Player of the Year

Lisa Chapman, Centennial, senior, setter: The setter for three straight state championship teams, Chapman has established herself as one of the best. "She makes a bad pass look good," said Centennial coach Mike Bossom. "She makes everything look so easy. She never panics." The Eagles graduated seven players from last year's 20-0 team, and Chapman had to lead a young and inexperienced team. "This year she really helped keep the team together and focused," Bossom said. "They were able to work though difficult situations because of her experience and calm leadership on the court." Chapman, a repeat first-team All-Metro selection, averaged 7.1 assists and 1.1 kills per game, and tied for the team lead with 49 aces. She also had 32 digs and 31 blocks. The 5-6 Chapman is steady, and uses her experience to lead by example. Her teammates know they can always count on her. "She's the hallmark of consistency," said Bossom, who added that Chapman had 455 assists last year and 462 this year, including 35 in the 3-0 Class 2A state championship win against North Hagerstown. "She has very good court sense and can anticipate where the ball is going." Chapman, who blocks well, also learned some new tactics this season. "She improved on her deceptiveness, and at looking at what the other team is doing and moving the ball to the most advantageous position," Bossom said.

Coach of the Year

Debbie Hanley, Mount Carmel: Hanley's basic coaching philosophy is this: "I try to be very positive. After each match we go over what's good and what's bad and I make sure my list of good things is longer than my list of bad things. I'm not a big proponent of yelling at the kids. I think you get a whole lot further being positive and build- ing up their confidence. Then, they're much more receptive to criticism." It worked. Until this season, the Cougars had never had a winning varsity record, but that did not stop them from contending for the Catholic League championship. After going 8-13 last year, the Cougars rebounded to finish 13-5, reach the league tournament semifinals and flirt with a spot in the Top 15. During the regular season, the Cougars upset both of the tournament finalists, eventual champ and No. 13 Mercy as well as runner-up and No. 14 Spalding. Hanley, who coached the Cougars from 1990 to 1993 and from 1996, nearly missed it all. After giving birth to her second child in the middle of last season, she had planned not to return in 1998, but five returning seniors talked her into coming back. "I told this group when they were sophomores they were going to be the best team Mount Carmel ever had," said Hanley. "I guess it was selfish on my part, but I wanted to come back one more time."

First team at a glance

Melaney Heagy, Dulaney, senior, hitter: A team leader and inspiration to her younger teammates, Heagy led Dulaney with 3.5 kills per game, totaling 165 for the season. "She hits the ball hard and can hit both ways, cross-court and down the line," said Dulaney coach Ian Blanchard. "She is very accurate." An exceptional defensive player, Heagy had 94 digs and 23 blocks. "She anticipates very well on defense. She always seems to be in the right place at the right time," said Blanchard, who added that Heagy jumps well and "plays bigger than her size [5-9]." Heagy, a team captain, served at 93 percent with 32 aces. "Her potential has not been tapped into yet," Blanchard said.

Kristina Kaltreider, Mount Hebron, senior, hitter: Mount Hebron coach Kedre Fairley was most pleased this season by Kaltreider's leadership. "She was more serious this year," Fairley said. "She wasn't a captain, but she was a leader on the floor. She was a real motivator." She was an excellent player, too. Always one of Howard County's hardest hitters, the 5-9 Kaltreider came into her own this season. "She played a lot smarter this year," said Fairley. Kaltreider placed the ball better, and used what the opposition gave her, often tipping the ball into open spaces. But what made her so dangerous was her hard hitting. She led the Vikings with 191 kills (83.6 percent accuracy), and made 83.7 percent of her serves, including a team-high 57 aces.

Traci Sariscak, Severna Park, senior, hitter: ter: "I didn't expect her to do what she did this year. She played beyond our expectations," said Severna Park coach Tim Dunbar. The 5-10 Sariscak led the Class 4A state finalists in kills with 168, a school record for a middle hitter, including 46 in the playoffs. "She was the explosive force on our offense," Dunbar said. Sariscak had 40 blocks, and had a .930 serving percentage, including 33 aces. Sariscak started started playing volleyball as a sophomore on JV. She saw limited playing time last year on varsity until she got a chance to start when a teammate got sick with one-third of the season left. She played club ball for the first time last winter. "She's way better then I ever thought," Dunbar said. "She's very, very bright and picks up things quickly. And she has worked very hard at it." Dunbar added that Sariscak can jump and hang in the air very well. "That's what made her so effective against taller players," Dunbar said.

