ATHENS' FIELD, HANSON EARN TOP LEAGUE HONORS; THREE LADY WILDCATS NAMED TO ALL-STAR TEAMS
By: Tim Birney / November 16, 2020 / Photo: David Alliger
Athens senior Taylor Field and head coach Heather Hanson
received top postseason honors, and three Lady Wildcats — seniors Leah
Liechty, Kayleigh Miller, and Kylie Jayne — earned all-star accolades
recently in voting by the NTL volleyball coaches.
Field was voted “Defensive Co-MVP,” while Hanson was named “Co-Coach of the Year.”
North
Penn-Liberty standout Charisma Grega was named the NTL Most Valuable
Player, while Cowanesque Valley’s Makayla Vargeson was voted the
league’s “Offensive MVP,” and Canton’s Annie Gaiotti was named the
league’s “Utility Player.”
Field shared the defensive honor with
NP-L’s Ali Koval, and Hanson shared the top coaching honor with
Canton’s Sheila Wesneski, who directed the Lady Warriors to their fourth
straight District 4 title, and the state quarterfinals.
Field
led the Lady Wildcats with 427 digs, including the 1,000th of her
career, and 346 serve-receives. She also had 111 service points,
including 27 service aces, to go along with three kills and three setter
assists.
Hanson led Athens to its third consecutive postseason
appearance in her third year with the program, taking the Lady Wildcats
to the finals of the District 2-4 Sub-Regionals. Hanson has 31 wins in
three years.
FIRST TEAM
Leah Liechty, senior, Athens:
A powerful middle hitter, Liechty led the Lady Wildcats with 203 kills
and 38 blocks, including 29 solo blocks. She also had 74 service
points,including 17 aces, 44 setter assists, and 37 digs.
Kayleigh Miller, senior, Athens:
A sure-handed and smooth setter, Miller dished out 421 setter assists
to top 1,000 for her career. She also had 150 service points, including
28 aces, 137 digs, and four blocks
Also named to the first team
were Wellsboro’s Breighanna Kemp and Bailey Monks, Towanda’s Paige
Manchester, and NP-L’s Julia Nawri.
SECOND TEAM
Kylie Jayne, senior, Athens:
One of the most improved front-row players in the league, Jayne
registered 197 kills, and 27 blocks. She also had 18 points, including
eight aces, and 12 digs.
Also named to the second team were
Wellsboro’s Shiloh Duff and Katherine Burnett, Towanda’s DeLanie Pepper,
and NP-L’s Darby Stetler and Lizzie Kahl.
About the Author
Tim Birney
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
