Tiffany Baker's value to the
Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) volleyball team became very evident in late September during an ordinary day of practice.
The 6-foot-3 senior, bound for Tennessee on scholarship next season, went down with a dislocated knee during a practice session, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News. Without Baker in the lineup, the Hawks lost to Plano West 3-1 and Allen 3-1 to drop to 30-6 on the season.
However Baker missed only those two matches and Hebron went on to a 14-1 record down the stretch including the 5A state championship. Along the way, Baker finished with 661 kills on the season to go with 276 blocks.
Tiffany Baker, Hebron
Photo by Keith Owens
Baker also had 18 kills in the championship match, a 3-0 win over The Woodlands. Behind Baker, the Hawks did not drop a game in the postseason in winning the title. Baker was named the MVP of the championship match and was also selected as the 5A state MVP by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Baker has also been chosen as the MaxPreps National Player of the Year for her achievements in leading Hebron to the state title.
Texas also has the MaxPreps National Coach of the Year in Ryan Mitchell of
Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas). Under Mitchell, the Leopards posted a 44-3 record and won the Texas Class 3A state championship with a 3-1 win over Wimberly, which was ranked No. 2 in the 3A state rankings.
While Lovejoy is a 3A school, it was quite possibly the best team in Texas this year. The Leopards defeated both the 4A champion, Lake Travis, and the 5A champion, Hebron, during the regular season along with other large school powerhouses from Marcus (Flower Mound), Pearce (Richardson), Reagan (San Antonio) and Carroll (Southlake).
Following are the MaxPreps All-American First, Second and Third Teams as selected by the MaxPreps staff.
First Team
OH - Jordan Burgess, Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), 6-0, Jr
Two-time Florida Dairy Farmers state player of the year... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Stats: 540 kills, 318 digs, 51 blocks, 37 aces.
OH - Kelly Lamberti, Cary-Grove (Cary, Ill.), 6-0, Sr
Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship game... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Ohio University... Stats: 320 kills, 210 digs, 72 aces, 44 blocks.
OH - Krista Vansant, Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.), 6-2, Sr
Southern Section 1A Player of the Year... Led team to section championship game... Gatorade State and National Player of the Year... Committed to Washington... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 589 kills, 299 digs, 33 blocks, 26 aces.
OH - Hanna Forst, St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 5-11, Sr
Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association 4A State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to South Carolina... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 475 kills, 60 blocks, 18 aces, 255 digs.
MB - Elizabeth Brenner, Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), 6-2, Sr
Oregon 6A State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship game... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Oregon... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 555 kills, 207 digs, 129 blocks, 63 aces.
MB - Tiffany Baker, Hebron (Carrollton, Texas), 6-3, Sr
Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A State Player of the Year... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Tennessee... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 661 kills, 296 digs, 276 blocks.
MB - Jeni Houser, Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 6-3, Sr
Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association Miss Kentucky... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Notre Dame... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 337 kills, 90 blocks, 213 digs.
Li - Kori Moster, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati), 5-4, Sr
Ohio Coaches Association Division I All-State Team... Led team to state championship semifinals... Committed to Michigan State... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 584 digs, 44 aces.
Set - Chloe Mathis, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 5-10, Sr
Coastal League Player of the Year... CIF Division IV Championship Game MVP... Led team to state championship... Committed to Arizona... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 925 assists, 49 aces.
Set - Kellie McNeil, Lakeville North (Minn.), 5-11, Sr
Minnesota Coaches Association MVP... Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Minnesota... Stats: 1,172 assists, 147 blocks, 132 kills, 66 aces, 203 digs.
AA - Jade Hayes, Ozark (Mo.), 6-0, Sr
Missouri Coaches Association Class 4 All-State Team... Led team to state championship semifinals... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Missouri... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 429 kills, 389 digs, 35 blocks.
AA - Ali Stark, Mt. Vernon (Iowa), 6-0, Sr
Iowa Girls Coaches Association Elite Team MVP... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Illinois... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 324 kills, 232 digs, 66 aces, 62 blocks.
Second Team
OH - Hayley Eckerman, Waterloo East (Iowa), 6-3, Sr
Iowa Class 4A State MVP... Led team to district finals... Committed to Texas... Stats: 757 kills, 2,494 career kills.
OH - Amber Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 6-3, Soph
Nebraska Class A All-State Captain... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Nebraska... Stats: 377 kills, 289 digs, 37 aces, 32 blocks.
OH - Kadie Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 6-3, Soph
Nebraska Class A All-State Captain... Led team to state championship... Committed to Nebraska... Stats: 405 kills, 41 digs, 48 blocks, 32 aces.
