Three Somerset County seniors earn PVCA all-state accolades

Three Somerset County athletes earned Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association all-state accolades.

Berlin Brothersvalley senior Lynndee Ickes collected her third straight Class 1A selection. Fellow Berlin senior Regan Lauer and Somerset senior Olivia Svonavec picked up their first all-state selections.

Ickes, who was also selected the Somerset County MVP and Daily American Player of the Year this season, racked up a team-high 335 kills, surpassing 1,000 for her career. She also led the Mountaineers with 34 blocks. Ickes added 168 digs and 34 aces.

"It's nice to have all my hard work show off," Ickes said. "I know it's just a title like I've said before with the other stuff, but it still means a lot to be recognized by other people and coaches.

"I enjoy the game just as much as I do spending time with my teammates. They are really fun to be with. I like to go out there, show what I can do and represent our school."

Lauer's game took great strides this season. She was an integral part of Berlin's success and run to a District 5 Class 1A title. Lauer tallied 246 assists, 174 kills, 76 digs, 30 aces and 29 blocks.

"To go out with this type of an award and recognition means a lot," Lauer said. "It was really nice to see it all pay off and win the championships along with it. I could not have done this without my teammates, so it is really special to get that award."

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Whether she was setting or hitting, Lauer made an impact on the game.

"We all worked really hard and pushed ourselves in practice to get better in every position," she said. "Whenever Coach (Corey) Will needed someone to run a spot, I stepped in to help my team out in whatever way I needed to."

Will spoke highly of his two leaders.

"Lynndee became one of the best all-around players I've been privileged to work with as a coach," Will said. "Early on, she became a smart hitter but her growth as a defender is what truly elevated her game. On the floor, she was the leader who showed our young kids how we play the game at Berlin, giving everything from whistle to whistle.

"Regan's selection was well-deserved. She became a legitimate offensive threat this season to go along with her setting abilities. She led the team in serving percentage, was an asset in or serve-receive and became a good defender. All the skills an all-state player should possess. Her passion on the court was infectious to the rest of the team."

Meanwhile, Svonavec produced a team-high 342 kills. She also provided 154 digs, 30 aces and 23 blocks for the Golden Eagles, who won their second-straight District 5-8 Class 2A championship.

"It's super exciting," Svonavec said of the honor. "I put a lot of hard work into it. To see it pay off is great."

Svonavec led by example and set the tone for the Golden Eagles with her hitting prowess.

"I like to hit. I'm and open hitter," she said. "Once I saw a good ball, I wanted to put it down. I always tried to have good communication with my teammates, keep the team up and keep pushing us to do our bests."

Somerset coach Scott Shirley saw Svonavec shine despite a position change.

"Liv has been a tremendous player for our program, and over the last two years, has really grown into a very dynamic hitter," Shirley said. "As a junior, Liv switched to be a right-side hitter and developed some exceptional hitting skills. She learned to hit combination attacks that few teams in our area use in their offense sets.

"As a senior, Liv was our workhorse hitter on the outside and was also able to hit combination and fast tempo plays when we needed her to dominate. Liv is a year-round player and trains extremely hard in the gym and in the weight room. I’m extremely proud of Liv and feel all-state recognition is a very well-deserved honor to close out her high school career."

Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X (Twitter) @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin Brothersvalley duo, Somerset senior garner PVCA all-state honor