Meet the 2022 Palm Beach Post All-County girls volleyball team
We can always count on girls volleyball teams from Palm Beach County to make a run at the state championship.
It was an especially impressive year in Boca Raton.
The Blazers of Boca Raton Christian (25-5) made the deepest run of any local volleyball squad in 2022, reaching the Class 2A state championship. The Boca Raton Bobcats were the only other local team to win a region title in an impressive 23-2 overall finish.
Jupiter Christian (18-6) made its deepest playoff run since 2017, falling just shy of reaching the state semifinals in a five-set Class 2A region final thriller against Boca Raton Christian.
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These are nominees for the girls volleyball Player of the Year for the Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards to be held in the spring. The winner will be announced at the show, which is produced with support from Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. More details about the program are coming soon.
During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with the top three finalists and the player of the year. All official nominees can receive a free ticket. Check back later in the year for information on how to RSVP.
The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.
All-County Girls Volleyball
Tekoa Barnes, Boca Raton Christian
2022 marked another lights-out season for Barnes as she made 628 kills to rank No. 1 in the state as a sophomore. Ensuring a historic 25-5 season for Boca Raton Christian, the do-it-all athlete also topped the Blazers' stat sheet with an excellent .371 hitting percentage, 24 blocks, 54 serving aces and 359 digs. A career-best 43 kills from Barnes punched Boca Raton Christian's ticket to the Final Four, already having reached her 1,000-kill milestone a couple of weeks before.
Natalie Depaula, Boca Raton
The returning outside hitter consistently shut it down at the net for the Bobcats her junior year, flipping Boca from a 12-10 region final finish in 2021 to a near-perfect 23-2 run to state in 2022. Nailing a team-leading 310 kills, Depaula touts the eighth-highest hitting percentage (.339) in Florida's Class 7A.
Allison Moore, Jupiter Christian
Not many expected an 18-6 playoff run to go past local powerhouse Lake Worth Christian, let alone go five sets in 2A region finals against Boca Christian. It wouldn't have been possible without Moore, whose 361 kills ranked sixth in 2A, amassing some additional offensive stats with 44 aces. A team-high 241 digs prove her all-around ability.
Sarah Brodner, Jupiter
It was all on the Virginia commit to see Jupiter through another deep playoff run after losing a slew of seniors from last fall's Final Four crew — Brodner did just that. Bounced by 7A state champion Osceola in region semifinals for a 19-6 finish, the Warriors' 2022 performance was highlighted by the outside hitter's 218 kills and .305 hitting percentage, much improved from last fall's .251.
Abigail Toeniskoetter, Lake Worth Christian
While Lake Worth Christian's season didn't go as planned, Toeniskoetter still finished her high school career as a two-time state champion before heading off to further her academic and athletic career at Florida Southwestern next fall. In 2022, the 6-foot-3 middle blocker was a state stat leader in three different categories: her 463 kills ranked eighth, her .473 hitting percentage was seventh, and her 114 total blocks were good for 13th.
Heather McKenzie, Boca Raton
McKenzie's spirit and smile were contagious throughout the years leading up to her final season serving as the Bobcats' team captain. On the court, the senior contributed 629 assists and 58 aces, ranking No. 7 and No. 13 in the state, respectively. Boca's go-to setter finished with a career 1,180 assists.
Caitlin Crino, Boca Raton Christian
No. 5 in the state and No. 1 in Class 2A with 894 assists, this eighth-grader proved age is just a number. That doesn't count the 457 assists she recorded in seventh grade, either. Look for Crino to be Barnes' right-hand woman for years to come donning Boca Christian's green and white.
Payton Bryan, Benjamin
Bryan is off to play at Yale, but she rounded out her preps career with a bang, seeing 2022's Benjamin team just one round short of back-to-back 3A region final appearances. One half of the Bucs' "Twin Towers" standing at 6-3, Bryan finished with 584 career kills in two seasons, accumulating 316 as a senior, leaving an impact on the outside that certainly will be missed.
Sofia Aguilera, King's Academy
One can only imagine what Aguilera's stat line would've looked like had King's sophomore threat on offense Kelly Kinney not been injured for a majority of the season. She still enjoyed an impressive season and helped a King's team in a rebuild reach repeat region semifinals. The junior's 862 assists positioned her seventh among setters in the state.
Leila Johnson, Palm Beach Gardens
Gardens was eliminated in district competition but still managed to finish the season with a winning record to help lone senior Johnson go out on a high note. The Gators' young hitters will have to adjust without the leadership and ball-handling skills of Johnson, who had 606 assists of a career total 1,386 to rank seventh in 7A. Piling up 265 digs in 2022 following a career-best 355 as a junior, there's no doubt the captain will be missed on defense, too.
Zoe Zudans, Suncoast
Just five teams walked away from the 2022 season with the accomplishment of defeating Boca Raton Christian. Suncoast was one of them thanks to a dominant year for Zudans. Aside from a team-leading 207 digs, the 6-1 Western Carolina outside hitter commit took over as the Chargers' offensive leader, finishing her career No. 5 in Class 5A with 347 kills
Charlotte Glass, St. Andrew's
Glass returned to transform the Scots' program from 2021's 7-10 finish to a 15-6 record in 2022 after knocking out last fall's Final Four squad Benjamin to advance to region finals. One of the top hitters in Class 3A with a .350 hitting percentage, Glass could've had far more than 172 kills if her primary position wasn't setter, which the lefty dominated with 485 assists. The sophomore also contributed 30 aces, a team-high 54 blocks, as well as 177 digs.
Coach of the Year
Len Visser, Boca Raton Christian
Visser has been over Boca Raton Christian's volleyball program for 20 years, but 2022 was the first season in school history that he and the Blazers advanced to the Class 2A state championship. Featuring just two seniors, it doesn't look like this year's trip will be Boca Christian's last, as the Blazers will return five sophomores and six middle-schoolers from this year's trailblazing squad.
Honorable Mention
Izzy Asconape, Jupiter Christian
Mia Blair, St. John Paul II
Bradee Boyd, Boca Raton Christian
Emily Caputo, King's Academy
Sophia Dasilva, Boca Raton
Kate Guarneri, Jupiter
Maren Hunt, Jupiter
Grace Havlicek, Benjamin
Mikaylah Hedlund, Palm Beach Gardens
Gabriella Irizarry, Boca Raton Christian
Alexis Kremposky, Spanish River
Avery Lins, St. Andrew's
Lucianna Marinella, Lake Worth Christian
Macy McAmis, Jupiter
Riley McCaughey, Benjamin
Mila Micunovic, Dwyer
Peyton Pelham, Glades Day
Alyssa Piedra, Boca Raton
Trinity Quick, Jupiter
Riley Shahin, American Heritage-Delray
Olivia Torres, American Heritage-Delray
Grace Vanzwieten, Boca Raton Christian
Ava Webster, Jupiter
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post 2022 All-County: Girls Volleyball