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Thirteen local spikers named to all-league

Vail Mountain School’s Payton Connolly is all-league as the Gore Rangers' setter.
Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com

Volleyball awards

4A Western Slope

First team

Tatum Huffman, Battle Mountain

Sky Lieuerance, Eagle Valley

Sofi Petrovski, Battle Mountain

Carly Post, Battle Mountain

Sophia Rinn, Eagle Valley

Honorable mention

Olivia Fedrizzi, Eagle Valley

Emma Judge, Battle Mountain

2A Western Slope

First team

Payton Connolly, Vail Mountain

Lexi Linafelter, Vail Mountain

Kendelle Smith, Vail Christian

Honorable mention

Mari Engleby, Vail Christian

Skye Karsh, Vail Mountain

Abby Kuhns, Vail Christian

Brooke Layman, Vail Christian

Tyler Wolfe, Vail Mountain

The only real issue for this hypothetical team is it would be whistled for too many players on the court.

Thirteen players earned some form of all-league honors from Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Vail Christian and Vail Mountain School volleyball, and 13 really doesn’t work in any way with six spots.

For instance, how does one mash in boppers Sophia Rinn (Eagle Valley), Battle Mountain’s Tatum Huffman and Sofi Petrovski, Vail Mountain’s Lexi Linafelter and Vail Christian’s Kendelle Smith into three spots up front. And, oh, by the way, VMS’ Skye Karsh and Mari Engleby can play at the net, so there’s a serious logjam.



Some themes from this year’s honorees:

• While some choices are obvious because big kills get the oohs and aahs, what’s also nice to see in the postseason honor roll is the acknowledgment of the defense. Battle Mountain’s Carly Post and Emma Judge, Eagle Valley’s Olivia Fedrizzi, Vail Mountain’s Tyler Wolfe and Vail Christian’s Brooke Layman, defenders all, got the nod.

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These five have had the thankless task of getting in front of smashes all season long — be it during games or practice — and turning the ball the other way.

• Battle Mountain’s Huffman makes all-league on merit, but also because she probably leads the Slope in grandmother appearances at volleyball matches. Congratulations, Bubbe.

• Vail Mountain’s Connolly had some big shoes to fill, stepping in for setter Chloe Pesso who graduated last year. Connolly filled them admirably. And for the purposes of our local fantasy volleyball team, we can run a 6-2 with Vail Christian’s Kuhns.

• Comeback of the year goes to Eagle Valley’s Rinn, who lost last season to a broken ankle.

• Youngsters: Vail Christian’s Smith and Vail Mountain’s Karsh are both coming back next year.


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