LHS volleyball program celebrates 2023 season

The Lovell High School volleyball program wrapped up the 2023 season by holding an awards night at the LHS Multipurpose Room Monday evening.

Coach Stormy Jameson thanked the parents and players in attendance and expressed her appreciation to many, including superintendent Doug Hazen, principal Craig Lundberg and athletic director Nick DeWitt, as well as school secretary April Price. She also thanked the Lovell Chronicle for coverage and all of the parents of team members.

“We travel well,” Jameson said. “Our parents are all over the gym at away games. I appreciate Angie (Hitz) and Jen (Hessenthaler) as assistant coaches, as well as their teams (JV1 and JV2), as well as their families. Coaching takes up a lot of family time.”

Jameson noted the Wyoming High School Activities Association Outstanding Academic Achievement Award the team earned by recording a grade point average of 3.72. She also presented letter certificates to her squad.

“The season didn’t go the way we hoped it would go, especially after our strong start. It was a rollercoaster ride,” Jameson said, and addressing her team added, “I miss you guys. The reason anyone gets into coaching is you have to love the sport and love the girls.”

Individual awards

Jameson presented special awards to each player:

Summer Teter -- Most Versatile Award, saying she could play any position the coach asked her to play;

Krysta McIntosh -- Super Setter Award, noting everything goes through the setter, like a quarterback in football;

Kennadee Owens – Hart Hitter Award, saying Owens could “hit and put it down,” which could change the momentum of a match;

Kenadee Rael – Defensive Player of the Year, saying Rael showed tremendous growth from junior varsity to varsity as the libero;

Libby Mickelson – All-Around Player of the Year, noting the team relied on Mickelson to play every aspect of the game and calling her the stabilizer on the court;

Chaylee Betancourt – Teammate of the Year, saying she is the loudest player in support of her teammates when they did something well;

Raegan May – Offensive Player of the Year, saying she came a long way this year in both the mental and physical parts of the game;

Breeah Jones – Outstanding Blocker Award, saying she was aggressive but also levelheaded at the net;

Celeste Lindsay – Determination Award, saying she was determined to play well and be successful;

Kira Collins – Newcomer of the Year, noting that Collins did a good job as “the other setter” and was never intimidated on the court, although she is a freshman;

Kindle Collins – Hustle Award for being “all over the court all the time”;

Jenna Hessenthaler – Defensive Effort Award for giving all-out effort on defense.

She also named Ashley Mangus and Jaylee Scheeler as Co-Managers of the Year and noted that Mickelson was named to the 3A West All-Conference Team, which she said is hard to receive because only 16 players are selected from eight West teams, with the top teams receiving multiple honorees. 

Jameson honored Teter, McIntosh and Mickelson as team captains, noting that she valued their input and their position as a liaison between the team and the coaching staff.

JV awards

Coach Jennifer Hessenthaler took the stage and praised her 19-3 Junior Varsity 1 team (see related season summary). She presented three individual awards: Offensive Player of the Year, Celeste Lindsay; Co-Defensive Players of the Year, Jenna Hessenthaler and Kindle Collins; Most Improved Player, Lauryn Marchant.

Coach Angie Hitz presented three individual awards for the Junior Varsity 2 team: Most Improved Player, Cece Collins, who Hitz said improved by leaps and bounds from last year to this year; Bleed Blue Award, Haley Sanders, who she said came to practice every day with a great attitude; All-Around Player of the Year, Brooklin Clark, who she said was able to play every position on the court when asked and played for both JV teams.

Jameson addressed the JV2 team, noting, “I appreciate what you did this year. Our goal was to get you as much time on the court as possible. The growth you made will do nothing but benefit you in the future. I appreciate you guys.

“The future of Lovell volleyball is bright.”

Addressing the assembled parents, she concluded, “Thank you for sharing these girls with us. I love ‘em.”

She added that the team conducted themselves in an exemplary fashion both on and off the court.