Naperville Sun All-Area Girls Volleyball Team
First Team
Player of the year
Rachel Minarick, Waubonsie Valley, Setter/Right Side, Senior 6-foot-3
The numbers: 346 kills, 431 assists, had 96 blocks, 42 aces and 144 digs
Honors: Honorable Mention All-America. Signed with Michigan State
Rachael Fara, Benet, Middle Hitter, Junior, 6-foot-2
The numbers: 235 kills and 132 blocks to lead team in both
Honors: All- conference, All-tournament at Benet Invitational and Wheaton Classic. She’s committed to Northwestern.
Benet coach Brad Baker says: “As a blocker, Rachael is one of the most dominant we’ve had at Benet and she’s become our go-to player on offense. When she connects she’s virtually unstoppable. Rachael has gotten better in every aspect of the game, and with her experience she has a great ability to read plays. She’s a true pin-to-pin player. We’re excited to have her back next year.”
Emily Kwak, Naperville North, Setter, Junior, 5-foot-8 The numbers: 869 assists, 170 digs, 20 kills, 27 aces;
Honors: All-Conference, Top 20 in Chicagoland
Naperville North coach Jen Urban says: “Emily is a third year starter who is poised and confident. She has a high volleyball IQ and recognizes good matchups in order to put our hitters in the best position to score. She ran a balanced offense this season, often finding the middles early in matches. Emily really stepped forward as a vocal leader this season. And she’s one of the top servers on our team.”
Lexie Lobdell, Metea Valley, Outside Hitter, Junior, 5-foot-10 The numbers: 279 kills, 35 aces, led team in both; second on team with 24 blocks, 170 digs.
Honors: All-conference, All-tournament at The Warrior Blast.
Metea Valley coach Dave MacDonald says: “Lexie has excelled even though she’s usually up against outside hitters who are taller. She’s great at putting the ball where the defense isn’t. She can hit with power when needed, but she’s really smart and can also hit a variety of shots. She’s an outstanding competitor. When someone blocks her, Lexie comes back and wants the kill more on the next play.”
Megan Wernette, Naperville North, Middle Hitter, Junior, 6-foot-3
The numbers: 223 kills, second on team; .410 hitting percentage, 25 blocks, second on team, 31 aces, 52 digs;
Honors: All-conference, All-tournament at the Wheaton Classic and The Mizuno Cup.
Napervile North coach Jen Urban says: Megan is a force for us in the middle, an extremely confident player who commands the attention of her opponents. There were many matches where she took over and led the team in kills. She’s effective because she’s really strong and she’s always available to hit in serve-receive and transition. She’s quick and has great lateral movement, and, she’s a strong leader.
Caroline Wolf, Benet, Libero, Senior, 5-foot-6
The Numbers: 509 digs for single-season Benet record, 18 aces
Honors: All conference. She was Most Valuable Player at the Benet Invitational and at the Wheaton Classic. All-tournament at Autumnfest. She signed with Wake Forest.
Benet coach Brad Baker says: “Caroline is our emotional leader both on and off the court. She’s in charge of our defense. She’s outstanding on serve-receive and she gets her teammates extra swings because she can get to balls other liberos can’t get to. Caroline has worked hard to improve every aspect of her game and she’s developed into one of the top liberos in the state.”
Second Team
Becky Breuer, Waubonsie Valley, outside hitter, junior
Phoebe Havenaar, Naperville Central, middle hitter, junior
Ellie Ivancich, Naperville North, libero, senior
Emily Mankowski, Naperville North, outside hitter, senior
Stephanie Sinnappan, Benet, setter, senior
Kaylyn Torain, Metea Valley, middle hitter, senior
Third Team
Whitney Battoe, Benet, outside hitter, senior
Brenna Dunckel, Neuqua Valley, middle hitter, senior
Samantha Herron, Naperville Central, outside hitter, sophomore
Jessica Mitchell, Neuqua Valley, libero, senior
Ellie Petersen, Matea Valley, setter, senior
Stephanie Tang, Waubonsie Valley, libero, senior
