Willis repeats as NICL West volleyball's top player

Grundy Center junior Kylie Willis was once again named the NICL West's Outstanding Player in the All-Conference volleyball teams released on Nov. 1.
Willis also won the award in 2016. In conference matches this season, she averaged 2.44 kills with a .365 kill efficiency and 2.22 digs per set with a conference-leading 20 total blocks and 11 ace serves.
Lori Willis, head coach of the Spartans, was named Coach of the Year as Grundy Center won a ninth-consecutive conference title and increased its win streak in conference play to 59 straight matches.
Joining Willis on the first team were Spartans Landry Luhring and Emerson Kracht, Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior Paige Eiffler and BCLUW junior Easton Swanson.
Luhring averaged 2.28 kills per set, led the conference with 20 ace serves and contributed 2.94 digs per set against NICL West opponents.
Kracht, one of the Spartans' two setters, also had seven total blocks with 2.28 kills per set and 17 total aces in NICL West play.
Eiffler had 2.20 kills per set, 30 digs and had eight ace serves on 54-of-58 serving for the Rebels.
Swanson was the conference's top attacker with 124 kills in 24 sets against NICL West competition, chipping in six aces, 12 total blocks and 2.92 digs per set.
Second-team area selections included Grundy Center juniors Brooke Flater and Sydney Mathews, AGWSR senior Mandy Willems, BCLUW senior Kaylee Goecke and Gladbrook-Reinbeck freshman Saari Kuehl, the only freshman to be named to the team.
Grundy Center's Kyah Luhring, G-R's Maddie Frischmeyer, BCLUW's Lauren Anderson and AGWSR's Taryan Barrick all received honorable mention.
2017 All-NICL West Volleyball
Outstanding Player
Kylie Willis, Grundy Center
Coach of the Year
Lori Willis, Grundy Center
First team

Kylie Willis, jr.

MH

Grundy Center

Landry Luhring, sr.

OH

Grundy Center

Emerson Kracht, so.

OH/S

Grundy Center

Alexa Keigan, sr.

OH

West Marshall

Catherine Sjoblom, jr.

OH

West Marshall

Paige Eiffler, sr.

OH

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Easton Swanson, jr.

OH

BCLUW

Brittany Anderson, sr.

L

East Marshall

Second team

Brooke Flater, jr.

MH

Grundy Center

Sydney Mathews, jr.

S

Grundy Center

Emma deNeui, sr.

L

West Marshall

Grace Porter, sr.

S

West Marshall

Saari Kuehl, fr.

OH

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Kaylee Goecke, sr.

L

BCLUW

Mandy Willems, sr.

S

AGWSR

Juliana Arifi, jr.

OH

East Marshall

Honorable mention
(Area teams only)
Kyah Luhring, so., Grundy Center; Maddie Frischmeyer, sr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck; Lauren Anderson, sr., BCLUW; Taryan Barrick, jr., AGWSR.