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EC gets eight on all-district teams
El Campo earned eight honors on the all-district rosters, including two individual awards and two first-team nominations. Leading the Lady Hornets' post-season awards are Kelsey Gangl and Ashley Brooks. Gangl was named as the district's senior of the year. It was the first time the award was given in the district and Diana Matula, head coach of the Lady 'Birds, said she thinks everyone made the right decision with Gangl. "That was a neat award," Matula said. "It's a new award we came up with. One of the coaches said that we should honor one of our seniors. I started talking about Kelsey and what she has meant to the program through four years with her work ethic and her love of volleyball. "I think she's always willing to go the extra mile for anything. She works hard and is always willing to help you out. She played all positions this year. No matter what I asked her, she did it. There were some games where she set. She played back row, hit and did it all."
Brooks was named district newcomer of the year. A junior, Brooks helped the Lady 'Birds all season with a big presence at the net, though it was in district play that she reached her best level. "She started to come on at the end of the year," Matula said. "Some of the coaches in the district were impressed with her jumping ability and her blocking ability. I'm excited about having her back next year. She's a good, hard worker. Just a good kid that works hard." Brooks made a total 34 kills, 16 blocks, 15 digs and served for 62 points against district teams. Senior Ashley Zboril and junior Meredith Bard were El Campo's first team all-district members. Zboril fought through an injury early in the year to lead El Campo in kills at the net. She scored 135 kills in district play and 302 kills on the season.
"I knew what she could do and she was our leader in kills. She had over 300, which is awesome. She hits the ball hard every time she hits it, so I knew she was going to be first team. Also, her back-row play picked up in district. She had a bunch of digs playing in the back row. She has improved in her passing game." Bard proved to be a team leader in her second year on the varsity squad. Though she served for 150 points against district teams, it was her defense that earned the first-team spot. She finished the year with a teamhigh 49 blocks, 100 digs and 136 kills in district play. "She's probably my best defensive player in blocking," Matula said. "Her back-row defense has picked up too. Her hitting is getting better and we've been working on that. She's been working on her vertical."
Michaelsen served as setter for most of district play for El Campo and earned several assists. She also made 15 digs against district teams to help earn the second-team spot. "With digs and setting, I thought she did a real good job," Matula said. "Getting to the ball, digging up on that backrow, and with her serves, she just did a good job. She was my most consistent server." Kaylan Gangl was another consistent server for the Lady 'Birds . She earned 117 points in district competition and also played strong at the net with 59 district kills. She had such a strong season for the Lady 'Birds that Matula said she thought a second team spot was a mistake. Instead, Kaylan Gangl should have made first team, the coach said. "She's another awesome player," Matula said. "She should have been first team in my opinion. If we were higher up in the standings, she probably would have been. Usually the team that wins it has more people."
Matula recognized Korenek for her consistent serves and great clutch play. It was on Korenek's serving that the Lady 'Birds upset Foster on the road in five games. "She's an all-around player," Matula said. "She served well, played back row and when she needed to play front row, she did that. "She had awesome serves in the Foster match. That's one reason we won, because of her serving." She finished district competition with 129 total points and 60 digs. Cooper played Libero most of the season for El Campo and was valuable for a quick substitution. Along with her 55 district digs, Cooper served as a motivational leader for El Campo when she was not on the court. "She did a good job and played well," Matula said. "Most of the time she'd come in and give the back row a good break. She was a leader in keeping everybody's spirits up and going on the bench." Courtney Janak, Lindsey Marik and Shelby Cooper joined Zboril, Bard, Korenek, Alexis Cooper, Kaylan Gang and Kelsey Gangl on the academic all-district team.
"It was still a good year," Matula said. "We were 15-15 and 5-5 in district, but it was still a good season. With a couple more wins, it could have been a great season. That's just the way the ball bounced this year."
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