All-NICL West Volleyball Team: Grundy Center's Kracht named NICL West's Outstanding Player

Grundy Center's Emerson Kracht earned the title of NICL West's Outstanding Player in the All-NICL West Volleyball Teams released last week.

In six division matches this season, Kracht averaged 2.94 kills, 2.39 digs and 3.89 assists per set along with 11 total blocks and 15 ace serves on 86-of-95 serving.

Kracht keeps the Outstanding Player award in the Grundy Center camp for the fourth-consecutive season. Kylie Willis, now playing at Upper Iowa, was a three-time NICL West Outstanding Player.

The Spartans placed three on the All-NICL West first team: Kracht earned her third-career first-team selection; fellow senior Kyah Luhring and junior Abby Hamann join her on the top team.

Luhring had 1.6 kills and 4.4 digs per set in league play and was 82-of-85 serving with six ace serves. She will end her high school career as a four-time all-NICL West pick, with two honorable mentions and two first-team selections.

Hamann earns her first All-NICL West honor. She averaged 3.9 kills and 3.4 digs with 51-of-64 serving and nine ace serves against league opponents.

Other area first-teamers are Gladbrook-Reinbeck's Saari Kuehl and BCLUW's Madison Ubben and Lizzie Garber.

Kuehl makes her third appearance on the All-NICL West team and second time as a first-teamer. She averaged 4.8 kills and 2.8 digs per set, adding eight total blocks and a team-leading 11 aces on 79-of-86 serving.

Ubben averaged 2.8 kills and 3.3 digs for the Comets in league play, adding 18 blocks and 11 aces on 84-of-93 serving. Garber added 71-of-75 serving, nine blocks, and per-set averages of 2.3 kills and 3.4 digs.

Second team selections from the area included Grundy Center's Frannie Brown, Gladbrook-Reinbeck's Ava Wyatt and Megan Cooley, AGWSR's Brynn Smith and BCLUW's Kennedy Williams and Allison Engle.

AGWSR's Taylor Sperfslage, BCLUW's Jade Hammers, Gladbrook-Reinbeck's Brianna Strohbehn and Grundy Center's Leslie Homeister all received honorable mention.

2019 All-NICL West Volleyball

Outstanding Player: Emerson Kracht, Grundy Center

Coach of the Year: John and Suzy Teske, South Hardin.

First team

Second team

Honorable mention (area only)

Leslie Homeister, sr., Grundy Center; Jade Hammers, sr., BCLUW; Brianna Strohbehn, sr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck; Taylor Sperfslage, jr., AGWSR.