Girls Volleyball: The 2022 Suburban Life All-Area team

Here is the 2022 Suburban Life All-Area volleyball team.

First Team

Ava Falduto, IC Catholic Prep, junior, outside hitter: Committed to Penn State as a libero, Falduto’s offensive production in leading the Knights to second place in Class 2A is even more impressive when taking into consideration that she’s not a trained attacker. Falduto, the 2022 Suburban Life Girls Volleyball Player of the Year, finished the season with 477 kills, averaging over 13 per match. She also had 311 digs, 31 aces, 36 assists and 29 blocks. The Metro Suburban Blue Player of the Year and IVCA First Team All-Stater has 802 career kills.

Jordan Heatherly, Montini, senior, setter/right side hitter: The Memphis recruit reached 1,000 career assists and 1,000 career kills this season, hit at a .566 percentage and was an IVCA First Team All-Stater and Third Team All-American and a third-time GCAC all-conference pick. Heatherly this season had 467 kills, 459 assists, 355 digs, 60 aces and 32 blocks. Finished with career totals of 133 aces, 1,029 kills, 64 blocks, 1,289 assists and 693 digs.

“Jordan is a high-level, high-energy player that changed the pace of our program with her strength, maturity, volleyball IQ and relentless commitment,” Montini coach Patricia Linnig said. “Her passion for the game and this program is what put her in a position to be a captain for the last two years and her selflessness showed in everything she did for the team and program. She has been a game changer for Montini volleyball.”

Addy Horner, St. Francis, sophomore, setter/right side hitter: Horner led St. Francis to the Class 3A state championship, the program’s 13th state title. She had 321 kills, 372 assists, 145 digs, 80 aces and 65 blocks. “She has the ability to take over a match,” St. Francis coach Lisa Ston said. “She sees the floor well and can mix up her shots in the right situations to score.”

Marin Johnson, Glenbard West, junior, outside hitter: The 6-foot-2 third-year varsity starter led the Hilltoppers to their first West Suburban Silver title since 2016 and a regional championship. Johnson had 292 kills, 33 blocks, 43 aces and 162 digs through regionals, with a +365 in plus/minus statistics. The all-conference pick has five all-tournament selections in her career.

“Marin Johnson is the most athletic 6-foot-plus hitter I’ve seen come through our school in the 17 years I’ve been there,” Hilltoppers coach Dan Scott said. “She is the girl every opposing team game plans for, and they still can’t stop her. Marin is also the first kid to set up the net every single practice. A coach’s dream.”

Calli Kenny, Willowbrook, jr., setter/right-side hitter: Repeat all-area selection led Willowbrook to a 36-3 record, West Suburban Gold title, a 29-match win streak and sectional final. Kenny had a team-high 260 kills, 236 digs (second on Willowbrook), team-high 79 aces (breaking her school record), 323 assists and 29 blocks. Three-time all-conference pick.

“Calli is a nationally recognized setter who rises under pressure and finds a way to score from anywhere on the court,” Willowbrook coach Irene Mason said. “She has excellent tempo, ball placement and covers the court with ease. She is also a dominant hitter who can mix up her shots and score the ball efficiently. She has a refuse-to-lose attitude, which allows her to perform at her best during our most challenging, meaningful matches. Her athleticism, court presence and volleyball skill set are undeniable.”

Kamryn Lee-Caracci, Lyons, senior, outside hitter: Georgetown recruit, three-year varsity starter and IVCA First Team All-Stater led 30-8 Lions to regional title. Lee-Caracci, a six-rotation pin, had 414 kills, 181 digs and 33 aces. All-conference and all-tournament at Wheaton Classic, Lee-Caracci finished her career with 703 kills.

Kitty Sandt, Nazareth, senior, setter/right-side hitter: Clemson commit played in every set for Nazareth and led Roadrunners to second place in Class 3A a year after winning program’s first state title. IVCA Second Team All-State, ESCC all-conference and AVCA best and brightest first team, the 6-foot-1 Sandt led team in assists with 639 but also was Nazareth’s main attacker with 262 kills at a .385 hitting percentage. Sandt also had 243 digs, 29 aces and 38 blocks. She was a starter on three Nazareth state teams.

“Kitty was our leader on and off the court,” Nazareth coach Melissa Masterson said. “Her experience, leadership and skills were a big reason for our success.”

Aniya Warren, Benet, sophomore, libero: IVCA First Team All-Stater helped lead 37-5 Benet to second place in Class 4A in second season as varsity starter. Warren led Benet in digs with 384 and in serve receive rating and was second in aces as one of three Redwings to play six rotations. Two-time all-conference pick and MVP of the Scholastic Cup tournament, all tournament at three others and one of 16 selections to IVCA All-Tournament team.

