Wichita Eagle honors the best high school volleyball players on 2024 All-Metro team

The Wichita Eagle announced its annual All-Metro volleyball team on Thursday, recognizing some of the best high school volleyball players in the state of Kansas from the 2024 season.

The All-Metro team features the top players and the top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback.

Halstead senior setter Dalaina Schutte was named the All-Metro Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the Dragons to their first state championship in program history.

Here is the full 2024 Wichita Eagle All-Metro volleyball team:

Kendal Brueggen, Hesston senior

A Missouri State basketball signee, Brueggen doubles as a high-flying outside hitter for the Hesston volleyball team. The 5-foot-10 senior recorded 539 kills on a .318 hitting percentage and was a six-rotation star, leading the team in digs (370) and adding 39 aces, 42 blocks and more than 10 serve-receives per match. She was voted a second team all-state player in Class 3A and a first team all-league hitter in the Central Kansas League after leading Hesston to a sub-state final.

Hesston coach Jason Peters on Brueggen: “Kendal is a very good all-around player. She has been one of our best passers and obviously she jumps well and hits hard. She worked hard on her serve this year to make that more effective. Other teams were going to try to focus on her when we played them and she worked hard this year to develop some different shots to not be too predictable.”

Ryann Daggett, North sophomore

North qualified for state for the first time in two decades and Daggett, a 6-foot-1 sophomore middle hitter, was a driving force in the program’s meteoric rise this season. The all-around tools are there to attract Division I interest, as Daggett led the team with 316 kills on a .275 hitting percentage to go along with a team-high 250 digs, a team-high 38 blocks and 32 aces. Daggett was voted a second team all-state player in Class 6A, an all-tournament player and a first team selection in the City League.

North coach Jessica Keys on Daggett: “She’s a very driven and a very competitive player. She’s just dogged. She’s ready to beat anybody and she is always the one who rises up and wants to take the ball when the game is on the line. She’s very light on her feet and can get off the ground very quickly and she has a fast arm to her compared to other middles. So you combine her speed, her quickness, her jumping ability and that fast swing she has in the middle and a lot of people can’t get there in time to block her.”

Aliyah Green, Andover senior

No one wanted to be on the other side of the net when Green was hitting. Her sheer power powered Andover to a 32-win season and a trip to the Class 5A state tournament, as dynamic 6-foot-1 middle hitter was voted the MVP in AV-CTL Division II. She logged 465 kills on a .338 hitting percentage to go along with 138 digs and 31 blocks. The dual-sport star (Green is also a star basketball player) is undecided for college.

Andover coach Ashley Eichman on Green: “Aliyah’s energy is super contagious and she is just an incredible athlete. She was very consistent for us and a leader for us all the time. She works incredibly hard and she is really good at a lot of things on the front row. It’s hard to scout her because she can mix up where she goes and she hits it so hard.”

Jillian Gregory, Maize South senior

A two-time All-Metro pick, Gregory delivered a career-high 409 kills on a .326 hitting percentage this season and finished her decorated career with 1,393 career kills. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter who signed with Wyoming also added 30 aces, 21 blocks and 203 digs, while earning MVP honors in AV-CTL Division I and first team all-state honors in Class 5A.

Maize South coach Alexis Head on Gregory: “Jillian has been a joy to coach to see her growth in the game, her IQ and overall leadership has been fun to watch. She even switched up and hit on the right side for us at sub-state to give us a more dynamic blocking presence on that side. Jillian is a kid that you can’t replicate. We’re so excited to watch her game continue to develop at Wyoming.”

Kaitlyn Gordon, Andover senior

It was rare to see a ball hit Andover’s side of the floor this season with Gordon, a Pittsburg State signee, patrolling the back line as the team’s libero. She recorded her second straight season of 400-plus digs with 401 total this season, while logging more than 16 serve-receives per match for an Andover team that won 32 games and qualified for the state tournament. Gordon was voted a first team all-league player in AV-CTL Division II this season.

Andover coach Ashley Eichman on Gordon: “When anybody did a scouting report on us, they knew not to try to serve it at Kaitlyn. She was an incredible at serve-receive and finished at 98% (success rate). And she is just a great defender as far as reading the ball, no matter where it is. She’s a great teammate back there to teach our younger kids too.”

Carlyle Johnson, Collegiate junior

While Collegiate didn’t have the same team success this season, no one could doubt Johnson was one of the best players in the state. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter is already committed to Duke and was voted a first team all-league player in AV-CTL Division IV. Johnson finished the season with 379 kills, 34 aces, 39 blocks, 231 digs and more than 300 serve-receives.

Collegiate coach Chris Zandler on Johnson: “Carlyle goes hard in every practice, no matter what the skill or drill is. That set an example for the rest of the team to see a player of her caliber working to get even better than she already is. She is truly a six-rotation player who can do it all. She can hit every position and is our go-to blocker who shuts down the other team’s best hitters. She was faced with double and triple teams every time she hit the ball and still produced kills at a high rate and she has worked on her passing and defense to be more of a weapon in the back row.”

