Hicks, Phillips earn all-league volleyball honors
Senior outside hitter Gabby Hicks hits a kill over a pair of Moscow players during the 4A Region 1 loser-out match on Oct. 20 at Les Rogers Court. Hicks earned all-league honors for the second straight season.
(File photo by DYLAN GREENE)
Senior middle blocker Bella Phillips goes up for a block during a match against Lewiston on Oct. 10. Phillips earned all-league honors for the first time.
(File photo by DYLAN GREENE)
SANDPOINT — Two Sandpoint volleyball players were named to the 4A IEL all-league team earlier this week.
Gabby Hicks and Bella Phillips both received spots on the team for their play this fall.
This is the second straight year Hicks has been named to the all-league team. In 2019, Hicks earned honors while playing middle blocker, but this season she made the switch to outside hitter, a move that worked quite well for the Bulldogs.
Hicks led the team in kills with 209 and in aces with 27. She finished second on the team in digs and blocks with 159 and 18 respectively.
The Bulldogs went as the senior went this season and she earned the team's MVP award with her play and leadership on the court.
Head coach Karen Alsager said Hicks has a lot of insight about the game that she shares with her teammates and when she was on the court this fall, it was like having another coach.
"She exceeded my expectations for how much she contributed this year," Alsager said.
Hicks was on the court at all times and when she hit the ball the whole gym felt it, Alsager said.
"Gabby just annihilated the ball sometimes and it just devastated other teams with the angle she could hit down at them," she said. "Emotionally that just did so much for us."
For Phillips, this is her first time earning league honors. The senior captain led the team in blocks with 45 and was second in kills with 75.
Alsager said Phillips was the Bulldogs' emotional leader.
"Bella just touches your heart," she said. "She just carried our team's emotion."
Phillips made a special connection with every player on the team and as a middle blocker she performed a job that is often thankless, Alsager said. But Phillips didn't mind not always receiving recognition for her efforts because all she cares about is helping her team win.
"She selfishly gave everything she could to the team," Alsager said.
Alsager admitted it will be difficult to deal with the loss of Hicks' production and Phillips' athleticism.
"It's hard to replace the front-row presence that those two provided," she said. "That's going to be my biggest challenge."
ALL-4A INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE
MVP — Katy Ryan, sr., Lakeland.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR — Olivia Cooper, sr., Lakeland
COACH OF THE YEAR — Kelsie Badger, Lakeland
ALL-LEAGUE — Bella Phillips, sr., Sandpoint; Abbey Neff, sr., Lakeland; Gabby Hicks, sr., Sandpoint; Izzy Burns, sr., Moscow, Morgan Claus, so., Moscow; Addisen Kiefer, jr., Lakeland.