Second Team

Audrey Brcka, Wheaton North, senior, outside hitter: William & Mary commit was a two-time IVCA All-State honorable mention selection, two-time all-conference pick and four-time all-tournament selection. Brcka had 342 kills, 292 serve receptions, 196 digs, 47 blocks, 33 aces and 13 assists. Finished her career with 712 kills. Leaves Wheaton North owning the record for most kills in a career and in a season. Six-rotation player contributed solid defense from the back row.

Hannah Kenny, Willowbrook, sophomore, setter/right side hitter: Explosive 5-foot-7 hitter and like her sister Calli a nationally-ranked setter led Willowbrook to 36-3 record, West Suburban Gold title and sectional final. Kenny had 247 kills, second on Willowbrook, team-high 376 assists, 205 digs, 59 aces and 29 blocks. Two-time all-conference pick is ranked by PrepVolleyball.com as the No. 68 player in the nation for the Class of 2025.

“Hannah is a nationally ranked setter who was a consistent, reliable playmaker for us every night. The confidence and leadership abilities she exudes as a sophomore is beyond impressive,” Willowbrook coach Irene Mason said. “Her tempo, ball placement and court presence are excellent. Even though she is only 5-7, her explosiveness, athleticism, ball control and court awareness allows her to dominate when hitting and scoring in the front row. She’s a beast!”

Abby Markworth, Lyons, junior, setter: IVCA Second Team All-Stater and three-year varsity starter led 30-8 Lions to regional title. Markworth’s 814 assists were second-most in Class 4A, tops for juniors in Class 4A. Markworth, an all-conference pick who soared past 1,000 assists for her career, also had 192 digs, 80 kills and 31 aces.

Ava Novak, Benet, junior, outside hitter: IVCA Second Team All-Stater led Benet to second place in Class 4A. Novak led Benet in kills with 240, was second in serve receive rating and third in digs. Two-time all-conference pick, MVP of Wheaton Classic and all-tournament at Wheaton North and Autumnfest, she was one of three Benet players to play six rotations.

Lauren Salata, Nazareth, junior, outside hitter/setter: True six-rotation player led Nazareth in kills and did a lot for the Class 3A state runners-up – serve receive, defense, attacking and even setting. The 5-foot-9 Salata led Nazareth in kills with 370 and also had 222 digs and 95 assists along with 38 aces.

“She was our go-to player and we relied on her to score many points,” Nazareth coach Melissa Masterson said. “When she was out with injury, we felt her absence significantly.”

Grace Ulatowski, Lemont, senior, outside hitter: Two-time MVP of the South Suburban Blue Conference led Lemont to three conference titles and two regional championships as a three-year varsity athlete. In two seasons. the 5-foot-9 Ulatowski had 548 kills, 443 digs, 250 service points, 69 aces and 39 blocks.

“Grace is a hardworking athlete that raises the level of play during matches and at practice,” Lemont coach Chris Zogata said. “She looks to improve every match she plays.”

Abby VanderWal, Timothy Christian, sophomore, outside hitter: Trojans’ 6-foot-3 sophomore was driving force for a 31-8 sectional finalist. VanderWal had team-high 440 kills with a .441 hitting percentage and 54.3% kill percentage, team-high 276 digs, team-high 52 aces, 31 blocks and .909 serve receive percentage. All-conference and all-tournament at Manteno and Plainfield Central.

“She is an extremely talented and versatile player that can do anything we ask her to do,” Trojans coach Scott Piersma said. “Even when teams were able to plan for her, she was still able to be a dominant player finishing with multiple matches of 15-plus kills.”

Honorable Mention

Olivia Austin, Nazareth, junior, middle hitter; Sophia Boumans, Montini, junior, libero; Demi Carpio, Glenbard West, senior, libero; Natalie Cipriano, Willowbrook, senior, outside hitter/right side hitter; Colleen Engstler, Downers Grove North, senior, right side hitter; Kirsten Krammer, Benet, senior, outside hitter; Alysa Lawton, IC Catholic Prep, junior, libero; Kiley Mahoney, Lyons, junior, libero; Anna Paquette, St. Francis, junior, outside hitter; Lucy Russ, IC Catholic Prep, junior, setter; Gabija Staniskis, Benet, senior, outside hitter; Emelyn Stettin, York, junior, right side hitter/setter; Paige Syswerda, Wheaton North, senior, setter; Jessie Trapp, York, junior, outside hitter