Thunderbirds sweep volleyball honors
WINTHROP - Tomahawk Conference volleyball champion Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop swept the conference end of season honors.
Lexi Platz, a sophomore who set a school record with 465 kills this season, was named the Tomahawk Conference Player of the Year.
GFW coach Chris Wortz, who led the Thunderbirds to a 25-9 overall record and the school's second appearance in the state volleyball tournament in the last three years, was the Coach of the Year.
Three volleyball players were repeat selections including junior Cheyenne Briese of GFW, junior Karlee Ilgen of Buffalo Lake-Hector and Sleepy Eye St. Mary's senior setter Nevada Helget. All were also unanimous choices
Joining Platz and Briese on the team was junior setter Stephanie Howe.
Other unanimous picks were Cedar Mountain/Comfrey's Nicole Kerkhoff and Kayla Mathiowetz, Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Heather Danell and Paige Pistulka of Wabasso. Springfield's Tiana Runck and New Ulm Cathedral's Lauren Manderfeld were also unanimous selections.
Rounding out the all-conference team was MVL's Miranda Maasz, St. Mary's Madeline Schmitz and Sleepy Eye's Sydney Remus.
Honorable mention selections were Springfield's Morgan Hansen and Katie Timm, GFW's Kayla Schuette, Lilli Cole of BLH and Beth Ochs of CM/C.
Mindy Sommer of MVL, Morgan Samyn of Wabasso and Val Lux of Cathedral.




