Player of the Year Nicole Dalton tops MaxPreps All-American Volleyball Team

After finishing the season 31-0 and winning the Class 5A state championship in Colorado, the Chaparral (Parker, Colo.) Wolverines caused pundits to debate whether or not they were the best team in Colorado history.

While such a debate is hard to settle, there is no debating this: Wolverine senior Nicole Dalton is the best player in the country.

The 6-foot-2 senior, who is headed to the University of Texas, heads the 2012 MaxPreps All-American Volleyball Team thanks to a strong performance by her team and her all-around efforts on the court.

A two-time Gatorade and Denver Post State Player of the Year, Dalton was also a member of the U.S. Junior National Team last summer. Dalton also helped Chaparral win its second-straight Class 5A state championship as well as extend its win streak to 53 matches in a row.

Dalton's statistics show her tremendous versatility. Besides registering 492 kills, she also had 406 assists and 267 digs.

"She's the best prospect to come out of Colorado," Chaparral coach T.R. Ellis told the Denver Post following the Wolverines' state championship win over Grandview.

Dalton is joined by East Lake coach Mike Estes, who earns National Coach of the Year honors after leading his team to the Class 8A state championship in Florida and the No. 9 spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) won the Class 5A state title last year under coach Terry Small. However after Small resigned due to recruiting allegations, Estes, the school's softball coach, stepped in.

Estes, whose daughter Brittnay was a major contributing player on the volleyball team, led the East Lake softball team to a 28-1 record and a No. 10 national ranking last spring.

As volleyball coach for the Silver Eagles, Estes guided the team to a 27-1 overall record and a 3-1 victory over Wellington in the state finals.

Following is the rest of the MaxPreps All-American Volleyball Teams.

FIRST TEAM

OH - Jordan Burgess, Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), 6-1, Senior
Led team to 30-2 record and third consecutive state championship... Two-time Florida Dairy Farmers State Player of the Year... Two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Stanford University... Stats: 553 kills, 366 digs, 48 aces, 38 assists, 32 blocks.
Feature story

OH - Nicole Dalton, Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), 6-2, Senior
Led team to 31-0 record and Colorado 5A state championship... Denver Post State Player of the Year... Gatorade State Player of the Year... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at University of Texas... Stats: .492 kills, 406 assists, 267 digs, 62 blocks, 54 aces.
Feature story

OH - Emily Sklar, Presentation (San Jose, Calif.), 6-2, Senior
Led team to 41-2 record and California Division II state championship... 2010 Player of the Year by San Jose Mercury News... Gatorade State Player of the Year... MVP of state championship match... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Duke University... Stats: 584 kills, 487 digs, 61 blocks, 33 aces.
Feature story

OH - Kadie Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 6-3, Junior
Led team to 41-0 record, second-straight Class A state championship and No. 1 national ranking in MaxPreps Xcellent 25... Gatorade State Player of the Year... Committed to play at Nebraska... Stats: 402 kills, 382 digs, 53 aces.
Feature story

MH - Melanie Wade, Palo Alto (Calif.), 6-5, Senior
Led team to 36-3 record and a second-straight California Division I championship... Palo Alto Daily News Player of the Year... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Washington... Stats: 594 kills, 65 aces, 53 blocks, 255 digs, 28 assists.

MH - Inky Ajanaku, Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.), 6-4, Senior
Led team to 32-3 record and Class 6A state title (also won state titles as a freshman and junior)... Class 6A state tournament MVP... Tulsa World All-Metro MVP... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Stanford University... Stats: 537 kills, 127 blocks, 29 digs.

MH - Molly McCage, Klein Collins (Spring, Texas), 6-3, Senior
Led team to a 32-10 record and District 13-5A championship... District 13-5A Player of the Year... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at University of Texas... Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State Team... Stats: 260 kills, 67 blocks.

Li - Taylor Morey, Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.), 5-6, Senior
Led team to three state championships and 147-7 record in four years on the varsity team... Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2010... Three-time All-State selection... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at University of Notre Dame... Stats: 428 kills, 106 aces, 14 blocks, 432 digs.

S - Katy Beals, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 6-1, Senior
Led team to 50-0 record and second-straight Texas Class 4A state championship... All-CenTex by the Austin Statesman... Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State Team... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at University of Washington... Stats: 153 kills, 31 aces, 25 blocks, 228 digs, 970 assists.
Feature story

S - Katie George, Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 5-10, Senior
Led team to a 43-1 record and second-straight Kentucky state championship... Miss Kentucky Volleyball by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association... AVCA All-American Second Team... Signed to play at University of Louisville... Stats: 683 assists, 197 digs, 114 kills, 75 aces.
Feature story

AA - Madison Bugg, Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.), 6-1, Senior
Led team to 22-3 record and third-consecutive North Carolina 3A state championship... Two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year (also in 2009)... Three-time Class 3A state tournament MVP... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Stanford University... Stats: 271 kills, 182 digs, 31 aces, 20 assists, 20 blocks.
Feature story

AA - Andie Malloy, Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas), 6-2, Senior
Led team to 48-4 record and fourth-straight Texas 3A state championship... Two-time state tournament MVP... Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year... Texas Girls Coaches Association Player of the Year... AVCA All-American First Team... Signed to play at Iowa State... Stats: 192 kills, 319 assists, 36 aces, 56 blocks, 184 digs.

Continue reading for second and third teams