Fairfield leads All-Union big school volleyball list

The 2022 Southeast Conference volleyball season had hints of parity from the previous years, although in the end the top teams in the league did shine.

One of those teams was the Fairfield Trojans. Fairfield was a Top-2 team in the regular season, matching Burlington’s record to become a co-favorite for the conference tournament. The Trojans eventually ousted the Grayhounds in the final game to become 2022 SEC champs.

The Trojans lead the 2022 All-Union big school volleyball team with three players on the team, and the Trojans’ co-coaches were also honored.

Washington and Mt. Pleasant both saw positives at the end of the year. The Demons had a perfect Day 2 at the SEC tournament to finish fourth. The Panthers rebounded from a rough conference tourney to knock off Burlington in the postseason. Both Washington and Mt. Pleasant earned two names on the list.

COACHES: Vicki Rebling and Stephanie Herman, Fairfield

It’s not easy taking over a new team, especially one that has reason for high expectations. The Trojans’ co-coaches navigated the waters perfectly and helped the team rise to SEC glory once again.

Rebling and Herman coached Fairfield to a 17-17 season overall, along with an 8-2 record in conference play. Four of those wins came in the conference tournament, where the Trojans prevailed for the first time since the tournament’s inception.

CAPTAIN: Maddie Jones, junior setter, Fairfield

Fairfield’s junior setter was one of the Trojans’ key returners this season and she set up a balanced offensive attack that had the team at the top of its game late in the season.

Jones finished the year with 516 assists, setting up all but 81 of the team’s 597 total kills.

Jones was also solid on defense, finishing with 161 digs and eight blocks. She added a 92.1 percent serve efficiency and 23 aces.

Macy Rayburn, senior hitter, Fairfield

The Trojans did a great job of spreading the ball around to different hitters this year, but nobody stood out like Rayburn. She had 199 kills to lead the team offensively.

Rayburn was also electric on the block, finishing with 48 blocks this season. She and twin sister Maggie combined for nearly 100.

Tristian Shull, senior setter, Mt. Pleasant

The Mt. Pleasant volleyball team was simply a different team when Shull was out on the floor.

Shull finished the season with 355 assists on the year, well over half of the Panthers’ total. She also led the back line with 291 digs, and was the top servers n the team, serving at a 94.8 percent efficiency with 23 aces.

Leighton Messinger, freshman hitter, Washington

When you talk about bursting onto the scene, that’s exactly what Messinger did this year for a young Washington team.

The lone freshman on the All-Union team led the Demons with 194 kills this year, giving a huge boost to the offense in just her first year. She also led the team with 301 digs, and sprinkled in 31 aces from the service line.

Emma Starr, junior hitter, Mt. Pleasant

Starr rose to prominence at the net for Mt. Pleasant in 2022. She was the leading returning hitter, and she ended up earning the top spot in kills, with 116.

Starr collected 94 digs on the year and 10 blocks. She finished the year with two service aces as well.

Ella Greiner, sophomore hitter, Washington

A major reason for the Demons’ Day 2 conference tournament run was the return of Greiner, who had to sit out a few games toward the end of the season with injury. She was certainly a difference maker all year for the Washington volleyball team.

Greiner finished second on the squad with 138 kills, and second as well with 183 digs. Greiner also helped on the service line, with 27 aces

Kiya Robertson, senior libero, Fairfield

The senior-led Fairfield volleyball squad wouldn’t be the same without its anchor in the back row, and Robertson was exactly that.

Robertson finished the year with 312 digs to lead Fairfield. She also had a good year on the service line, serving at a 94.2 percent efficiency and 11 aces.