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The West Central Area volleyball team put together its second straight winning season as it finished with an 18-10 record.
“This team has something special,” head coach Missy Foslien said. “They played with fire and passion for the game. Us coaches have been told more than once that this team is so fun to watch. They have big goals for the future and they hope to accomplish their goals and know that it won’t be possible without the support of their community.”
Sophomore Macy Grosz wrapped up a strong season and set some records. She became the first Knight to cross the 1,000 career assist threshold and broke the school record in single-match set assists (51) and single-season set assists (812). She was an all-West Central Conference selection as she had 812 assists, 16 aces, 13 kills, 322 digs, and eight blocks.
Grosz was named the team’s offensive MVP for the season. The awards were handed out based on votes from coaches and players.
Junior Mya Foslien was the leader for the Knights in kills with 405 which puts her on top of the school record books and she was an all-conference selection. She also led the team in digs with 335. She won the Knights’ Award (most valuable teammate) and was named the conference’s MVP.
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The team’s defensive player of the year award was split as junior Madelyn Westrom and sophomore Sophie Sanstead took home the honor. Sanstead had 332 digs on the season while Westrom had 333 along with 43 kills.
Freshman Izzy Puchalski won the Miss Hustle award. Puchalski played in all 28 matches and played an active role on both ends as she had 114 kills and 160 digs. She and Foslien, along with junior Whitney Westrom and sophomore Addison Staples had over 100 kills for the Knights this season (198 for Staples and 129 for Westrom).
Whitney Westrom led the Knights in aces with 41 and in blocks with 31. She was an all-conference honorable mention.
The Knights had a strong showing in the classroom this semester as well. They earned the silver status from the Minnesota Coaches Association for having a GPA between 3.5 and 3.74.
Lexi Hunter received academic all-state honors for being a senior with a GPA of 3.8 or higher.
WCA finished fifth out of eight in the north subsection of Section 3AA (5-3) and were eliminated by Litchfield in the first round of the playoffs. WCA had a strong finish in its first year in the WCC as it finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference (7-7).
“Every game this season was competitive, there was never room to have a string of errors or lose momentum. Every team was tough,” Coach Foslien said.
The Knights will return a plethora of experience next season as Hunter is the only senior on this season’s roster. The Knight will return plenty of letterwinners, including, Puchalski, Staples Whitney and Madelyn Westrom, Sanstead, Grosz, Mya Foslien, Hunter, freshman Nora Anderson, sophomores Wylie McNally and Jayden Styba (manager), as well as junior Alaina Sykora.
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Freshman Madison Fagre played on varsity for the Knights at the end of the season as well.
At the end of the season, coach Foslien thanked the training staff, coaching staff, parents, the school, fans and the members of the community for making the season possible.
