Roger Merriam's look at some of the best Arrow volleyball players since program started in 1990-91
Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.
First things first, the history of the Watertown High School volleyball program doesn't go back to 1984. The program officially started in the 1990-91 season.
It didn't take long for the Arrows to become relevant, notching a state Class AA runner-up finish in 1994 before taking the next step and winning a state title in 1997. Twenty-two years later (2019), Watertown won its second state championship.
Again, don't get too worried about the order, although you'll notice there's some real studs at the top.
Up next in the "20 Favorites" series is area wrestling.
It's time to get started.
20. Others
All-State players Kristi Fischer (second team, 1991-92), Darla Kriech (honorable mention, 1992-93), Kammi Keszler (second team, 2003-04), Sarah Raml (second team, 2005-06), Kalie Cox (second team, 2006-07) and Jadyn Hofiezer (second team, 2020-21) certainly deserve mention.
Abby Winkels, a 2009 graduate, was a talented all-around athlete who played at least one year of volleyball at the University of South Dakota.
All of them could play, along with a few others I've either forgotten about or overlooked.
More: A look at some of northeastern South Dakota's best girls basketball players since 1984
19. Kim (Bisping) Rohde and Rosemary (Hawkins) Bellum
I need mention Kim (Bisping) Rohde and Rosemary (Hawkins) Bellum. Hawkins played on a state runner-up team in 1994 and Bisping on a state championship team in 1997. They later became head coaches for the program.
Bellum, who guided Watertown to its second state title in 2019, is still at the helm.
18. Chelsea DeVille
DeVille is among a number of players on this list who had success in both basketball and volleyball. She was a Miss Basketball finalist and two-time All-State honoree in basketball who played at Augustana College and just completed her eighth season as the head women's basketball coach at Bemidji (Minn.) State.
The 5-8 middle hitter could also play volleyball, earning All-Eastern South Dakota Conference honors in 2002 and 2003 and second team Class AA All-State honors in 2003-04. She combined for 582 kills, more than 200 blocks and 644 digs in the two years.
More: Roger Merriam's look at some of his favorite Watertown High School girls basketball players
17. Tia Hemiller
As long as we're going to basketball-first standouts, Hemiller was a four-year regular and two-time All-Stater in hoops for the Arrows before enjoying a stellar career at the University of South Dakota. She is the new head girls basketball coach at Rapid City Central.
The 5-8 Hemiller also could play volleyball, earning second team Class AA All-State honors in both 2010 and 2011 when she combined for 620 kills and 896 digs.
Tia's sister Tatum also could play. She was second on the 2014 Arrows' team with 475 digs.
16. Kiersten Thompson
Another former Arrow who is remembered more for her basketball skills, Thompson also displayed her talents on the volleyball court.
Thompson earned first-team Class AA All-State honors as a setter on Watertown's state runner-up team in the winter of 1994.
She was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
More: Some of the top northeastern South Dakota Class A, B boys basketball players since 1984
15. Valynn Van Well
Ok, many of the players on this list also had played basketball (many quite well) and Van Well was another one of those athletes.
The 2017 WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee not only was a two-time All-State honoree in basketball but also was a two-time Class AA All-State first team selection in volleyball.
She obviously was a key player on Watertown's state runner-up team in 1994.
14. Crystal Cotten and Haley Yseth
Cotten and Yseth are just two players who did a number of things well on the court.
Cotten was named to the Class AA All-State second team in 2001-02. Crystal played four sports at WHS and her older sister Stephanie, a 1995 graduate, also played volleyball for the Arrows.
Yseth graduated in 2007. Her father Steve was a talented City League volleyball player who later helped coach Summit High School's volleyball program.
More: Roger Merriam's look at some of best Watertown High School boys basketball players since 1984
13. Maggie Heesch
The 6-foot middle blocker-hitter played on Arrow teams that went a combined 75-13 and made three state tournament appearances from 2018-2020. She was a sophomore in 2018 when the Arrows went 24-6 and took third in the state, a junior in 2019 when the Arrows went 28-2 and won a state title and a senior in 2020 when the Arrows capped a 23-5 season with the consolation championship.
She accumulated more than 600 kills and well over 100 blocks and also earned Class AA All-State first team honors in 2020.
12. Alexx Bayles and Sydney Dale
Good setters have always played a big role on volleyball teams, but I'd imagine it's more of a big deal in today's volleyball with rally scoring and really a faster-paced game. With apologies to Sara Hackett, who had 15 assists in the state championship match in 1997, Bayles gets the nod after handling the setting duties on Watertown's 2019 state championship team.
She set a single-season program record with 869 assists in 2019 and finished her career third in program history with 1,648 assists. She also had 400 assists as a junior on the 2018 team that went 24-6 and placed third in the state.
Dale, a 2016 graduate, was Watertown's all-time leading assists leader when she graduated with 2,188 assists and also set a single-season program record in 2014 with 846 assists.
11. Alanna and Emily Pengilly
The Pengilly sisters played on state tournament teams for the Arrows and even took their game to the next level.
The 5-foot-3 Alanna, a 2011 WHS grad, later became a defensive specialist for South Dakota State University.
The 5-7 Emily, a four-year regular and three-year letter winner before graduating in 2013, later became a setter at Dakota Wesleyan University.
More: A look at some of Roger Merriam's top prep football players in northeastern SD since 1984
10. Kristin Rector
Rector probably doesn't get enough credit for how good of an athlete she was for the Arrows. She competed in the early 1990s with some really, really talented girls (many of this list).
She was Watertown's first two-time Class AA All-State player, earning first-team honors as a junior in 1991-92 and again as a senior in 1992-93.
