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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2005 Lindsey Stone (4) sets up a shot for teammate Maddison Thivierge. Ashland hauls in bevy of all-star honors By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune True, Lindsey Stone is the setter for the No. 1 ranked Ashland Grizzlies. But she's also the on-court coach. The play-calling QB. She is the team cheerleader between points and the therapist between games, picking up teammates after letdowns. She's the general, who spots holes in the opposing defense and is given freedom to adjust the team's game plan on the fly. Setter, general, therapist, cheerleader, QB. All that and more. She's, "the glue," says Ashland head coach Josh Rohlfing. And one more: She's the Southern Oregon Conference player of the year, as chosen by the coaches last week. Advertisement "I felt like my name was pasted on an award that 13 girls should have gotten," said Stone, a senior who is Ashland's third player of the year in the last four years. "It's so flattering when I think that it could have gone to so many people in this conference." The all-conference list was dominated by Ashland — a fitting tribute, since the Grizzlies rolled through their regular season schedule by going 25-1 overall and 14-0 in league play. Five of the 10 all-SOC first-teamers were Grizzlies, and Rohlfing shared co-coach-of-the-year honors with Grants Pass coach Stacy Iverson, a former AHS assistant. Jessica Walters, Maddison Thivierge, Sarah Holgen and Natalie Lefler also picked up first-team honors for the Grizzlies, while Ruby Stocking nabbed second-team kudos. The windfall of first-team honorees was the most for Ashland since 2002, when the Grizzlies also finished 14-0 and had five first- teamers. "I think it just kind of represents all of our dedication," said Holgen, who had 215 digs during the regular season to tie Walters for the team lead. "We put a lot of time into it and we have an amazing coach." The other first-teamers were Lauren Berger of North Medford, Haley Hevern of Crater, Emily Waldron and Shannon Miller of Roseburg and Ashley Franko of Grants Pass. Berger, a second-team performer last year, was a dominant force in her second full season on varsity at a middle hitter position. The 6-foot-1 junior posted a team-high 146 kills to go with 94 total blocks and 53 digs. More impressively, Berger had 74 solo blocks to nearly double the old North Medford single-season conference record of 38, produced by Brooke Carrigan in 1996. "She’s a very good learner," said Tornado coach Ron Beick. "Between blocking defensively and attacking we were very proficient with Lauren in." Hevern was an honorable mention pick a year ago. The junior defensive specialist had a season-high 31 digs in a match against North Medford. Stone, who has made a verbal commitment to the University of Oregon, finished the regular season with 620 assists, 115 digs, 30 blocks and 29 aces. Her value to the team, however, goes deeper than her often bulging stat line, according to Rohlfing. In Saturday's straight-game playoff win over Benson, Stone recognized holes in the Techmen's defense and altered Ashland's offense accordingly. The result: Ashland hitters routinely found themselves in one-on-one situations and the Grizzlies scored 50 of the match's first 65 points. "I think Saturday night (against Benson) was pretty indicative of what dimension she gives us, how her intelligence helps us," Rohlfing said. "As the games progressed and as the match progressed I saw Lindsey changing what she was doing on offense, so it was obvious that she was identifying what they were doing to stop us and then she changed it, and all of a sudden we were on these huge runs. It's kind of like audibling in football." Stone wasn't the only Ashland player to generate player of the year buzz this season. Walters, a senior outside hitter, and Thivierge, a junior middle blocker, also played major roles in Ashland's spectacular SOC run. Besides her team-high dig mark, Walters, who has verbally committed to UNLV, led the Grizzlies with 273 kills thanks to an impressive .330 attack percentage. She also had 30 blocks and 29 aces. Thivierge used a phenomenal .495 attack clip to slam 270 kills, while also pacing the team with 93 blocks. Holgen, Lefler and Stocking each were consistently solid while showing flashes of brilliance. Holgen, a junior outside hitter, had 153 kills and 33 aces to go with her team-high dig total. Lefler, a junior defensive specialist, had 181 digs and 38 aces and was praised by Rohlfing for her serving consistency after only missing eight of 395 serves. Stocking had 167 digs, 84 kills and 37 aces. SOC Volleyball All-Conference FIRST TEAM Player Team Yr. Hitters Emily Waldron Roseburg Sr. Jessica Walters Ashland Sr. Maddison Thivierge Ashland Jr. Lauren Berger N. Medford Jr. Sarah Holgen Ashland Jr. Ashley Franko Grants Pass Sr. Setters Lindsey Stone Ashland Sr. Shannon Miller Roseburg Sr. Defensive Specialists Natalie Lefler Ashland Jr. Haley Hevern Crater Jr. Player of the Year — Lindsey Stone, Ashland. Coaches of the Year — Stacy Iverson, Grants Pass, and Josh Rohlfing, Ashland. SECOND TEAM Player Team Yr. Hitters Ruby Stocking Ashland So. Kalista Harrison Roseburg Jr. Micki Burns Eagle Point Sr. Chenoa Coviare S. Medford Sr. Peggy Thompson S. Medford Sr. Whitney Hodnett N. Medford So. Setters Justine Hix Grants Pass Sr. Simone Hubbard S. Medford Sr. Defensive Specialists Rebecca Treger N. Medford Jr. Shannon Young Roseburg Sr. HONORABLE MENTION Hitters — Whitney McDaniel, Crater, Sr.; Kristin Davidson, Crater, Sr.; Beth Logan, Eagle Point, Sr; Kim Gonzales, Grants Pass, Sr.; Tasha Torgerson, Grants Pass, Fr.; Blake Stearns, Klamath Union, Sr.; Molly Kahn, Roseburg, Sr.; Marissa Towry, South Medford, Sr. Setters — Randy Salyer, Crater, Jr.; Josie Phillips, Eagle Point; Reanne Allen, Crater, . Defensive Specialists — Reilly Johnston, Eagle Point, Sr; Arlisa Hoffman, Eagle Point, Jr; Lauren Koeninger, South Medford, Sr. Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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