Staff writer
Kirsten Hansen and Kourtney Hansen were among 12 players named all-league in Heart of America conference volleyball. Marissa Jacobson received an honorable mention.
It’s yet another accolade for the Hansen sisters, both of whom were named to all-tournament teams for the Centre Cougar Classic and Marion Spikefest.
Head coach Brea Campbell said setter Kirsten Hansen made her job easier because of the trust they had.
“It’s nice to be able to trust your setter so much,” she said. “I never once had to doubt what she was doing. She’ll come out and surprise me. She dominates the court.”
Campbell said Kourtney Hansen was a terrific server, a claim evidenced by the sophomore’s 8-point run to win the league championship match.
“She has a hard serve, then she knows when to back off,” Campbell said. “She’s always very consistent.”
Jacobson, meanwhile, flipped a switch midseason, Campbell said, transforming into one of the team’s elite players.
“At the beginning of the year she was good, and we all knew it, but by the end of the year, she was an all-star,” Campbell said. “There was a match, I can’t even remember when it was, but she just got mad at something. From there on out, she just hit the ball very well.”
The Warriors finished the season 33-4, notching 30 wins for the first time in school history before an early exit at substate brought their year to an abrupt end.
Jacobson and Kourtney Hansen will be returning next year. Campbell said Hansen may switch to a setting role to replace her sister and that whatever role she takes, she’s likely to play it well.
“She’s just that athlete that you don’t need to tell her anything,” Campbell said. “If we come back next year, and we need a setter — someone quick with good hands — she’ll step up.”