2023 All-Area volleyball: Meet the first team

Dec. 17—First-teamers on our 46th All-Area Volleyball team

Avery Allen

Why she made the first team ... The Boise State beach volleyball commit is now a back-to-back News-Gazette Player of the Year after nearly replicating her numbers from a year ago with 353 kills, 221 digs, 52 aces and 24 blocks. Allen is now the Bulldogs' all-time leader in kills and aces and sixth in digs. She made four All-Tournament teams to lead M-S to a 32-5 season. Allen also earned First Team All-Apollo Conference honors and was named to the IVCA All-State First Team.

She needs tickets to see ... a Steve Lacy concert.

Before she competes, she eats ... a Turkey Tom sandwich from Jimmy John's.

Her dream career is ... a veterinarian.

Her favorite school subject is ... English.

Her favorite athlete is ... Kerri Walsh Jennings.

Her favorite movie is ... "Nacho Libre."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... my dad, mom and sister when they were my age.

Three things on her bucket list are ... skydiving, going skiing and traveling to Greece.

Bridget Cassady

Champaign Central junior

Why she made the first team ... A record-breaking season saw Cassady earn First Team All-State and First Team All-Big 12 Conference honors, as she led the Maroons to a 23-14 record and a Class 3A regional championship appearance. Cassady racked up 278 kills, 362 digs and Central-records 88 aces and 230 service points.

She needs tickets to see ... a Drake concert.

Before she competes, she eats ... Jimmy John's.

Her dream career is ... a criminal investigator or psychologist.

Her favorite school subject is ... English.

Her favorite athlete is ... Simone Biles.

Her favorite movie is ... "Knives Out."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Robert Downey, Jr., Jennifer Lawrence and Kobe Bryant.

Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling to Greece, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and meeting Michael B. Jordan.

Kerigan Fehr

Prairie Central senior

Why she made the first team ... Fehr did a little bit of everything this season to put her name at the top of various Hawk leaderboards. Her 323 kills were the most for a Prairie Central player ever in a season, and she added 304 digs, 51 aces and 141 service points to become the program's all-time leader in all four categories. Fehr made the All-Illini Prairie Conference First Team and has signed to play Division I volleyball at Southern Indiana next year.

She needs tickets to see ... a Drake concert.

Before she competes, she drinks ... an Alani or Celsius energy drink.

Her dream career is ... a professional volleyball player.

Her favorite school subject is ... English.

Her favorite athlete is ... Jalen Hurts.

Her favorite TV show is ... "Breaking Bad."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Drew Fehr, Michael B. Jordan and Kim Kardashian.

Three things on her bucket list are ... going to Hawaii, snorkeling and getting a Chevy Camaro.

Julia Johnson

St. Thomas More senior

Why she made the first team ... Johnson led by example as the Sabers' only senior, taking them one step shy of the state finals. With injuries affecting the lineup, she played a hitter-setter hybrid role, tallying 276 kills, 187 assists, 219 digs, 38 aces and 32 blocks. The High Point signee was an All-Illini Prairie Conference First Team selection and an honorable mention on the 1A-4A IVCA All-State team.

She needs tickets to see ... an NCAA volleyball national championship match.

Before she competes, she eats ... fruit snacks and drinks a Celsius energy drink.

Her dream career is ... a college volleyball coach.

Her favorite school subject is ... Spanish 4.

Her favorite athlete is ... Jill Gillen.

Her favorite TV show is ... "The Office."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Jordyn Poulter, Michael Jordan and Victoria Garrick.

Three things on her bucket list are ... playing in the NCAA volleyball tournament, traveling to Europe and seeing a lantern festival.

Addison Lucht

Cissna Park sophomore

Why she made the first team ... Lucht's breakout season was a big reason why the Timberwolves had one of the most successful years in program history, finishing fourth at state in Class 1A. Lucht set a new Cissna Park single-season kills record with 395, adding 194 digs, 36 aces and 22 blocks. She was an All-Iroquois County selection, made the All-Vermilion Valley Conference First Team and earned IVCA First Team All-State honors.

She needs tickets to see ... the NCAA Final Four.

Before she competes, she eats ... fruit.

Her dream career is ... coaching a college sport.

Her favorite school subject is ... Spanish.

Her favorite athlete is ... Michael Jordan.

Her favorite movie is ... "Remember the Titans."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and my Papa Dave.

Three things on her bucket list are ... visiting Hawaii, completing a marathon and attending a Women's College World Series game.

