Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale SCHS senior middle hitter Erika Dunnam was named Player of the Year in the Bay Conference after recording 409 kills on the season.
Any time the Shawano Community High School girls volleyball team needed a point, it was clear who would be getting the ball.
That responsibility fell into the hands of senior middle hitter Erika Dunnam.
“Erika is a middle hitter, a captain, a leader on and off the court,” Shawano head coach Jessica Cumberland said. “She supports and encourages her teammates and coaches. She is always aggressive, always ball hungry. She was our go-to hitter when we need a kill both in the back row and front row.”
Dunnam, a first-team Bay Conference selection last season, already had high expectations for this season, but with offseason work, was ahead of the game to start 2015.
“In the back of my head and in my heart, I knew that she was 100 percent capable of (being Player of the Year),” Cumberland said. “I knew at the start of the season, after seeing her improvement over summer, that I would hands down be nominating her for it. Erika is an athlete that has been passionate, dedicated and driven to excel in the sport of volleyball.”
The skills, combined with a familiarity with Annelies Young, who set for Dunnam all four years in high school, helped Dunnam achieve the Bay’s highest award.
Dunnam recorded 409 kills on the season; Young had 511 assists.
“Playing together for these years has definitely helped with our timing because I know just when I should start my approach and she knows right where I like my sets,” Dunnam said. “The experience together helps because she knows what hits I like to run depending on what rotation we are in and how the game is playing out.”
Dunnam averaged 4.8 kills per set, compiled a 22.4 hitting percentage and recorded 75 blocks.
“Erika is not only a talented athlete skill-wise, but she is also extremely knowledgeable in match play and knows how to use those court smarts within the match to help her team overall,” Cumberland said.
The senior continuously led the Hawks in three of the main stats on the season: kills, blocks and digs. Cumberland also said Dunnam was a role model for the younger athletes because of her hard work, dedication and attitude while playing at a high level and achieving the goals she set for herself.
Dunnam plans on playing volleyball in college, either at a Division III school or junior college before transferring to a larger school.
Cumberland concluded, “Erika is just that an all-around, spectacular athlete.”