Wurm, Kieberts earn All-NSL volleyball honors
CLARK FORK — Senior setter Annie Wurm put the balls up at the net, and senior outside hitter Lyndsie Kiebert hammered them home, as the duo joined sophomore Leslie Kiebert to give Clark Fork three players on the All-North Star League volleyball team, as voted on recently by the league’s coaches.
Wurm was consistently over 30 set assists in each match directing the attack, and was also strong in the serving and blocking game, rarely leaving the court.
Lyndsie Kiebert led the Wampus Cats in kills and aces, eclipsing 20 kills in a handful of matches and almost always hitting double figures. Like Wurm, she played the entire rotation.
Leslie Kiebert was the anchor of the back row, leading the Cats in digs and also running up a number of aces in the serve game, while providing another hitting option.
Head coach Cindy Derr, who returned to the bench to steward a program she once built into a 1A power, was proud of her team and the strides they made over the course of the season.
“From the first day of practice to what we finished with, I am so proud of the kids,” said Derr, who is 158-34 in six years at the helm in Clark Fork. “I’m proud we won the district tournament, but you had to play that one extra game to get to state, and it’s kind of a crap shoot.”
Derr is excited for next season, and has a solid corps of returning players to build around. She also praised the work of assistant coach Courtenay Kiebert, a former player of hers who played in college and has been working with the setters.
“She was such an asset to our team,” said Derr of Kiebert. “We have a great working relationship. And a good foundation to build on next year.”
Derr on what each player did to earn a spot on the all-league team:
n Lyndsie Kiebert: “Lyndsie was the glue of the team especially with the freshmen. She was always cheering everyone on and encouraging them. She was often seen in the gym with the junior high team also, assisting in that practice. She played middle blocker one match as we were down personnel and adapted to the position without difficulty. Lyndsie has expressed a little interest in possibly playing either volleyball or basketball at a smaller college. She has the athletic mind to accomplish that.”
n Annie Wurm: “Annie led the team with assists and worked hard to get the job done. As the head of the senior class, you could tell Annie used her knowledge to analyze the dynamics of the game at not only an athletic angle but at an academic angle. She was a quiet leader but when the chips were down she stepped up to the plate and showed her competitive side.”
n Leslie Kiebert: “She led the team with digs as well as pushed her sister for aces for the year. She also was a solid server. I could always count on her to go to the line and produce. Leslie was one of the jokesters of the team. I look forward to Leslie being one of the two returning upperclassmen next year.”
ALL NORTH STAR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL
MVP — Avery Brown-Sonder, sr., Lakeside
Coach of the Year — Karyn Stockdale and Kellee Johnson, Lakeside
LAKESIDE — Cailyn Dohrman, so., Talia Hendrickx, so. WALLACE — Jordan Browning, sr., Emily Nelson, sr. MULLAN — Sydney Koenig, sr., Charli Sadler, so. CLARK FORK — Lyndsie Kiebert, sr., Annie Wurm, sr., Leslie Kiebert, so. KOOTENAI — Austin Andersen, sr