Introducing the 2022 Wichita Eagle high school volleyball All-Metro team

The Wichita Eagle announced its 19th annual All-Metro volleyball team on Monday, recognizing some of the best high school volleyball players in the state of Kansas from the 2022 season.

The All-Metro team features the top players and the top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback. Andale senior McKenzie Fairchild was named the Player of the Year for the second straight season after helping Andale reach the Class 4A state championship match for the fourth straight year.

Here is the full look at the 2022 Wichita Eagle All-Metro volleyball team:

Payton Benoit, Wichita Northwest senior

The heart and soul of the back row for the City League champions, Benoit once again led the Grizzlies in digs (287) and digs per set (3.5). The senior libero, who has signed to play Div. I volleyball at Kansas City, finished an illustrious career as a three-time first team all-City League choice and helped Northwest to a 42-2 record this season with a trip to state and the City League title for the second straight year.

Northwest coach Emily Hiebert: “Payton is absolutely fearless back there for us. She makes some crazy athletic plays and she’s so good at reading where the hitters are going to go. She seems to always be able to put herself in a great position to make the play.”

Brailee Bogle, Wichita Northwest senior

Transitioning to the team’s full-time setter, the 6-foot senior thrived in the role change and had a superb all-around season in her final year. Bogle finished with 680 assists (8.2 per set) and remained a threat in the offense with 145 kills on a .324 hitting percentage, while adding a team-high 75 aces, 55 blocks and 255 digs. She was the best all-around player on a Northwest team that finished with a 42-2 record and reached the Class 6A state tournament and won the City League title for the second straight season.

Northwest coach Emily Hiebert: “Brailee’s volleyball IQ is just so high and she is watching film constantly. We needed her to set all the way around for us and she was still able to score in the front row by dumping and finding the open spots, which really made her stand out even more.”

Jacqueline Corcoran, Circle junior

The breakout star from last season followed with an even better campaign as a junior, helping lead Circle to 38 wins and a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament. The 5-foot-9 junior outside hitter was once again superb hitting with 442 kills (4.6 per set) on a .306 hitting percentage, but was just as good in the back row with 335 digs (3.5 per set) to finish second on the team. Corcoran, who is on pace to set Circle’s program record for most kills in a career, is now a two-time All-Metro pick, two-time all-state pick in Class 4A and two-time MVP of the AV-CTL Div. III after repeating those honors this season.

Circle coach Shelly Nibarger: “Jacqueline has a work ethic that really is second to none. She spends so much extra time in the gym, just working on specific shots. She’s very critical of her own game and that’s why she’s always improving. She was a fantastic six-rotation player for us and she’s being looked at in the college level as a hitter, but also as a defensive specialist because she’s that good on the back row. I think that part of her game goes unnoticed a lot of the time, but she’s a great all-around player.”

McKenzie Fairchild, Andale senior

It’s hardly a coincidence that Andale reached the state championship match all four years in the career of Fairchild. She helped Andale claim the 2021 title and then propelled the team to an undefeated record entering the state tournament this season. Fairchild, a 5-foot-10 senior who played all three hitting positions, was a true rarity with her brute power (389 kills, 4.4 per set, .305 hitting percentage) and her ability to play on the back row (277 digs, 3.1 per set). If not for a scholarship to throw the javelin at Texas A&M, Fairchild was a likely college volleyball prospect who finished her career as a two-time All-Metro MVP, two-time MVP of the AV-CTL Div. IV and two-time Player of the Year in Class 4A.

Andale coach Kaylee Bergkamp: “One of McKenzie’s biggest attributes this year was her leadership during tough moments. She was never afraid to take the big swings in the big moments. She’s obviously a very talented kid and works very hard, but her leadership was a difference-maker for us this year. She hit all three positions for us and most kids can’t do that, and then she was a top-three passer in our gym.”

