Bulldogs named to All-IEL team

SANDPOINT - Senior libero Abby Helander was named Defensive Player of the Year, one of four Sandpoint players named to the All-Inland Empire League team, as voted on by league coaches.

Juniors Koko James and Piper Wahlin were each named to the first team, and junior Kaiti Lunde made the second team as the state champion Bulldogs will be a force again next year with strong underclassmen.

Helander led the Bulldogs with 587 digs and 52 aces, along with infusing her teammates with tons of energy. Opposing league coaches christened her with the nickname "black-hole," an homage to not just her black libero jersey, but her uncanny ability to always be in the play.

James led the team with 441 set assists, a high number considering she shared the setting duties with senior Linnia Hawkins. A multi-faceted player, she also tallied 152 kills, 46 aces and 34 blocks.

Wahlin led the team with 339 kills, averaging nearly four per game. She was also second on the team in hitting percentage at 38 percent, and added 46 aces as her jump serve became a weapon this year.

Lunde led the Bulldogs in blocks with 41, and also had the highest hitting percentage at 41 percent. She was second on the team with 175 kills, giving the team an option when defenses would focus on stopping Wahlin.

Head coach Karen Alsager on what each player did to earn a spot on the all-league team.

n Helander: "The most exciting thing for me was to sit at the (IEL) meeting and have every coach in the room say Abby is the defensive player of the year, hands down. I didn't have to say a word."

n James: "Her size as a setter at 5-10, our tallest player, makes her very recruitable - tall setters are hard to find. Was great for us with all she does in the front row."

n Wahlin: "She had a good state tournament. If she got blocked she changed it up and did something smart. They (defenses) can't stop her; they'll block seam and she'll hit the line; they'll block line and she'll hit an angle. Every year she's getting smarter, starting to add shots."

n Lunde: "You don't notice her because of her size (5-9), but she plays like a tall middle. She has lots of power that other teams don't expect. She's a jumper with a nice vertical and her timing is good. She knows how to really crank on the ball."

VOLLEYBALL ALL-INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Natalie Stewart, S, sr., Coeur d'Alene

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Abby Helander, L, sr., Sandpoint

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - Dani Meehan, OH, jr., Post Falls

COACH OF THE YEAR - Carly Curtis, Coeur d'Alene

FIRST TEAM

Kama Griffitts, sr., Coeur d'Alene; Savannah Blinn, so., Lewiston; Shelby Robb, sr., Coeur d'Alene; Koko James, jr., Sandpoint; Piper Wahlin, jr., Sandpoint; Brigitte Lowe, jr., Moscow.

SECOND TEAM

Hanna Johnson, sr., Coeur d'Alene; Carle Ax, sr., Lewiston; Kaiti Lunde, jr., Sandpoint; Alivia Johnson, sr., Lake City; Jalana White, jr., Post Falls; Jacqueline Adamson, sr., Lake City.