Kate Wall, North Carroll, senior, hitter: Wall's athletic and leadership abilities came through, leading North Carroll to the Carroll County title. Two senior starters were injured in the preseason and remained out for most of the year. Wall, a two-year captain, kept the team on track. "The team has taken its cue from her the last two years," said North Carroll coach Lloyd Ford. "Everyone follows her lead." The 5-9 outside hitter had more than just a strong shot going for her. "Besides being a very powerful hitter, she has a tremendous all-around game," Ford said. "Her floor game and passing makes her valuable across the back row. It's not that often that you have someone as powerful and as capable of playing in the back row as well." Wall, a vocal leader with an outgoing personality, finished the season with a team-high 183 kills and 17 blocks. She made 87 percent of her serves, and had 19 aces.

Lauren Boyd, Severna Park, senior, setter: "It doesn't matter how good your hitters are, if you don't have a setter who can put the ball in their hands, you're not going to win at the state level," said Severna Park coach Tim Dunbar. "Lauren can turn a lot of bad passes into great plays." The 5-6 Boyd, Anne Arundel's Player of the Year and a repeat first-team all-metro selection, led the Class 4A state finalists in serving percentage (.954), aces (80) and assists (584) and had 45 kills and 32 blocks. "Without Lauren, we don't do anything," said Dunbar, whose team won its fourth straight Anne Arundel County title and 10th in Dunbar's 12 seasons. "She is so smart and understands the game so well. She could see things developing and make the adjustments. It was like having a coach on the court."

Greichaly Cepero, McDonogh, senior, setter: The 6-3 Cepero averaged 7.7 assists for the Eagles and led them unbeaten through the Association of Independent Schools A Division regular-season schedule. A transfer from Puerto Rico, Cepero is being recruited by UCLA and Nebraska and with good reason -- she is rated one of the top 10 high school volleyball players in the nation and one of the top 50 basketball players. "She made everyone better," said Eagles coach Ginger Gelston, who did not know Cepero was coming to McDonogh until she walked onto the court in August. "Her skills are by far the highest level, and she raised the level of everyone on the team. She ran the offense and she directed the team. She had the ability to lift everyone else up. Instead of getting frustrated with the lower level of play, she kept everything positive." This exceptional athlete had 357 assists, 41 kills, 26 solo blocks and 20 block assists.

Final top 15

1. Centennial 17-3

2. Severna Park 18-2

3. Mount Hebron 19-1

4. Dulaney 18-1

5. Glenelg 10-6

6. Loch Raven 15-3

7. South River 15-5

8. F. Scott Key 12-4

9. Glen Burnie 9-3

10. River Hill 10-7

11. Owings Mills 12-5

12. McDonogh 13-2

13. Mercy 17-4

14. Spalding 15-4

15. Liberty 12-4

Other teams considered: Western (16-2), North Carroll 13-3, Mount Carmel (13-5), Broadneck (10-5), Friends (8-2)

1998 All-Metro volleyball teams

Player of the Year: Lisa Chapman, Centennial

Coach of the Year: Debbie Hanley, Mount Carmel

FIRST TEAM

Name ................. School ......... Class ... Position

Melaney Heagy ........ Dulaney ........ Senior .. Hitter

Kristina Kaltreider .. Mount Hebron ... Senior .. Hitter

Traci Sariscak ....... Severna Park ... Senior .. Hitter

Kate Wall ............ North Carroll .. Senior .. Hitter

Lauren Boyd .......... Severna Park ... Senior .. Setter

Greichaly Cepero ..... McDonogh ....... Senior .. Setter

Lisa Chapman ......... Centennial ..... Senior .. Setter

SECOND TEAM

Name ............... School ........ Class ... Position

Abby Barnett ....... Liberty ....... Senior .. Hitter

Jill Bishop ........ Loch Raven .... Senior .. Hitter

Jessica Freeman .... South River ... Senior .. Hitter

Teresa Graham ...... Dulaney ....... Senior .. Hitter

Megan Hube ......... C. M. Wright .. Junior .. Hitter

Monica McLaughlin .. Hammond ....... Senior .. Setter

Leah Runyan ........ Loch Raven .... Senior .. Setter

Michelle Russell ... Mercy ......... Senior .. Setter

Team selection

The Baltimore Sun 1998 All-Metro volleyball teams were selected by Stan Rappaport after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.

Pub Date: 11/27/98