Campbell Hague, Cheney senior

Hague was the leader of the first senior class to lead Cheney to four straight state tournaments, as the Cardinals finished with a 38-6 record and third-place finish in Class 3A this season. The 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter was a big reason why, as she finished with a team-high 338 kills (3.6 per set) on a .270 hitting percentage and a team-best 73 blocks and 42 aces. Hague, who has signed to play Div. I volleyball at San Diego State, was a first team all-state selection in Class 3A and a first team all-league pick in the Central Plains League.

Cheney coach Sara Walkup: “Campbell is a kid who had to grow into her body. It took some time, but this was the year where everything really clicked and she became one of those players that every team has to focus on to try to stop. She moved around between the middle and the outside for us and that flexibility was really key for us. She’s tall and contacts the ball very high, and she’s smart and understands where the defense is going to be.”

Gracie Morrow, Maize South junior

A standout outside hitter since her freshman season, Morrow was at her best during her junior year to help lead Maize South to a 31-8 record and trip to the Class 5A state tournament. The 6-foot junior led the Mavericks in kills (326, 3.9 per set), hitting percentage (.290) and digs (233), a testament to her all-around skills. Morrow was selected as a first team all-league player in AV-CTL Div. I and second team all-state in Class 5A.

Maize South coach Alexis Head: “Gracie is just a really dynamic player. Her ability to pass the ball is what makes her so fantastic. She does a lot of good things for us leadership-wise, being a vocal leader and also leading by example. She was always willing to get on the floor and it was so impressive she led us in kills and in digs this year. Plus she was everybody’s biggest cheerleader. She’s a team-first kid and she’s going to be a great pick-up for somebody at the next level.”

Allie Paulsen, Andover Central senior

Not many middles were as important or well-rounded as Paulsen, who helped Andover Central win 34 games and return to the Class 5A state tournament. The 6-foot-2 senior finished with 285 kills (2.9 per set) on a .207 hitting percentage, while finishing with 74 blocks, 239 digs and 47 aces. The Wichita State volleyball commit was named the MVP of the AV-CTL Div. II this season and also earned second team all-state honors in Class 5A.

Andover Central coach Kayla Weidert: “Allie understood that in order to be great at the game, you have to be involved in all aspects. She works on her game all the time and watches so much game film. She knows opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and was like a second scouting report for us. She knows how to expose weaknesses in blocking, and I think what makes her unique is being a six-rotation middle and being one of our best passers and servers. That’s kind of a rare gem to see a middle to be able to serve that well and play in the back row and dig and pass and do all of those things. She belongs at the next level and I’m excited to see her do great things at Wichita State.”

Maddie Schrandt, Andale senior

It’s easy to be overlooked as a hitter on the same team as two-time Class 4A Player of the Year McKenzie Fairchild, but Schrandt carved out her own reputation as one of the state’s best this season. The 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter led Andale with a .327 hitting percentage and finished with 310 kills (3.5 per set) and was superb all the way around (42 aces, 30 blocks, 271 digs). Schrandt, who has signed with Missouri State to play beach volleyball, was a three-time first team selection in AV-CTL Div. IV and a two-time first team all-state pick in Class 4A.

Andale coach Kaylee Bergkamp: “Maddie is one of the most underrated players across the entire state of Kansas. Her ability to hit a wide variety of shots and see the court is probably the best I’ve ever seen anybody play offensively. Opponents will make adjustments to their side, but that was never an issue for Maddie. She hit over .700 in sub-state, you just don’t see that from an outside very often. And then she was a great server for us and could serve in any zone I gave her and had some of the best ball control you will see. When she came in as a freshman, she was a skinny little thing, but she developed into a six-rotation player for us as a sophomore and really became a tremendous player for us.”

Camdyn Stucky, Maize South junior

There was no doubt who the top setter in the area was this season, as Stucky excelled in her first season at Maize South. The 6-foot-2 junior verbally committed to Tennessee registered 790 assists (9.4 per set) to help lead the Mavericks to 31 wins and a Class 5A state tournament appearance. Stucky, a second team all-state pick, was third on the team in kills (123) and also added 49 aces, 41 blocks and 165 digs.

