Logan Volleyball Athletes Receive Multiple End of Season Awards
After an amazingly productive season, several Logan players were honored for their performance on the court. The team finished the season with an overall record of 29-9, and won the NJCAA Region 24 Championship and the GRAC conference. The conference title included a perfect 14-0 record, which has only happened at Logan once before (2010).
"I think this group should be very proud of what they have accomplished. Even though we had a young team this season, the girls showed some toughness and determination to complete the conference schedule undefeated. Every team, especially young ones, tend to have ups and downs during the course of a long season, but these girls were able to close the deal on an amazing conference season," said Coach Burnside.
The Region 24 Tournament Championship was equally satisfying. After an early season loss to a strong Vincennes team on their home court, the team was able to defeat the Trailblazers here at John A Logan, and carry that momentum on to win a very competitive match against them in the Region 24 Championship.
"Vincennes was a quality team, and defeating them felt great. We did not win because Vincennes had a bad day. They played some the best volleyball I had seen them play all season. We won because we played quality volleyball in an important match, and at critical moments within that match. It was a fun match to watch, and to coach," said Coach.
When a team has successes like those listed above, you can expect individual post-season awards to follow. That is certainly the case this year. There are multiple players receiving awards. In fact, more girls earned post season awards than ever before.
Kim Hall, Freshman, OH – Kim was named the GRAC Most Valuable Player. This is the highest honor available for our conference. Kim earned this by finishing in the top 3 in all three significant attacking stats in the conference. She led the league in total kills (356), finished 2nd in kills per game (2.7), and 3rd in hitting efficiency(.283). Kim was also a critical part of our defense and a primary passer.
Kameryn Sillmon, Freshman, MH – Kameryn was named to the All-GRAC team and the NJCAA Region 24 team. She led the GRAC in hitting efficiency with an amazing .406 percentage. Finished second in blocks per set (1.26), and was 10th in kills per game (2.1). Kam played her best volleyball in the big moments against the best teams.
Shelbey Saye, Sophomore, S – Shelbey was an All-NJCAA Region 24 pick. She was the most efficient 6-2 system setter in total assists (739), and also most productive in assists per game for a 6-2 (5.51). She was also effective with surprise setter attacks. In fact, she ended up with a .417 efficiency for the season. Shelbey was a huge part of the offensive success the team enjoyed this season. She called plays and ran the offense with precision.
Taytum Murdock, Sophomore, S – Taytum was named to the All-GRAC conference team. She finished 5th in conference in total assists (558), 6th in assists per game (4.16), 8th in aces per game (.28). Taytum was also an important defensive player for us and covered the majority of opponents' tips. She ran the offense effectively with a variety of hitters this season due to injuries.
Bryleigh Buchanan, Freshman, RS – Bryleigh was honored as an NJCAA Region 24 pick. She had a very productive offensive and defensive season. She had the 2nd highest pin hitting percentage on the team behind Kim Hall at .190, and she was the most productive wing blocker with 87 total blocks and .67 per game. She also averaged 1.96 kills per game which is impressive for a Rightside Hitter.
Olivia Hallet, Freshman, OH – Olivia was picked to the All-GRAC Conference team. She finished second on the team with 283 total kills and 2.19 per game. She was a very productive offensive player, but that was only part of her contribution. Olivia was also the 2nd most productive defensive player with 378 total digs and 2.9 per game, and player a critical role as a primary passer.