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6-foot-7 outside hitter shouldered Lancers offensive load as teammate Ethan Tran missed a chunk of the season with an injury. Haefner averaged 3.19 kills and served up a team-high 35 aces for the Lancers, who finished second in Class 4. He also led Lafayette’s serve receive and posted 262 digs. A two-sport star, Haefner will play basketball at Truman State.

A second team All-Metro performer last season, the kills machine found another level this season as the Crusaders finished with a 29-7 record. A 6-foot-3 outside hitter, Jansen once again led the area with an average of 5.48 kills per set. His serve was as effective as his swing as he led Althoff with 57 aces. A 6-rotation player, Jansen was a leader in serve receive and recorded 149 digs.

Krausz embraced the role of being the Jr. Billikens’ go-to offensive option and led the team to its fifth successive Class 4 state championship. A 6-foot-6 outside hitter, he averaged 3.59 kills and put down 43 aces with a powerful jump serve. Krausz was strong in serve receive and recorded 142 digs. He finished with a flurry, putting down 30 kills in the state semifinals and final.

6-foot-3 outside hitter led the Panthers to a fourth-place finish in the Illinois state tournament, the highest finish ever for a Metro East team. Sheehan averaged 3.78 kills and served 26 aces. One of the area’s strongest all-around players, he led O’Fallon’s serve receive and had a team-high 176 digs. Sheehan blasted a career-high 23 kills against SLUH, the Missouri Class 4 champion, on April 4.

A two-time All-Metro first teamer, Zelnis led the defending Class 3 champion Crusaders back to the state semifinals. Dangerous from anywhere on the court, the 5-foot-11 outside hitter averaged 5.09 kills a set. Zelnis led St. Dominic’s serve receive, had 282 digs and served up 46 aces. He ended his career a 20-kill performance in the semifinals.

Zippay flourished as the main setter in a 5-1 offense after splitting time in a 6-2 last season. He averaged 9.06 assists for the Class 3 champion Spartans while blasting a team-high 52 aces. Aside from distributing the ball among five primary attackers, Zippay also kept opponents guessing with well-timed kills. Zippay, who stands 6-foot-2, averaged .42 blocks and put up 177 digs.

Blaisdell moved from the middle to right-side hitter to fill a big need for the Jr. Billikens. The move paid off as the 6-foot-3 attacker averaged 2.46 kills and recorded 265 digs. Blaisdell combined for 25 kills in the semifinals and final, including the championship clincher.

Barton was the heart and soul of a young Patriots team that posted a 20-11-1 record and advanced to the Class 4 semifinals for the first time in program history. The 6-foot-4 outside hitter averaged 3.15 kills. Barton put down 55 total kills in the Patriots’ final three matches.

One of the most dominating middle hitters in the area, the 6-foot-2 Finck imposed his will on Panthers’ opponents. He averaged 3.32 kills and a team-high 29 aces. Finck put down 16 kills to lead O’Fallon to its state quarterfinal win, the first ever for a Metro East team.

Maryville University recruit routinely faced double and triple blocks as the Pioneers’ undisputed go-to option. A 6-foot-4 opposite hitter, he averaged 4.96 kills a set. Kraft put down 70 total kills during a three-match stretch against Fox, Parkway West and Oakville from April 20-26.

The 6-foot-2 setter kept the Golden Griffins’ offense running smoothly and led the team back to the Class 4 semifinals despite a bunch of new faces and injuries. Villhard averaged 8.52 assists a set. He served up a team-high 34 aces and recorded 136 digs.

Outside hitter used a combination of athleticism and volleyball IQ to play much taller than his 6-foot-1 frame. Werner averaged 4.13 kills using a mixture of power, touch and his ability to hit off an opponent’s block. Improved defensively, he was a leader in serve receive and had a team-high 179 digs.

A 6-foot-3 right-side hitter, Campbell averaged a team-high 3.33 kills and formed a potent one-two punch with teammate Andrew Geil. He was a leader in serve receive and posted 238 digs.

The 6-foot setter showed more consistency in leading the Statesmen to the Class 3 championship match. Hendrix averaged 9.35 assists, served 23 aces and recorded 159 digs.

A 6-foot outside hitter, Kampen led the Warriors to the Class 3 semifinals in just their fourth season of varsity play. He averaged 2.98 kills a set and was a leader in serve receive while posting 196 digs.

The 5-foot-11 setter ran the Panthers’ high-powered attack to perfection all the way to a fourth-place state finish in Illinois, averaging an area-best 10.78 assists a set. Kulp also served 17 aces and had 160 digs.

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter provided a potent one-two attack with his older brother Trent Massey, the area’s player of the year. Riley Massey averaged 2.31 kills and recorded 139 digs for the Class 3 champions.

White, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, led the Panthers to their first 20-win season since 2012. He averaged 3.76 kills, was strong in serve receive and recorded 367 digs.