The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Both selected to First Team; NR-S' Peterson makes Second Team -
Isabel Wendel, Carrington, was selected to the NDHSCA Class B Volleyball All-State First Team.
Maddie Gefroh, M/P-B, was also selected to the All-State First Team.
Ava Peterson, NR-S, was selected to the All-State Second Team.
Isabel Wendel of Carrington and Maddie Gefroh of M/P-B, both seniors, were selected to the North Dakota High School Coaches Association (NDHSCA) Class B Volleyball All-State team for their efforts in the 2024 net season.
The two were part of the 16-member First Team, while another local athlete, junior Ava Peterson of NR-S, was one of eight players selected to the Second Team.
Wendel, the daughter of Shane and Mary Wendel of Carrington, is a five-year varsity player for the Cards and Head Coach Megan Trautman. She concluded her long career with totals of 813 kills, 1,453 assists, 1,830 digs, 173 blocks and 137 aces.
The 5-foot-8 setter/outside hitter led CHS to regional tournament appearances every year she was part of the program, and was selected as the District 5 and Region 3 Senior Athlete of the Year. Wendel is a two-time All-District 5 selection.
She will follow the paths of her older sisters, Madison and Kennedy, and has signed with the University of Jamestown volleyball program.
Gefroh, the daughter of Shawn Gefroh and Katie Dewald of Cleveland and Kadie Gefroh of Jamestown, was the offensive and defensive star at the net for the Thunder and Head Coach Jacie Connell, and the 5-foot-10 middle hitter was one of the key players in contributing to M/P-B's first-ever state Class B tournament appearance in November.
For her tenure at the net, she had 1,267 career kills, 233 blocks and 550 digs, and she was a two-time All-District 6 selection. This past fall, she was honored as the District 6 Senior Athlete of the Year.
At state, Gefroh got a tough break when she was injured in the first set of the Thunder's four-set semifinal loss to South Prairie/Max, but her Thunder teammates rebounded for a third-place finish and 33-7 record in 2024.
Gefroh has signed with Bismarck State to play volleyball for the Mystics, and will be a part of their transition from junior college to NAIA four-year program in the Frontier Conference.
The NDHSCA POWERade Outstanding Senior Athlete and Subway Coach of the Year both came from South Prairie/Max, with Azjiah Trader and Keturah Schwarzrock earning those respective accolades.
Members of the First and Second Teams are as follows:
NDHSCA Class B All-State Volleyball
First Team
Taya Aufforth, Jr., Kenmare-Bowbells; Lauren Bell, So., Park River Area; Molly Bjorneby, Sr., Grafton; Kiaza Carlson, Jr., May-Port-CG; Olivia Ebel, Sr., Our Redeemer's; Maddie Gefroh, Sr., M/P-B; Laela Jensen, Sr., Hettinger-Scranton; Reagan Kjelstrup, Sr., Central McLean; Isabella Kovash, Sr., Dickinson Trinity; Elysa McAvoy, Sr., Dickinson Trinity; Meredith Romfo, Sr., Langdon Area/Munich; Brooklyn Schumacher, Jr., Linton/HMB; Anne Stroklund, Sr., Kenmare/Bowbells; Isabelle Thompson, Jr., Central Cass; Azjiah Trader, Sr., South Prairie/Max; Isabel Wendel, Sr., Carrington
Second Team
Emma Bixby, Sr., Sargent County; Emerson Johnson, Sr., Wyndmere-Lidgerwood; Daphne Lauer, Sr., Central McLean; Ashley Martodam, Sr., Towner-Granville-Upham; Ava Peterson, Jr., NR-S; Piper Schmidt, So., Flasher; Jordan Tozer, Sr., Thompson; Kaylee Werner, Sr., Des Lacs-Burlington
NDHSCA POWERade Outstanding Senior Athlete
Azjiah Trader, South Prairie/Max
NDHSCA Subway Coach of the Year
Keturah Schwarzrock, South Prairie/Max
