Senior VaNessa Peterson was voted the Impact/Most Valuable Player by her 2020 Spring Grove volleyball teammates and also shared the Heart Award in a COVID-19-delayed awards presentation. Maggie Lile was the choice for the Hustle Award and for the second season voted the Heart Award, sharing that honor this year with Peterson, Addyson McHugh and Kelsey Bratland. Kenadee Gerard was voted Most Improved.
Photos by Lee Epps
Peterson (MVP, co-Heart) contributed at the net, from the back row and the service line. The 5-foot-7 outside hitter/defender had been the libero the previous season. In 2020, she served with 90% accuracy with more aces than errors and near the net, put away more kills than hitting errors. From the back row, the two-year letter winner was a dependable passer while defending with 8.9 digs per match. She received Honorable Mention on the All-Southeast Conference Team.
Lile (Hustle, co-Heart), a 5-4 sophomore libero, led the Lions in serve-receive rating and also averaged a team-high 15.5 digs per match. She anchored the defense and initiated the offense as the primary passer from the back row, including 31 assists in an abbreviated 12-match season. She could attack as well with 17 kills and served 93% with more than twice as many aces as errors. Although only a sophomore, Lile earned her third varsity letter. She was an All-Conference selection and received Honorable Mention on the Post Bulletin All-Area Team.
Gerard (Most Improved), a 5-9 sophomore outside hitter, was second on the team with 61 kills in 37 sets while earning her first varsity letter. McHugh (co-Heart), a 5-10 sophomore middle hitter and three-year letter winner, was All-SEC for the second season while leading the Lions in kills, blocks and service aces while serving 92%. Bratland (co-Heart), a 5-8 senior letter winner, was a reserve right side hitter.
Senior defender Paige Jahnke earned her second varsity letter as did a junior trio: setter Rachel Normann, middle hitter Brielle Neeley and outside hitter Julia Halverson, Sophomore right side Lydia Solum also received a second letter.
In the COVID-shortened season, Spring Grove went 8-4 overall and 5-4 during conference play to finish in a third-place/fourth place tie with Randolph – right in the middle of the six-team SEC East Division. The Lions (5-4 SEC) and Rockets (5-4) finished behind champion Mabel-Canton (13-0 SEC) and runner-up Lanesboro (6-2) and ahead of both Houston (2-8) and Schaeffer Academy (0-10). The Lions excelled in the classroom, achieving a team Academic All-State Gold Award, which honors teams with a team grade point average betwen 3.75 to 4.0.