9. Meghan Heggelund and McKenzie Buisker
Ok, they could have each received their own section but I'm putting them together because they were two more key pieces on Watertown's 2019 state championship team. Actually, they were also key pieces on the 2017 and 2018 Arrow teams. The Arrows were 67-17 in that span.
Heggelund, a 6-0 senior outside hitter, notched a team-leading 281 kills to go with 67 digs and 32 blocks (5-27) to earn first-team Class AA All-State honors in 2019. A four-year regular, her career totals included 586 kills, 177 digs and 102 blocks (12-90).
Buisker, a 6-0 senior middle hitter, recorded 199 kills and 31 blocks (6-25) in 2019 on the way to second team Class AA All-State honors. A three-year varsity performer, she had 527 kills and 171 blocks (36-135) in her career. She later played at Dakota Wesleyan University.
8. Joanne Heiden
Joanne's sisters Renae and Sonia were also talented volleyball players for the Arrows. They were each honored on the "20 Favorites" Watertown girls basketball story and are all getting mention here in the volleyball story.
Joanne gets the nod in volleyball because she earned Class AA All-State honors twice, first team in 1999-2000 and second team in 2000-01.
More: Sports writer Roger Merriam lists some of his favorite Watertown football players since 1984
7. Mariah Gloe
The 5-foot-10 outside hitter and 2019 WHS graduate had a notable high school career for the Arrows and also helped Dakota Wesleyan University's volleyball program reach some new heights.
She was named to the Class AA All-State second team in 2017 and earned all-tourney honors in the 2018 state tournament. Gloe led the 2018 team in kills with 306 and finished her career with 755 kills and 919 digs.
Gloe then helped DWU reached the NAIA national tournament in 2021 and 2022, reaching the national quarterfinals for the first time in 2022.
Mariah's sister Alexa also played for the Arrows, graduating in 2017. A libero, she earned All-ESD honors with 363 digs in the fall of 2016.
More: 20 Favorites: Tuttle, Boecks, Nygaards & Vedveis among northeastern South Dakota's best
6. Macy Denzer
Follow me for a second. The 2016 WHS graduate was a 5-5 outside hitter. Not a libero or a setter, an outside hitter. She led the Arrows in kills each of her last two seasons. That means she could really jump.
Denzer, a two-time Class AA All-State first team selection, had 209 kills and 254 digs as a sophomore, 388 kills and 484 digs as a junior and 269 kills and 345 digs as a senior.
5. The Corey sisters (Tayler, Olivia and Grace)
The Coreys have been a big part of Watertown volleyball for the past few years.
Tayler, a 5-8 libero, graduated in 2019 after recording 945 digs as a junior and senior. She earned Class AA all-tourney honors in 2017 and All-ESD honors in 2018 before playing at Dakota State University. This fall, she will serve as the head coach of Yankton's volleyball program.
Olivia, a 5-8 setter and 2021 graduate, also earned all-tourney honors in 2020 when the Arrows went 23-5 and won the consolation championship at state. She had 696 assists, 338 digs and 87 kills that fall after playing sparingly as a junior in 2019.
Grace, a 5-6 setter who will be a junior at WHS this fall, recorded 279 digs and 529 assists as a sophomore last fall. She's expected to miss this fall season after injuring her knee this summer but hopefully will return for her senior season in 2024.
The Coreys' father Cam is the president of the Elite Alliance Volleyball Club, which provides off-season opportunities for Arrow volleyball players,
4. Jaime and Allison Berry
Jaime Berry led the "20 Favorites' Watertown girls basketball list that was released a few weeks back and could have very well led this list. We're spreading the wealth here and honoring those who continued their volleyball careers in college.
What you need to know is Jaime was a three-time Class AA All-State selection in 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97. She was certainly a key member of Watertown's 1997 state championship and was a talented middle hitter who could play all over the court. She was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Her sister Allison deserves some recognition also to go along with older sister Jaime and brother Ryan, who made the Watertown football and boys basketball "20 Favorites" list. Allison joined Cotten as a second-team Class AA All-State honoree in 2001-02.
2A. Alanna Hetland
Okay, we're going two players to share the No. 2 spot on the list and one of those was 6-1 Hetland, who was an outside hitter as a junior on Watertown's 1997 state champions.
Hetland, who later played outside and middle hitter at North Dakota State University, was named to the Class AA All-State first team in both 1996-97 and 1997-98. She was inducted into the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
Jaime Berry was an incredible player on the championship team, but Hetland really fit the mold of a volleyball player with just her size and athletic ability.
2B. Sophie Tietz
The 5-10 Tietz, a 2020 WHS graduate, was a dominant middle hitter-blocker to spark Watertown's resurgence in the later 2010s that included the 2019 state championship.
A four-year regular, she earned Class AA All-State first team honors as a junior and senior and finished her career as the program's all-time leader in career blocks (340) as well as 659 kills, 106 aces and 271 digs. She had 265 kills, 99 blocks and 131 digs as a senior.
She's spent the past two falls as a regular right-side hitter for Minnesota State Mankato.
1. Marcelina Glab
By now you know it was going to take somebody really good to surpass Jaime Berry, Hetland and Tietz on this list and you could say that Glab fits the mold. No question about that.
The 6-2 middle hitter and 2010 WHS graduate played in three state tournaments for the Arrows, earning Class AA All-State first team honors in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. She also was named the state's Class AA Miss Volleyball in 2009.
More: https://www.thepublicopinion.com/story/sports/2012/11/15/on-the-big-stage/45743699/
What separates Glab from the rest is that she took her volleyball skills to the nation's top NCAA Division I Conference (the Pac-12) and certainly held her own at Washington State University.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Most of the top Watertown High School volleyball players in history
