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Presenting the 2023 Cloquet Pine Journal All-Area Volleyball Team

the pine journal, cloquet, minn.
·5 min read

Dec. 8—CLOQUET — The 2023 Cloquet Pine Journal All-Area Volleyball Team features a senior-laden group with droves of varsity experience that includes seven players from three area schools.

Cloquet senior outside hitter Ava Carlson headlines the group as the 2023 Player of the Year, while senior teammates Quinn Danielson and Carly Johnson are the other two Lumberjacks who earned All-Area honors this season. Both Carlson and Danielson also earned All-Area honors last fall.

Esko features three All-Area players including seniors Kyra Johnson, Kallie Sinnott and Chiara Houser. Johnson, who was selected as her conference MVP this season, also earned All-Area honors last year. Cromwell-Wright also features one selection this year: junior setter Siiena Anderson.

Ava Carlson

Cloquet

Senior OH

* Served as Cloquet's dominant offensive force this season, which included tallying 380 kills, a team-high figure. Carlson also recorded 32 ace serves, 220 digs and led Cloquet to a 25-3 overall record, its best single-season mark in program history. Carlson is a five-year letterwinner and recorded 1,237 kills, 840 digs and 157 ace serves in 125 career matches.

* Earned Class AAA All-State honors in three consecutive years (2021-23); Finalist for the Ms. Baden Award in 2023, which annually goes to the best high school senior volleyball player in Minnesota; First-Team All-Conference selection in the Lake Superior Conference in 2022 and 2023, earned Second-Team honors in 2021; five-year letterwinner at Cloquet; Academic All-State selection; Cloquet Pine Journal All-Area Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

* "She's just a great player, great person and great teammate," Cloquet head coach Heidi Anderson said. "She can hit from anywhere, has a solid all-around game and the team awards that come along with that — winning the conference, putting up 20-win seasons multiple years in a row, getting to the section final three years in a row, those are a reflection of her leadership."

Kyra Johnson

Esko

Senior OH

* Johnson was Esko's dominant two-way force this season, tallying 288 kills, 3.65 per set, and 232 digs, both of which were team-high figures. She also had 44 blocks and 36 ace serves.

* Led Esko to a 21-5 overall record this season, including a berth in the Section 7AA championship game against Rush City. Earned First-Team All-Conference honors in the Polar League Conference Big School Division and was selected as MVP of the conference.

* "She was the leader of the Esko team," Esko head coach Pete Stasiuk said. "She was our big gun and all the way around, she did everything for us. She set the example and she was a senior leader for a reason."

Quinn Danielson

Cloquet

Senior DS/L

* Anchored Cloquet's defensive front throughout the year, tallying a team-high 351 digs. Danielson also finished with 35 ace serves and was instrumental in Cloquet's 25 wins this season, the most in program history.

* Was a First-Team All-Conference selection in the Lake Superior Conference; earned Academic All-State honors; played in the Kern Kompany Border Battle All-Star Match; three-year letterwinner at Cloquet recorded 929 digs and 99 ace serves in 86 matches played.

* "Quinn delivered a consistent first contact on offense, and her reading and anticipation skills on defense were key to our conference championship and school record 25-3 season," Anderson said. "She had a tough serve that took the other team out of system often."

Chiara Houser

Esko

Junior MH

* One of two juniors on this list, Houser shined as a versatile player who was a commanding presence at the net for Esko this year. Houser finished the season with 120 kills and 67 blocks.

* Earned First-Team All-Conference honors in the Polar League Conference Big School Division.

* "Chiara Houser is a tall, athletic junior that puts up a big block and can really take over the game," Stasiuk said.

Siiena Anderson

Cromwell-Wright

Junior S

* The Cardinals' junior setter wasn't just a strong passer, she was also an effective player at the net, tallying 78 kills and 18 blocks this season. Anderson served at a 92% clip and recorded 136 digs as a passer, while dishing out 153 set assists.

* Earned first-Team All-Conference honors in the Polar League Conference Small School Division this season.

Carly Johnson

Cloquet

Senior S/RH

* Orchestrated Cloquet's offense as a veteran setter who led the Lumberjacks with 390 set assists this year. Johnson recorded 242 digs, the second-most among all players, along with 146 kills and 31 aces.

* Was a Second-Team All-Conference selection in the Lake Superior Conference; earned Academic All-State honors; selected for and competed in the Big Dog All-Star Match; a four-year letterwinner, recorded 1,103 set assists, 724 digs and 341 kills in 98 career matches.

* "Carly is a talented three-sport athlete with solid all-around volleyball skills," Anderson said. "A three-year starter, she was quick to the ball as a setter and had a fast arm in the front row as a hitter. Her versatility was instrumental to our success the past few seasons."

Kallie Sinnott

Esko

Senior MH

* Sinnott was the latter half of Esko's offensively dominant one-two punch this season. The senior middle hitter recorded 103 kills and had 23 ace serves. She also proved to be a force defensively, tallying 67 blocks in 26 games played this year.

* Earned First-Team All-Conference honors in the Polar League Conference Big School Division this season.