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The All-Kaw Valley League volleyball team was announced Monday morning, and the sole player from Bonner Springs High School is Amber Barnes.

Barnes earned honorable mention status on a squad that was dominated by two-time defending league champion Lansing and state qualifying teams LHS and Bishop Ward.

Coach Kerri Jennings was thrilled to hear that Barnes was honored by her fellow coaches in the KVL, especially for a position that tends to go unnoticed in terms of accolades and awards.

“I think it’s awesome that Amber was rewarded for her back row play. Recognition tends to go toward big hitters and we tend to forget that it all starts with a pass or dig,” Jennings said. “Those hitters can’t put the ball down without a good pass and set.”

Barnes, a senior, played libero for the Braves, meaning she played on the back row while sitting out one point per rotation. She took advantage of the increased court exposure and was able to impress opposing coaches enough to earn their nomination.

Barnes might not appear technically sound to most, but she can pass, dig and move her feet like few others, according to her coach.

“Amber was our spark plug and always brought energy to our back row,” Jennings said. “(She) wanted every ball that came over the net, whether it was a free ball, service receive, tip or hard hit — Amber always thought she could get the ball up and that was evident in her play.”

Barnes did whatever it took to keep the ball from hitting the floor and had the bumps and bruises to prove it during the season. Perhaps the most impressive part of Barnes earning honorable mention was that this was her first year as a varsity volleyball player.

“The biggest thing about Amber was her work ethic and determination — she worked hard at practice and at games every single point. She didn’t take any points off,” Jennings said. “Amber always did whatever it took to keep the ball from hitting our floor.”

Barnes had 471 digs in 78 games for a 6.038 digs per game average and a 2.496 service receive rating on a 3.0 scale.

In addition to the All-KVL team being named, Bonner Springs held its end-of-the-year banquet and handed out awards of its own. For the freshman team, Bobbi Allred was named the best defensive player, Erin Marx was the best offensive player, Emily Wilson earned the most inspirational player award and the Most Valuable Player award went to Kylee Timberlake.

For the junior varsity the best defensive player was Kaylie Holloway, the most inspirational player was Josie Freeby, and Carli Turner earned both the top-offensive-player and MVP awards.

For the varsity squad, Barnes earned the newcomer and defensive player-of-the-year awards, the offensive player of the year was split between Chelsea Crawford and Starian Porchia. The most-improved player went to Cali Hackney. Crawford won the most inspirational player award. Porchia took home the team’s M.V.P. award.

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