South's Pelger named Sunflower League MVP

Olathe South wound up third in the final Sunflower League volleyball standings, but the coaches put a Falcon atop the league when choosing a Most Valuable Player for 2009.

Shawnee Mission East was crowned the league champion and Olathe Northwest even surprised South late in the season, claiming second with a win against the Falcons.

But South senior Kaitlynn Pelger was an easy choice for MVP nonetheless.

“They generally take the most dominant player and it was unanimous across the board that she was the most dominant player in the league this year,” Falcons coach Ken Talcott said. “They recognized her dominance pretty easily. She destroyed most teams we played.”

Along the way, Pelger became the program's all-time leader in kills with 1,285 in her career.

“You don't get somebody like her that's going to come along very often,” Talcott said. “We've had some great players — the Leslie Clarks, Megan Bickfords and Lauren Graybeals. You take all of those kids and they did not have the physical talent that this gal had. She is by far the most talented athlete that I have ever coached.”

Pelger finished the season with 551 kills, including a .501 attack percentage, and 68 blocks as a middle blocker.

“If you coach long enough, time will bring another one through, but when you get one of those, you hope you have the pieces around her to make a run,” Talcott said. “And we did. We came pretty close this year. We've had some awfully good talent come through here the last six years.”

She also was named to the All-Kansas 6A state all-tournament team after posting a .495 attack percentage with 66 kills and only 17 errors in eight games over three matches. She also had 10 aces.

“If we score two points against Blue Valley North, we make it to Saturday,” Talcott said. “If we score two points against Manhattan, we make it to Saturday. All we had to do was win one of those two matches, but we just, for some reason, let that loss to Blue Valley North affect in the first game against Manhattan.”

Three other Olathe girls were named first-team all-league, including Falcons teammate Emilee Clark, a junior setter. Olathe Northwest's Amy Pierce, a senior outside hitter, and Preecy Seever, a junior middle blocker, received the same honor.

2009 Sunflower League girls volleyball team

MVP — Kaitlynn Pelger, sr., Olathe South

Coach of the Year — Scott Dowis, SM East

First team

MB Chantay Caron, sr., Free State; RS Kelle Carver, jr., SM Northwest; S Emilee Clark, jr., Olathe South; S Hayley Hansford, soph., SM East; MB Kaitlynn Pelger, sr., Olathe South; OH Amy Pierce, sr., Olathe Northwest; OH Lindsey Sauls, sr., SM East; MB Lillian Schonewise, jr., Lawrence; OH Kareen Schwartze, sr., SM East; MB Preecy Seever, jr., Olathe Northwest; L Kendyll Severa, jr., Lawrence; OH Crystal Simon, sr., Leavenworth; OH Mary Pat Specht, sr., SM North.

Second team

MB Paiton Crockett, jr., Leavenworth; L Leyann Dahlgren, soph., SM East; L Nikki Harms, sr., SM West; MB Carrie Klemenic, sr., Lawrence; MB Laura Murphy, sr., SM West; S/OH Katie O'Nele, sr., SM Northwest; S/RS Regan Porter, jr., Olathe Northwest; MB Alix Richards, sr., SM South; OH Mackenzie Russo, sr., Olathe East; OH Taylor Smith, sr., Olathe South; MB Marissa Thibodo, sr., Free State; OH Jasmyn Turner, sr., Lawrence.

Honorable mention

OH Taylor Mays, sr., Olathe South; S Kiley Moisman, jr., Lawrence; L Reilly Moore, jr., Free State; OH Makenzie Shepard, sr., Leavenworth; MB Kerenza Singletary, sr., SM North; OH BJ Specht, soph., SM North.