Alumnae News
The accolades keep rolling in. You aren't reading a rerun. Mekana Barnes was awarded her third MWC player of the week award last week. Last week's award came after a conference- and school-record 19 total blocks against Utah. Barnes, a redshirt junior, currently ranks third in the nation in blocks per game and sixth in hitting percentage. Fellow Front Range alumna Tracy Stalls is second in the nation in hitting percentage.
Kathleen Schauer, a junior outside hitter at Binghamton, recently recorded a 29-kill match against Kent State. Her performance is the best by a Bearcat since the program moved to Division I and the most in the program since 1994.
Nebraska freshman Lindsey Licht was recently featured on Nebraska's website in a Q&A. Check it out here. (Kudos to former FR coach Steve Huntingdale for having such a big influence on Lindsey's career!)
And Still We Rise...
Front Range Players in the news
Front Range's Mountain Division players have made a couple more appearances in the news. Here are links to a few articles featuring Front Range attitude at a higher altitude: Chloe Nelson, Hannah Ellison, Annalisa Padget, and Kelsey Plath have all been mentioned for their teams' performances.
Alysa Birdsall and Julie Cox were featured in an article about Cherokee Trail's 4A successes. Both sophomores are highly ranked in the state in blocks per game.
Grandview is the hottest team in 5A volleyball right now. The team won the Eaglecrest Invitational, beating three top-ten teams for the title. Erica Denney, McCall Paynter, and Lauren Van Orden were named to the all-tournament team.
Jennifer Youngblood, a senior at Bear Creek High School was recently featured on Fox during their high school sports segment.
Please help us stay abreast with all the latest news so that we can share your success with the rest of the Front Range family. Please email eduardo@frvbc.com with links to articles that mention Front Range players. We look forward to seeing Front Range in the news!
A Fistful of Aces
Every year, PrepVolleyball.com publishes a list of "Senior Aces". The players are ranked according to "potential impact over four years at the next level". Front Range is very proud to have five players in the top 115 and one, Kristy Jaeckel, who was given special recognition because of her original intent to return for one more year of club volleyball. Jennah DeVries was an honorable mention, falling just outside the top 100. Congratulations to all our featured players and thanks to PrepVolleyball for granting reprinting permission. Below are the summaries written about Front Range players from PrepVolleyball.com.
I want to recognize one more player, OH Kristy Jaeckel, who played for Front Range last year. A young senior last spring, Jaeckel, a Florida recruit, wasn’t considered for the 2007 Senior Aces because of her stated intent not to attend university until 2008. But when Florida asked her to come this fall rather than wait, she agreed. Jaeckel would have been rated quite highly in this year’s Senior Aces had she followed her original path.
87. Evan Sanders, 6-0 S/OH, Centaurus (Louisville CO), Front Range – Colorado State
Sanders has been a high school star since her freshman year at Centaurus, but injuries held her back somewhat during club ball until last year, when she showed everyone what a versatile athlete she is. Recruited to set at Colorado State, Sanders also has the skill set to attack and ball control. A multi-sport athlete until her junior year in high school, Sanders has great movement ability and body control. She possesses a great feel for the flow of the game. A serious competitor on the court, Sanders is personable and very funny off of it. That sounds like a coup for the Rams, who get a terrific player and even better teammate.
54. Courtney Karst, 6-1 RS/OH, Eaglecrest (Centennial CO), Front Range -- Arizona
Karst started making a name for herself as a sophomore when she was a fearless high school blocker who took on and defeated older players with well-established reputations. She’s spent the past two season expanding and refining her game so that she is now the star attraction in most an gym. An explosive jumper and dynamic attacker from the front and back row, Karst may have found a new home opposite the setter, where she has developed into an outstanding two-way threat on the right side. With the ability to play multiple positions, Karst should have a great impact at the University of Arizona, where she has committed.
49. Ann Dylla, 6-1 MB, Heritage (Littleton CO), Front Range -- Georgia
Barely into her third season of club volleyball, this former basketball player, who decided to specialize in volleyball at the beginning of her junior year, is getting better by the millisecond, which is exactly how long it takes her to get off the ground and explode into her approach of over 10 feet. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability and a competitive drive, Dylla is a dynamic leaper who can attack as well off of one foot as two, which should make her a middle in college even though she is further developing her game by playing on the outside this high school season. One of the nicest people around and a caring and supportive teammate, Dylla is headed to Georgia to help the new Bulldog coaching staff towards re-building that program.
24. Ariana Filho, 6-2 MB, Lewis-Palmer (Monument CO), Front Range -- Minnesota
With great lateral movement ability and extreme quickness off the ground, Filho is a formidable middle blocker. An outstanding one-foot takeoff attacker, Filho is equally effective on two-foot takeoff sets because she is so quick off the ground. A serious student, Filho balances that drive with an off beat sense of humor that should make her an asset in the locker room. She trained with the US Youth National team last summer and was recruited to play at the University of Minnesota, where she should add some great middle punch to an already terrific program.
Senior Signing
Congratulations to Olivia Moss for her recent commitment to Sacramento State. Olivia has played for Front Range for the last three seasons and will return for one more season before heading off to perennial Big Sky Conference powerhouse Sacramento State.
And Now For Something Completely Different...
A women in sport fact in honor of the 35th anniversary of Title IX: In 1972, when the law was passed, one in 27 girls played sports; today it is one in 2.5.