Kenzy McArtor, Clearwater senior

A two-time All-Metro selection, McArtor once again led Clearwater back to the state tournament and earned MVP honors in AV-CTL Division IV and first team all-state honors in Class 4A along the way. She logged a career-high 461 kills this season and finished her career with 1,348 career kills, as McArtor featured a .351 hitting percentage, 64 aces, 27 blocks and 232 digs this season. She is committed to Oklahoma Christian as a dual-sport athlete (volleyball and track and field).

Clearwater coach Abbee Schultz on McArtor: “She is a collegiate athlete already. Kenzy is so good because she can see a block and work around it or just go over it. You can find a lot of girls with a skill set, you can find some with two skill sets, but you don’t find very many with all the skill sets at an advanced level. Kenzy passed for us this year and last year, broke our aces record in her career and had a really high serve-receive rating, so she wasn’t just a hitter for us. She was a star in a lot of different areas.”

Taylor McDonald, Valley Center junior

The blocking statistics for the 6-foot-1 middle hitter seem like video-game numbers, but opposing coaches can attest to McDonald being one of the biggest presences at the net around the area in recent memory. McDonald finished with 144 total blocks this season to go along with a team-high 271 kills on a .285 hitting percentage and 50 aces. The Montana State commit was voted a first team all-league player in AV-CTL Division I.

Valley Center coach Kaitlin Unrau on McDonald: “It’s so impressive how each year she has gotten so much better, not only skill-wise but also with her strength too. She’s just a natural athlete and has great lateral movement. She’s quick and tall and strong and she has such good timing with her blocks to be able to make up distances and reading the hitter and the timing. To have that level of blocking consistently was so clutch for us this year and she does a great job hitting too. A lot of those tight balls where she’s jousting and she has such good hang time and can out-maneuver opponents because of her athleticism.”

Mason Palace, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior

Kapaun notched its first state bid in more than a decade this season and Palace, a junior outside hitter, was a huge reason why the Crusaders caught fire at the right time to win 32 games and reach the Class 5A semifinals. Palace finished a breakout junior campaign with 358 kills on a .291 hitting percentage with a team-high 105 blocks, as she earned honorable mention all-state honors and was voted a first team all-league player in the City League.

Kapaun coach Heather Holavach on Palace: “Mason was our most versatile player this year and a true six-rotation player. She improved so much from her sophomore to junior year, it was unreal and I can’t wait to watch her as a senior. She was the type of kid who we can get her the ball and she can just put it away, no matter where she is on the court. We built our whole offense around her and we knew we could always get her the ball and she was going to do something with it.”

Kalyn Sampson, Sedgwick junior

Naturally a 5-1 system setter, Sampson was asked to set and hit this season for Sedgwick and delivered in a big way. The 5-foot-11 junior not only logged 446 assists, she delivered a monster offensive season with 452 kills on a .387 hitting percentage, 93 aces, 39 blocks and 291 digs. She helped lead Sedgwick to a 37-win season and just the program’s second state berth, as Sampson was voted a second team all-state player in Class 2A and a first team all-league player in the Heart of America League.

Sedgwick coach Karen Stucky on Sampson: “She’s one of those kids who puts in a lot of time and is a year-round volleyball player. She’s really a 5-1 setter, but she had to hit for us this year and she learned a lot along the way and adjusted to that new role well. She’s never really hit before, except maybe out of serve-receive. So she took on that role and hit out of three rotations. But she’s such a dynamic setter. She scores a lot on the second ball, so she’s always a threat whether she’s hitting or setting.”

Dalaina Schutte, Halstead senior

Not only the heart and soul of the team, but the engine that made one of the most dynamic offenses in the state hum. Schutte’s brilliance as a 5-1 system setter powered Halstead to a 43-2 season and the first state championship in program history. The Bethel commit registered a career-high 972 assists and finished with 2,032 in her career, while adding 124 kills, 56 aces, 20 blocks and 220 digs to earn first team all-state honors in Class 3A and first team all-league recognition in the Central Kansas League.

Halstead coach Diana Schutte on Schutte: “I had multiple people come up to me this year and tell me they didn’t realize how good Dalaina was because she just makes it look so easy. And she does make it look easy out there. She’s not really flashy, but she makes her teammates better and she’s pretty crafty at being able to get the ball to any hitter at any time anywhere on the court. She was very deadly on the dumps when she was playing front row. It was pretty nice because I didn’t really have to coach her very much.”

Jordyn Washington, Andover Central senior

The 5-foot-11 middle hitter stepped up to the challenge of becoming more of an all-around player this season and helped lead Andover Central to an AV-CTL Div. II championship and a 32-win season. Washington, a Central Oklahoma signee, finished with 294 kills on a .311 hitting percentage to go along with 56 aces and 62 blocks to earn second team all-state honors in Class 5A and first team all-league recognition in the AV-CTL Division II.

