all-tourney team at the Durango Classic.

Jaden Whitmarsh

Torrey Pines | San Diego, CA | OH | 5-9 | Senior | UCLA (beach)

The daughter of the late Mike Whitmarsh wasn’t just a beach player fooling around indoors. She did it all for the Falcons as they were No. 1 in the state toward the end of the season before losing to Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the CIF Southern California Open Division final. Whitmarsh has been picked as the San Diego Section Player of the Year.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Karin Keeney

Hebron | Lewisville, Texas

Coaches love to start programs from scratch, and since Kenney did that at new school Hebron in 1999, she has built one of the top programs in the nation.

The Hawks won their third straight state title this season in one of the nation’s toughest state playoff brackets — Texas 5A — downing Seven Lakes of Katy 25-17, 25-14, 25-15 in the championship.

What makes the three-peat of Kenney’s program more remarkable is that she did it with different teams and in different circumstances. In 2015, for example, she had no starters who were taller than 6-1. This year’s team had some size, but had to come together after a rough start that saw the Hawks lose seven matches.

Another impressive aspect of Hebron’s three-peat is how dominant the team gets at the end of the season. The sweep of Seven Lakes in this year’s state final was the fifth sweep among the six state semifinal and state final matches in the last three years. The Hawks have only dropped one set in those matches. 

Kenney has directed Hebron to state titles in 2004 and 2010 and has guided the program to five-straight regional tournament appearances. The only other Texas school to win three straight titles in the highest classification is Amarillo from 2006 to 2008.