Myers and Noland celebrate all-state recognition

Fast forward to last fall, SWC made a complete turnaround under the coaching of Donna Barton and increased every statistical category, jumping to a 25-10 overall record and a No. 8-ranking, with 70 sets won, a first-ever volleyball district championship and a sixth-place finish at the 1A state tournament in Redmond.

“Over the past years in volleyball, I believe that my team and I have improved greatly, because of the bond we have,” Noland said. “Our skill sets have widened, and it has shown through our high-level play. We have accomplished things this year that we never had before.”

Noland and junior teammate Jada Myers received enough votes from opposing coaches to earn all-state honorable mention awards for their standout play last fall.

In addition to scoring first-team all-Big Sky Conference recognition, Noland and Myers were named co-Most Valuable Players by their teammates.

As one of three seniors on the roster, Noland capped her career with a 94 percent serve percentage on 499 of 532 attempts, and she added 364 for 417 on her hits with 181 kills, second-most on the team.

Noland was a four-year letter winner, an all-league pick in three seasons, and the team’s Most Valuable Player in back-to-back campaigns.

“I am eternally thankful to have received all-state,” Noland said. “I share these honors with my teammates. If it wasn’t for their hard work and drive, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did this year. We are all proud of each other and we don’t regret a single thing. Making it far at state and having teammates receive honors, drives our team to push harder than before and improve greatly.”

Myers blossomed as a junior, taking her game to a new level, especially at the net, where she slammed down a team-leading 270 kills on 603 of 690 swings with just 87 errors.

On the service stripe, Myers converted 182 of 203 for a 90 percent split.

Staked by her state performance in Redmond, Myers had her name called as a second-team all-tournament team member.

“The awards and recognition aren’t what I play for,” Myers said. “I am very excited to come back next year and give my best effort to improve myself and help bring my team up.”

Myers said that she has been able to break through to the upper echelon of volleyball by being encouraging to her teammates, playing smart when the team needs it most and put in the necessary work to improve on the blocking and hitting front.

“Being an all-around player has also been a goal that I have strived for,” Myers said. “When I play volleyball, I always give my all for my team. Along with that, I enjoy playing the sport, so I think that this is what has brought me this far, and as a result, allowed me to accomplish great things.”

While Noland, Ana Popchock and Emily Ellis are on their way out as graduated seniors, Myers, Jacqueline Noland, Kyrsten Sprouse, Madisen Davis and others will represent a core of athletes that have it in their minds to meet or surpass last season’s finish.

“Next year’s team is going to need some time to adjust,” Myers said. “We are losing some great players, but I am eager to see what younger players step up and bring to the table. It will take a lot of hard work to compete with the team we were this past season, but I’m ready to take on the challenge.”

Another aspect the Lady Redside players are mentally-prepared for is breaking in a new coach, following the retirement of Barton after four seasons.

Allie Noland is a firm believer in what new coach Carly Johnson brings to the table. “Coach Johnson will continue this amazing program and work as hard as she can to improve it,” Noland said. “If new assistant coaches are added next year, I believe that they will work hard to take our skill sets and build upon them. No matter what, our girls will be determined to strive for success. The secret to their success will be team spirit, drive, and passion for the sport.”