Shiner's Flowers heads area on TSWA all-state squad

 

BY PAUL EBNER - PEBNER@VICAD.COM

December 21, 2008 - 2:57 p.m.

Ieisha Flowers, a four-sport athlete at Shiner, has already had a whirlwind season on the volleyball court that may be tough to beat in her other three sports - basketball, track and softball.

The 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter helped guide her team to the school's first-ever state tournament berth, was named to the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 1A all-state team and was the District 29-1A co-MVP. She has also signed to play collegiately at Coastal Bend College in the fall and will also play in the TGCA All-Star Game in July.

She can now add another honor to her resume as she is one of three Advocate-area players to receive first-team honors on the 2008 Texas Sports Writers Association all-state volleyball squad.

Flowers received the honor as an outside hitter/middle blocker in Class 1A. Also receiving first-team recognition were Schulenburg libero Alycia Ulrich in Class 2A and Edna libero Sha'Rae Runnels in Class 3A.

A total of 27 Advocate-area athletes, including the three on first team, were honored by the TSWA.

Eight players joined Flowers on the Class 1A team with Yorktown's Larae Wieland and Louise's Amber Bain being named to the second team, and Ganado's Allison Peters receiving third-team honors as outside hitters/middle blockers.

Receiving honorable mention were Shiner's Shelby Bernshausen and Alyssa Strauss as outside hitters/middle blockers, Ganado libero Kadi Lauer, and Yorktown setter Kymber Blaschke.

On the Class 2A squad with Ulrich, Hallettsville libero Emilie Jansky was named to the second team, while nine players received honorable mention.

Receiving honorable mention as outside hitters/middle blockers were Hallettsville's Kelly Hairell, LaTreece Haynes and Haley Leopold, Industrial's Chantal Beaudoin, Schulenburg's Leah Mikesky and Weimar's Chelsea Soto, along with setters Kalli Mikulik of Schulenburg, Callie Herrington of Hallettsville and Halie Althaus of Industrial.

Wharton's Heather Reynolds was named to the Class 3A second-team as an outside hitter/middle blocker, while honorable mention selections went to Yoakum's Briana Pavlicek, Cuero's Megan Lange and Wharton's Shaniqua Dogins as outside hitters/middle blockers and Wharton's Mardi Gutierrez as a setter.

The lone representative on the Class 4A team was El Campo's Meredith Bard, who earned honorable mention recognition as an outside hitter/middle blocker.

The players of the year in the respective classifications included, Amarillo's Torri Campbell in Class 5A, Highland Park's Katherine Culwell in Class 4A, Lucas Lovejoy's Natalie Puckett in Class 3A, Bushland's Christine Steinkruger in Class 2A and Windthorst's Whitney McCorkle in Class 1A.