Alyssa Booten and Alicen Meysing make first and second team
Staff writer
The thought of becoming Class 1A Division I Kansas Volleyball Association All-State Player of the Year probably didn’t even surface in the mind of Goessel High School junior and outside hitter Page Hiebert during volleyball season.
Page was a selfless player.
When she found out that she received the Kansas Volleyball Association award, her reaction was that of disbelief
“At first I just didn’t believe it,” Page said Monday. “It wasn’t something I was even hoping for — it just happened.”
Coach Crysta Guhr said awards are not something Page expects or gives much attention, but said she was extremely glad that Page won the award because she deserved it.
“Page was our go-to player when we needed to score, but she probably celebrated more enthusiastically when others put the ball down,” Guhr said. “That’s just the type of kid she is. She puts the team ahead of herself all the time.”
Although Page said it was nice to know players don’t always have to be on a championship team to receive such an individual recognition, Guhr was certain Page would relinquish all individual honors if it meant a state title.
Ever the team player, Page singled out teammate Alyssa Booten, a junior awarded first team honors, for her efforts as a setter, and as her biggest help in receiving the achievement.
“Alyssa and I worked together really well,” Page said. “She was just so consistent on her feet — able to get under the ball and set it up right where I needed to spike it and make kills.”
This season, Page had 455 kills, which meant she tallied a kill 50 percent of the time she spiked the ball. She also led the team in blocks with 27 and had a “pretty phenomenal” serve reception ratio, according to Guhr.
Along with the rest of the team, Page, Alyssa, and junior Alicen Meysing — who made second team honors as a middle blocker with a 50 percent kill ratio — put in countless hours of practice, weight training, and other conditioning.
Page served as a vocal leader on and off the court. Guhr said Page had over 90 percent attendance in the weight room in the off-season and encouraged others to do so.
With one more year of high school play still to come, Page is determined to help the Bluebirds win state next year. Something Guhr said at the sports banquet deeply resonated within her while she spoke about the team’s 43-1 season.
“Coach said, ‘That loss is going to burn in our players all year long,’” she recalled.
For Page, the loss was an intense source of motivation.
“She not only wants to be the best, but she aspires to make everyone else better,” Guhr said. “She is a great player who is never satisfied with her level of play. She always wants to get better.”