Commonwealth Journal All-County Volleyball Team

For the second straight season, Southwestern’s Erin Cottrell is the Commonwealth Journal’s All-County Volleyball Player of the Year.

After an impressive junior season, the Lady Warrior junior tops the list on our 2011 edition of the Commonwealth Journal All-County Volleyball team for the second consecutive season. Also, it is Cottrell’s third overall selection to the team.

Cottrell led Southwestern in three categories this past season, as she had 76 aces, 328 kills, 266 digs, and a kill percentage of 60.3 percent. According to MaxPreps, the junior finished third in the entire state in hitting percentage and 14th in kills.

The Lady Warrior junior was named to the All-Tournament teams in the 48th District and 12th Region Tournaments, while also being named the 12th Region Player of the Year.

“Erin Cottrell is our coach on the floor,” said second-year Southwestern coach Skip Cottrell, who also is Erin’s father. “Her determination is usually unrivaled by any of our opponents. When the game is close and other players are getting nervous, Erin usually switches gears and wants every ball.”

Joining Cottrell on the team are Lady Warrior teammates, Kelsie Adams, Kari Popplewell, and Ashley Montgomery.

Adams had a team-high 267 digs, while also coming up with 75 aces, 232 kills, and 27 assists. Adams, a junior, also was a member of the 12th Region All-Tournament team. The Southwestern junior finished ninth in the state of Kentucky in hitting percentage.

Adams makes our team for the second year in a row.

“Kelsie Adams stays near the top of almost all categories on our team,” told the Lady Warrior volleyball coach. “She’s one of the hardest workers on our team, and possibly the most consistent player that I’ve ever coached. Kelsie never seems to get frustrated on the court and is a go-to player for us in tight situations.”

Fellow junior Popplewell qualifies for the All-County team for the second consecutive year.

Popplewell, the Lady Warriors’ setter, came up with a team-high 880 assists. In fact, Popplewell was second in Kentucky in assists, according to MaxPreps. The junior also had 48 aces, 51 kills, and 63 digs, while also making the 12th Region All-Tournament team.

“Kari Popplewell has worked extremely hard throughout the season to improve her game,” Cottrell stated. “In our system, the setter is involved in setting, blocking, digging, and attacking. Kari is a vital part to our team and it’s success.”

Montgomery, who was Southwestern’s one and only senior this past season, is the fourth Lady Warrior tabbed on the All-County team.

The lone Southwestern senior finished our her prep volleyball career with 51 kills on the 2011 season. Montgomery was also a member of the 12th Region All-Tournament team.

“Ashley Montgomery is simply a pleasure to have on a volleyball team,” said Cottrell. “Ashley’s attitude from day one through the end of the season was consistently good. Her ability to see the court and find holes meant our opponents had to respect her and defend her, leaving our outside hitters with one-on-one match-ups.”

These four ladies played a vital role in Southwestern’s stellar season, a year that saw the Lady Warriors finish with a region-best record of 32-9. Cottrell and company also won the 12th Region Tournament and the 48th District Tournament. The ‘Blue and Orange’ also made it the KHSAA State Volleyball Tournament for the fourth season in a row.

Four Pulaski County Lady Maroons qualified for the 2011 edition of the All-County team - Samantha Randolph, Mariah Meeks, Sarah Correll, and Kaitlyn Boyd. These four young ladies played a vital part in the Lady Maroons’ 29-9 season, while playing a role in Pulaski’s 12th Region runner-up banner.

Randolph, a sophomore, had a team-high 195 kills for the Lady Maroons, while sporting an average of 5.1 kills per match. The sophomore was second on the team in assists with 178 assists with an average of 4.68 per contest.

Randolph was also named to both All-Tournament teams in the 48th District and the 12th Region Tournaments. This is Randolph’s second selection to the All-County squad.

“Samantha Randolph really stepped up her game for us this season,” began veteran Lady Maroon head coach Teresa Combs. “Sam embraced the challenge of setting this season in our 6-2 offense and really came along as a setter. She worked on diversifying her offense and we are really excited to watch her progress over the next two years.”

Senior Mariah Meeks was a force at the net for the Lady Maroons all-year long. As a senior, Meeks paced Pulaski with a club-high 57 blocks, while finishing third on the team with 170 kills. 

Meeks joins our team for the second year in a row. The Pulaski senior was tabbed a member of both All-Tournament squads at the 48th District and 12th Region Tournaments.

“Mariah Meeks came into this season with a renewed work ethic,” praised Combs. “She worked hard to develop a well rounded game in order to help our team achieve our pre-season goals. She led us in blocks and set goals early on in the season to be a fierce net competitor and she has altered our opponents offensive attacks with her blocking abilities.”

For the second consecutive season, junior Sarah Correll makes the All-County team.

Correll finished second in the block category for the Lady Maroons, as the junior tallied 28 blocks for Pulaski this past season. Correll finished second on the squad with 172 kills on the year.

The Lady Maroon junior was also named to the 12th Region All-Tournament team.

“Sarah Correll has the best hitting percentage on the team,” told the Pulaski volleyball coach. “She gained a lot of confidence in her play this season and challengers herself daily to improve. She does so many things that go unnoticed sometimes. She has developed a passion for volleyball and continues to push herself and her teammates to improve daily with her work ethic.”

Senior Kaitlyn Boyd is a new member of the All-County, as this is her first selection.

Boyd finished the 2011 season with 88 aces for an average of 2.31 aces per match. The Lady Maroon was also a member of the 12th Region All-Tournament team.

“Kaitlyn Boyd has been a serving force for our team for the past four years,” Combs said. “She is a strong strategic server, who had 88 aces for us this year. She was a terrific defensive player with consistent passing  that improved a lot over this past season. She challenges her teammates to give all they have and her senior leadership will be difficult to replace next season.”

Senior Caitlyn Mounce makes the team from the Somerset Lady Briar Jumpers, who finished the year with a record of 9-20.

Mounce, who earns her second straight All-County award, was the Lady Jumpers’ go-to player all-season long for coach Kelly Venters and the Lady Jumpers. After every game, you would see Mounce’s name at the top of the list in each statistical category.

Congratulations to all nine players from Southwestern, Pulaski County, and Somerset who were selected to the 2011 edition of the Commonwealth Journal All-County Volleyball team.