Andover Central coach Kayla Weidert on Washington: “Jordyn was one of the best leaders that we’ve ever had in our program. She’s going down in our top-10 record book in career kills, career blocks and she’ll be near the top in aces in a season, blocks in a season, hitting percentage in a season. She took a huge leap this season, not just taking great swings and having a high kill percentage, but contributing in blocking and serving. It’s very rare you have a middle that can serve really well and add that to the game and it wouldn’t surprise me to see if she figures out the passing and becomes a six-rotation kid at the next level.”

Diana Schutte, Halstead coach

After knocking on the door for so long, Schutte finally snapped a 33-year-long drought at the state tournament and then led Halstead to the first state championship in program history. It was a magical season for the Dragons, who finished with a 43-2 record, the Central Kansas League and Class 3A championships. In her 20th year of coaching volleyball and 10th year at Halstead, Schutte won a state title with her daughter, Dalaina, as a senior and star setter for the team. The roster for the Dragons also included Bailey Bernal, Katharine Engel, Piper Schroeder, Jordy Schroeder, Daynica Euwer, Sloane Linton, Annie Williams, Tess Williams, Peyton Wendling, Ainsley Farmer and Thea Boese.

Halstead coach Diana Schutte on her team: “I catch myself smiling all these weeks later, like, ‘Did that really happen?’ It’s been so much fun because during the season, I was watching so much film of other teams and now it’s been nice to go back and just watch my team. This was a special, special team. Some of these girls work for me at the pool (in Halstead) and a lot of them have been coming to my youth camp since they were little girls. I’ve known them since they were itty-bitty second-graders and to see all of their hard work finally pay off has been so special.”

All-Metro second team

Brooklyn Benoit, Northwest junior outside hitter

Bailey Bernal, Halstead sophomore outside hitter

Katie Cure, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior libero

Cora Daggett, North senior outside hitter

Reese Daugherty, Bishop Carroll senior libero

Delainee Dexter, Eisenhower senior outside hitter-setter

Katharine Engel, Halstead junior outside hitter

Hayden Grimes, Andale junior outside hitter

Kaylee Hampton, Clearwater senior setter

Reese Hedstrom, Cheney senior outside hitter

Lauren Heinz, Andover senior setter

Bella Holcomb, Andover Central senior setter

Sage Illian, Trinity Academy freshman outside hitter

Jaye McCurdy, Central Christian Academy junior outside hitter

Ally Orth, Bishop Carroll junior setter

McCoy Phister, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior setter

Harlee Randall, Flinthills senior middle hitter

Audrey Smith, Trinity Academy junior middle hitter

Reese Stuhlsatz, Garden Plain junior outside hitter

Lauren Welch, Maize senior libero

Madison Williams, Clearwater senior outside hitter

Heather Holavach, Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach

Jessica Keys, North coach

All-Metro third team

Regan Allen, Trinity Academy senior libero

Camille Avila, Andover junior outside hitter

Macey Batt, Cheney senior outside hitter-setter

Claire Buss, East junior outside hitter

Tori Buss, North senior outside hitter

Teagan Canady, Valley Center senior outside hitter

Autumn Chmieleski, Clearwater senior libero

Isabella Cook, Maize South sophomore middle hitter

Lauren DeGroot, Bishop Carroll sophomore outside hitter

Ella Eck, Andale senior middle hitter

Gyntre Fletcher, Northwest junior setter

Regan Hirsh, Newton senior libero

Grace Hong, Independent senior outside hitter

Reese Johnson, Northwest junior libero

Emmy Kaberline, Andover Central freshman middle hitter

Kamryn Kennedy, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior middle hitter

Lillian Like, Derby junior outside hitter

Sydney Nance, Eisenhower junior middle hitter

Taya Orth, Andale senior setter

Brianna Paul, Circle sophomore libero

Katelyn Paul, Circle senior outside hitter

Autumn Popp, Maize South sophomore setter

Abby Proctor, Hesston senior outside hitter-setter

Addison Rockley, Rose Hill junior middle hitter

Piper Schroeder, Halstead sophomore libero

Erin Smith, Garden Plain junior libero

Sophia Smith, Bishop Carroll junior middle hitter

Kenadi Thome, Cheney sophomore libero

Makenna Treat, Mulvane senior middle hitter

Lily Waters, Derby senior outside hitter

Emerson Wedel, Goddard senior outside hitter

Dallas Whitman, Campus senior outside hitter

Nevi Wilkey, Classical senior outside hitter

Ellie Wisdom, Maize sophomore outside hitter-setter

Ashley Eichman, Andover coach

Abbee Schultz, Clearwater coach

Karen Stucky, Sedgwick coach