OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County volleyball program was well represented on the 2024 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference D-II team with five selections, recently announced by the conference.
Sophomore middle hitter Chloe Carlgren was named to the first-team. Sophomore outside hitters Tori Valentine, Kennedy Smalley and Bella Hedke second-team honors, and s freshman setter Taylin Stallbaumer was a third-team selection. Smalley and Hedke were also all-conference selections last year.
These five have helped JCCC to a 27-6 record, a runner-up finish in the conference, a district championship and a No. 7 seed in the NJCAA Division II National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa next week.
Carlgren is one of the top blockers in the conference and NJCAA D-II this season. She ranks third in the conference and 44th nationally with 100 total blocks. She ranks second and 22nd respectively with 94 block assists and she averages 0.93 blocks per set She also has tallied 182 kills for the season for an average of 1.69 per set and her kill percentage .207. She has a digs per set average of 1.04 with 122 total digs. In conference play, Carlgren upped her all her numbers across the board averaging 1.29 blocks, 1.32 digs and 2.07 kills with a kill percentage of .301.
Valentine currently leads the team kills with 300, kills per set at 2.86 which ranks her ninth in the conference in both categories. She has posted double figures in kills in 16 matches highlighted by a career high 21 in her team's victory over Kansas City Kansas to capture the District Championship. She also 296 digs, reaching double digits in 15 matches, resulting in 11 double-double matches.
Smalley ranks second on the team in kills with 285, digs with 436 and aces with 43. She has finished in double figures in kill 11 times and 21 times in digs. She also has 10 double-doubles. In the second week of the season, Smalley was honored as the KJCCC D-II Offensive Player of the Week.
Hedke enters national tournament play as the top blocker in the conference with 121 total blocks and 108 block assists. Nationally, she ranks 20th and 13th respectively. As a hitter. Hedke has 242 total kills and has an attack percentage of .285, best on the squad and eighth in the conference.
Stallbaumer is having solid freshman season running the Lady Cavaliers attack. She has 929 assists, fourth-most in the conference. She reached double figures in 31 of 33 matches, including 29 matches with 20+ assists, 15 with 30+ and three with 40+ assists. She also 261 digs and 64 aces, which ranks third in the conference and tied for 45th nationally.