OH - Nicole Dalton, Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), 6-2, Jr
Denver Post All-Colorado MVP... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Nebraska... Stats: 473 kills, 376 digs, 127 assists, 87 blocks, 47 aces.
MB - Zoe Nightingale, St. Francis (Sacramento, Calif.), 6-3, Sr
Sacramento Bee All-Metro MVP... Led team to section finals... Committed to UCLA... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 423 kills, 88 blocks, 360 digs, 47 aces.
MB - Madelyn Hutson, Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tenn.), 6-5, Sr
Gatorade State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Committed to Texas... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 587 kills, 135 digs, 86 blocks, 76 aces.
MB - Katie Messing, The Woodlands (Texas), 6-4, Sr
District 14-5A MVP... All-Greater Houston 2009... Committed to Pepperdine... Under Armour All-American First Team... 564 kills, 73 blocks, 243 digs, 49 aces.
Li - Caroline Niedospial, Marist (Chicago), 5-7, Sr
Chicago Sun Times All-State Team... Southtown Star All-Area MVP... Committed to Northwestern... Under Armour All-American Second Team... Stats: 728 digs.
Set - Shelbey Manthorpe, Merion Mercy Academy (Merion Station, Pa.), 6-1, Sr
Two-time PIAA 2A state championship match MVP... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Seton Hall... Stats: 972 assists, 568 digs, 280 kills, 133 aces.
Set - Taylor Sherwin, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.), 6-0, Sr
All-Central Florida Team... Under Armour All-American First Team... Committed to Ohio State... Stats: 675 kills, 146 digs, 22 aces, 67 kills.
AA - Micha Hancock, Edmond Memorial (Okla.), 5-11, Sr
Daily Oklahoman All-Area MVP... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Tulsa... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 326 assists, 171 digs, 151 aces, 41 blocks, 275 kills.
AA - Taylor Morey, Muncie Burris (Ind.), 5-6, Jr
Indiana Girls Coaches Association 2A All-State Team... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Notre Dame... Stats: 415 kills, 233 digs, 59 aces.
Third Team
OH - Jocelyn Birks, Lyons (LaGrange, Ill.), 6-2, Sr
Chicago Tribune All-State Team... Committed to Illinois... Led team to state championship... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 467 kills, 302 digs, 35 aces.
OH - Taylor Simpson, Doherty (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 6-4, Sr
Denver Post All-State Team... Committed to Nebraska... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 471 kills, 59 blocks, 312 digs, 21 aces.
OH - Crystal Graff, La Follette (Madison, Wis.), 6-3, Sr
Wisconsin Coaches Association All-State Team... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Wisconsin... Under Armour All-American Second Team... Stats: 782 kills, 308 digs, 55 aces, 53 blocks.
OH - Mary Hannah Arrington, Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 5-9, Jr
Marietta Journal All-Area MVP... Georgia Coaches Association AAAA All-State Team... Led team to state championship... Committed to Auburn... Stats: 452 kills, 275 digs, 92 aces, 19 blocks.
MB - Katherine Bell, North Mesquite (Texas), 6-3, Sr
Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A All-State Team... Dallas Morning News All-Area Team... Committed to Texas...Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 838 kills, 297 blocks, 56 aces, 251 digs.
MB - Kristen Harris, Apex (N.C.), 6-2, Sr
North Carolina 4A state championship game MVP... Led team to state championship... 4A Conference 6 MVP... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Elon... Stats: 340 kills, 163 digs, 46 aces, 42 blocks.
MB - Aiyana Whitney, Northern Valley (Old Tappan, N.J.), 6-5, Sr
New Jersey.com State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to Penn State... Under Armour All-American First Team... Stats: 381 kills, 121 digs, 46 aces, 19 blocks.
Li - Jackie Napper, Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 5-7, Sr
Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Team... Led team to state championship... Committed to Kentucky... Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention... Stats: 546 digs, 32 aces.
Set - Veronica Zimmerman, St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), 5-9, Sr
Ohio Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-State Team... Led team to state championship... Committed to Memphis... Stats: 504 assists, 81 aces, 84 digs, 56 kills.
Set - Jordan Fish, North Branch (Mich.), 5-9, Sr
Michigan Volleyball Coaches Association State MVP... Committed to Virginia Tech... Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention... Stats: 1,196 assists, 410 kills, 113 aces, 319 digs.
AA - Shelby Workman, Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), 6-1, Jr
Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association 5A State MVP... Led team to state championship... Committed to Oklahoma.
AA - Cati Leak, Guntersville (Ala.), 6-2, Jr
Birmingham News State Player of the Year... Led team to state championship... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to LSU... Stats: 580 kills, 449 digs, 67 aces.
