Morgan Rode sports@newmedia-wi.com
Leader file photo Shawano junior Tori DePerry hits the ball in the regional title game against Notre Dame Academy in October. DePerry made the all-conference honorable mention team this fall.
For a second straight year, the Shawano Community High School girls volleyball produced a player of the year in the Bay Conference.
In 2017, Shawano’s Averi Vomastic shared the honor with Xavier’s Gabby Murray. This year, Shawano senior Julia Klement was tabbed as one of three players of the year in the conference along with Murray and West De Pere’s Emilie Everard.
“It’s a huge honor to be named co-player of the year, I think that’s something that any player would strive for in their career,” Klement said. “It has been a goal of mine ever since I reached high school and it makes all the hard work worth it. I definitely wouldn’t be here without the help and encouragement from my teammates. They have been awesome and playing with them is something I’ll cherish forever.”
Shawano had four other players — seniors Bayleigh Laabs and Tori DePerry and juniors Abi Vomastic and Katelyn Wilber — also make an all-conference team.
Being named the conference’s player of the year capped a strong high school career for Klement, who made the all-conference first team in each of the past three seasons.
This year, she totaled a team-high 247 attack kills while adding 39 serving aces, 29 blocks and 200 digs.
Klement credited her constant work on the court as the reason she earned the honor.
“For me getting to this level of play has been a year round commitment — the combination of school ball, club ball, and offseason training has been what has got me to this level of play.”
“She was a big swing for us and helped us win a lot of tough matches this season,” coach Breanna Young said. “She’s put in a lot of time and effort over the years so it’s nice for her to be recognized. We are a smaller town so it’s always great when other coaches are able to recognize the work kids like her put into the sport they love and dedicate so much time to.”
Laabs, Vomastic and Wilber all were selected to the second team while DePerry was named to the honorable mention team.
Laabs led the team with 627 assists and 238 digs while also contributing 22 blocks, 16 aces and 58 attack kills.
“Being named second team all-conference as a senior is a great accomplishment,” Laabs said. “It sucks not getting first (team) like I did last year, but second is not that bad. Being mentioned shows how there are people out there who recognize the work I put into volleyball, and the passion I have for it.”
Wilber served a team-leading 48 aces while also tallying 170 attack kills, 194 digs and 22 blocks.
Vomastic led a fierce block game, posting a team-high 69 blocks. She also tallied 191 attack kills, 164 digs and 37 aces.
“Being named second team is a honor and being able to know that the coaches on the other teams think I am one of the better players is always a great thing to hear,” Vomastic said. “However, I fell short of my goal to make unanimous first team, and that just gives me the motivation I need to reach this goal for next year. Seeing it is going to be my last year as a Hawk next year, I want to make it the most memorable season by winning a regional title and move forward from there.”
DePerry amassed 156 attack kills and 55 blocks on the season to make the first all-conference team of her career.
For the season, Shawano placed second in the conference and appeared in the regional title game. The Hawks finished the year 32-9 overall.