Two area players honored

One player each from the Cedar Grove-Belgium and Ozaukee High School volleyball teams earned postseason honors this year.

Rocket sophomore Tara Schmitz was selected to the Big East Blue Division’s second team and Warrior Nicole Liermann earned honorable mention.

Schmitz was an outside hitter/middle blocker, a co-captain and she was selected as the Rockets’ most valuable player.

In her six conference matches, Schmitz had a 91.1 serve percentage with eight aces. Her hitting percentage was .215

“The first match against Sheboygan Christian she didn’t even hit because she was our only setter,” coach Sharon Stellwagen said.

Schmitz had 63 assists, 38 digs and 16 blocks.

“She gave everything she had each match,” Stellwagen said.

Liermann started as a setter in the Warriors’ 6-2 offense until Bella D’Amato was moved to defense halfway through the season, coach Vanessa Depies said, “providing Nicole the opportunity to be a threat all over the court.

“In only her second season as a setter she really has grown in that area, and I just imagine what she could have been if she was setting her whole career because she had just short of 500 assists in the two seasons,” she said.

Liermann had 220 assists, 95 digs, 50 kills, 31 aces and nine blocks on the season.

“No matter where Nicole was on the court, you could feel her presence. She is overall a well-rounded player and a great individual off the court,” Depies said.

Howards Grove, which won the Big East with an undefeated record and won its third straight Division 3 state title, landed three players on the first team, two on the second, and four earned honorable mention.