Ella McFarland

Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin senior

Why she made the first team ... McFarland had one of the best volleyball seasons anyone in a Blue Devil uniform has ever recorded. The UT Martin commit broke the BHRA records for kills in a match with 24 and kills in a season with 362, also the most in the Vermilion Valley Conference this season. She's now the team's third-all-time leader in kills. McFarland added 295 assists, 197 digs, 59 blocks and 40 aces to land fourth all time for BHRA in assists and aces. She was a unanimous All-Vermilion County selection and a First Team VVC pick.

She needs tickets to see ... a Zach Bryan concert.

Before she competes, she drinks ... an Alani Nu energy drink.

Her dream career is ... an occupational therapist.

Her favorite school subject is ... science/anatomy.

Her favorite athlete is ... Emily Franklin.

Her favorite TV show is ... "Vampire Diaries."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... her grandma, Matt Rife and Khloe Kardashian.

Three things on her bucket list are ... visiting as many national parks as she can, traveling to Greece and attending a Zach Bryan concert.

Shannon Monahan

St. Thomas More junior

Why she made the first team ... Monahan tallied more kills than anyone in the area with an even 400. She was just as effective defensively with 281 digs, and she added 46 aces and 41 blocks. The Lindenwood commit made the IVCA 2A All-State Second Team, was a First team All-Illini Prairie Conference selection and made four different all-tournament Teams for the Sabers throughout the season.

She needs tickets to see ... a Morgan Wallen concert.

Before she competes, she drinks ... a charged lemonade from Panera Bread.

Her dream career is ... a food taste tester.

Her favorite school subject is ... psychology.

Her favorite athlete is ... Sarah Franklin.

Her favorite movie is ... "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Helen Keller, SZA and Ryan Gosling.

Three things on her bucket list are ... going to Hawaii, seeing Taylor Swift in concert and attending the NCAA volleyball championship.

Ava Morrical

Cissna Park senior

Why she made the first team ... In her first and only season of varsity high school volleyball, Morrical set Cissna Park single-season records for assists with 1,017, multiple hundred ahead of anyone else in the area, and aces with 86. She helped Cissna Park to a 37-5 record and a state finals appearance, earning IVCA All-State First Team, Vermilion Valley Conference First Team and All-Iroquois County honors along the way.

She needs tickets to see ... a Tate McRae concert.

Before she competes, she drinks ... applesauce or any kind of fruit. Afterwards, it's cheesy fries.

Her dream career is ... anything that will keep me happy and interested.

Her favorite school subject is ... sociology.

Her favorite athlete is ... my siblings, Emma, Gabe and Jed.

Her favorite movie is ... "Bridgerton."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... all my grandparents, especially my Grandpa Jones and Grandma Patricia, who I never met.

Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling the world, graduating college and rescuing animals.

Addie Roesch

St. Joseph-Ogden senior

Why she made the first team ... Roesch was one of the more all-around players in the area, leading the Spartans in kills (285), digs (215) and aces (64). She was a unanimous All-Illini Prairie Conference selection and the Mattoon Tournament MVP. Roesch is a four-year varsity player for SJ-O and has contributed heavily to the team's success for the last three years.

She needs tickets to see ... a Zach Bryan concert.

Before she competes, she eats ... a GoGo SqueeZ and granola and chews gum.

Her dream career is ... a professional chef.

Her favorite school subject is ... math.

Her favorite athlete is ... Raina Terry.

Her favorite TV show is ... "Grey's Anatomy."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Taylor Swift, Adam Sandler and Post Malone.

Three things on her bucket list are ... winning an NCAA women's volleyball national championship, getting married and traveling to Fiji.

Lainey Wichtowski

Westville sophomore

Why she made the first team ... Wichtowski's 706 assists trailed only Ava Morrical among area setters. She also ranked seventh in the Vermilion Valley Conference in digs (240) and aces (51). Wichtowski added 66 kills to her stat totals, earning All-Vermilion County honors and a spot on the All-Westville Tiger Slam Tournament Team.

She needs tickets to see ... a Zach Bryan concert.

Before she competes, she eats ... macaroni and cheese and drinks Sprite.

Her dream career is ... a therapist or psychologist.

Her favorite school subject is ...English.

Her favorite athlete is ... her big brother, Drew Wichtowski.

Her favorite TV show is ... "All American."

If she could have dinner with any three people from any time period, she would pick ... Adam Sandler, Zach Bryan and my future self.

Three things on her bucket list are ... skydiving, owning my own counseling center and traveling the world.