Maize South coach Alexis Head: “She dishes the ball really well, but she was also third on our team in kills and attempts because she was so dynamic on her second contact when she’s in the front row. Her ability to see the floor and read the blockers and tell her team what’s going on and be that floor general for us is what makes Camdyn so special. There’s a lot of big kids out there, but she’s a kid who knows how to use her body and her brain on the court. She’s super smart and she thinks the game before she plays it.”

Shelly Nibarger, Circle coach

The long-time Circle coach won her 900th career game this season, as she helped lead the Thunderbirds to a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament. Nibarger has guided Circle to a third-place finish at state (1993, 2002, 2019, 2022) in four different decades, while the team’s 38-5 record this season was the second-most wins in a season in program history. Circle also wrapped up its second straight AV-CTL Div. III league championship in undefeated fashion this season, while all five losses came to state qualifiers (four to teams that reached state finals), and Circle handed 2A champion Hillsboro its lone loss this season. Circle was led this season by Jacqueline Corcoran, Reagan Smith, Lyric Edgerle, Mia Fox, Hailee Schropp, Addison Haskins, Sydney Johnson and Katelyn Paul.

Circle coach Shelly Nibarger: “I’ve had great administrative support and loads of talent at Circle over the years. It’s just been a great place to be. This season I would have to give a lot of credit to our seniors, Lyric, Hailee, Addison and Sydney. They had the most firm, high expectations of a team that I have ever had. They put it out there from the beginning their goal was to win state and they really believed we could win it this year. Our theme was 2-2-0, which stood for second-to-none. We had that approach every day in practice and I give a lot of the credit to those seniors for that mental toughness and refuse-to-lose mentality that we showed this year.”

All-Metro second team

Jordan Bruckner, Wichita East senior libero

Grace Dickerson, Wichita Northwest senior

Avery Elofsson, Collegiate junior

Addy Foster, Derby junior

Karly Girty, Flinthills senior

Addison Goree, Collegiate junior

Sarah Graham, Trinity Academy senior

Jillian Gregory, Maize South sophomore

Sophie Hall, Andover senior

Abby Koontz, Newton junior libero

Allie Larkin, Bishop Carroll senior

Sydney Puetz, Garden Plain senior libero

Talya Sampson, Sedgwick junior

Haylie Sanders, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior

Emily Schmidt, Mulvane senior

Reagan Smith, Circle junior

Kaylee Bergkamp, Andale coach

Karen Stucky, Sedgwick coach

All-Metro third team

Maddi Amekporfor, Andover Central senior

Elina Bartlett, Cheney senior

Alex Bittner, Cheney junior

Kendal Brueggen, Hesston sophomore

Dylan Cochran, Valley Center senior

Delainee Dexter, Eisenhower sophomore

Lyric Edgerle, Circle senior

Kenzie Foster, Andover senior

Karsyn Fraser-Slothower, Maize senior

Hayden Grimes, Andale freshman

Kourtney Koster, Trinity Academy senior

Grace Long, Bishop Carroll senior

Avery Lowe, Maize South senior

Emery May, Andale senior

Kenzy McArtor, Clearwater sophomore

Nina Mitchell, Wichita Northwest junior

Leah Mullins, Berean Academy senior

Emma Rains, Newton junior

Kila Respress, Eisenhower senior

Kalyn Sampson, Sedgwick freshman

Hailee Schropp, Circle senior

Dalaina Schutte, Halstead sophomore

Dominique Schutte, Halstead junior

Hayden Snodgrass, Andover Central junior

Ryleigh Stuhlsatz, Garden Plain senior

Lily Waters, Derby sophomore

Alex Workman, Wichita Northwest senior

Alexis Head, Maize South coach

Sara Walkup, Cheney coach

Kayla Weidert, Andover Central coach