River Hill senior outside hitter Kristin Lee is not the flashiest volleyball player in Howard County. In fact, she is not even the flashiest player on her own team.

Nothing about her game — whether it's her serving, her hitting or her defense — makes spectators stand up and say, "Wow!"

But what does make Lee a special player, and what has made her the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times Player of the Year, is what she doesn't do.

Late in games, when one point can swing a match, Lee doesn't serve balls into the net, she doesn't hit cross-court shots that sail wide and she doesn't shank digs. In two state tournament matches spanning 10 sets, she missed just one serve and three serve receptions. In 68 hitting attempts on the biggest stage, she made only 10 errors and put away 20 kills.

On the season, she led the Hawks (17-2) with 170 kills and had 198 digs and 33 aces while serving 91 percent.

"Kristin didn't have the same number of kills as other players (around the county) because we were fortunate to have a well-balanced offense so the sets were more equally distributed," coach Lynn Paynter said. "(But) Kristin was our steady (force) on the court at all times and a key factor in taking River Hill to the state tournament."

While the Hawks had a top setter in Caitlin Davis and one of the state's most feared hitters in Amber Wiswell, as well as depth at every position on the court, it was Lee's steadying presence that helped River Hill to its first undefeated league season, the Gator Invitational championship and a trip to the state finals, where the Hawks lost to North Hagerstown in five sets. It was arguably River Hill's best season in school history.

Kristin "was a huge impact on our team this year as an all-around player," Paynter said. "(She) has a great attitude on and off the court, takes criticism with little question and listens and tries very hard to implement coaches' suggestions."

Lee, whose father Rick is a coach with the Maryland Juniors Volleyball Club, came to high school as a polished player, even after only a few years of experience.

"I started playing in the seventh grade … both of my parents play volleyball and when I was little they tried to get me to play and I was like, 'No, I don't want to!' but then I tried it and I loved it," said Lee, who mostly played soccer growing up. "I made varsity my freshman year. (Coach Sybil Modispacher) was surprised because she didn't know I was there … I just remember her making a big deal out of me being a freshman a lot. A couple of times I would put the ball in a certain spot and she would say, 'My freshman's paying attention!' It was really fun."

Lee was a part-time starter that year as River Hill made it to the state semifinals, but she was used in more of a reserve role each of the last two years as 2010 all-county first teamers Sarah Okey and Megan Rosburg filled River Hill's needs at outside hitter.

"They're both really good so it was important to have them up there in the offense," Lee said. "But it was still fun practicing because you get to learn from each other and I think it really helped push me to get better for this year."

This season, Lee got her chance to be a team leader, and it didn't take long to see that the 2011 Hawks had something special.

"A lot of us had been together for such a long time. We know how each other plays so we mesh well on and off the court. If you're friends, really friends with your teammates, then it really helps communication," said Lee, who has not yet selected a college, but would like to study computer programming and continue to play volleyball.

Named to the all-county first team:

Setter

Caitlin Davis, River Hill senior. With many offensive weapons to choose from, including her sisters Kelly and Cassidy, Davis did a masterful job of distributing the ball and leading the Hawks to an undefeated regular season and a state finals appearance. Davis, who is also a county champion pole vaulter, averaged more than nine assists per game, finishing the season with 543 assists. She also had 126 digs and 39 aces.

Outside hitters

Trisha Mockapetris, Centennial junior. After playing a supporting role under Players of the Year Liz Brown (2009) and Sam Brostrom (2010) her first two seasons, Mockapetris — whose older sister, Tehya, was Maryland's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2007 — thrived in her first season as the Eagles' offensive leader. She finished with 234 kills, up more than 100 from a year ago, 204 digs, 24 blocks and she served 92.4 percent. She recorded double-digit kills 12 times this season, including 22 in a four-set loss to Glenelg, and was one of her team's most reliable serve receivers.

"She was a captain (this year) and she was a captain as a sophomore. She was a leader and people turned to her," coach Larry Schofield said. "I want that from everybody. She wants to be the go-to player and she's worked hard to maintain that."

Morgan Perry, Glenelg sophomore. After a productive freshman year in which she was primarily a serving and defensive specialist, Perry emerged this season as a major offensive weapon for the Gladiators. She finished with more than 200 kills, even after missing a pair of matches late in the regular season while recovering from a concussion. Building on her foundation as an all-around player, Perry also had 231 digs, 20 aces and 29 blocks. She had a season-high 19 kills in a win over Centennial, and was named to the all-tournament team of the Linganore Tournament after finishing with 47 kills in 12 games.

"She turned out to be a very good hitter outside. She really has a nice armswing and a nice philosophy on offense," coach Don Beall said. "We're pleased with her development and excited for next year."

Middle hitters

Kelsea Belt, Reservoir senior. A strong candidate for Player of the Year, Belt had a breakout senior season. More often than not, a ball set to Belt resulted in a Gators' kill. She finished with 182 kills in 367 attempts with only 25 hitting errors for an excellent .428 hitting percentage. As one of the most versatile middle hitters in the league, Belt also had 47 blocks and 22 aces on 93.4 percent serving. In an eight-day stretch from Oct. 18 to Oct. 25, Belt recorded almost 100 kills, including a school-record 25 in a five-set win over Marriotts Ridge and 29 in eight games at the Gator Invitational, a performance that earned her tournament co-MVP honors.

"She proved game after game that she was a dominating player," coach Carole Ferrante said. "(But) in addition to being a strong player, she has shown nothing but respect and good sportsmanship toward her opponents."

Belt is looking to attend a larger college where she can focus on academics and continue to play volleyball at the intramural level.

Amanda Goodspeed, Atholton senior. Goodspeed was her team's emotional leader and the driving force behind the Raiders' turnaround season after a three-win 2010 campaign. She led Atholton to a 6-0 start in league play, including Atholton's first win over Centennial in more than 20 years.

Goodspeed finished the season with 104 kills, 48 blocks, 44 digs and 22 aces. In a five-set win over Marriotts Ridge, she recorded 12 kills and 12 blocks.

She was "the team's MVP this year and last," coach Dave Decker said. She "was one of three girls this year to reach 100 kills in a well balanced offense. She is a game changer and is attending St. Mary's next year to play volleyball."

Amber Wiswell, River Hill senior. After playing in Southern California for her first three years of high school, Wiswell transferred to Clarksville after her mother took a new job in Washington, D.C., and made quite the splash. On an already deep team, Wiswell offered some welcome pop on the front row and was a spirited cheerleader when rotating out from the back row.

A true force at the net, she finished with 162 kills with an excellent .434 hitting percentage and 65 blocks.

"Having a nice addition like Amber is great. She hits well, she's adapted well to all of the girls, she's just a good kid and it's been fun having her," coach Lynn Paynter said. "She's very comfortable with the game, and that's what's fun to see."

Libero

Azita Nejaddehghan, Wilde Lake senior. The rock of Wilde Lake's defense, Nejaddehghan helped stabilize an inexperienced Wildecats' back row. She tallied 222 digs and passed at an impressive 2.18 average, where 3.00 is a perfect pass. And from the service line she was unrivaled, serving an amazing 97.6 percent with only four errors in 164 attempts. When called upon to do so, she was also capable of helping the team as a hitter (12 kills) and setter (five assists).

"She's a great captain and she dedicated herself to the team," coach Caitlin Williams said. "Her serve was incredibly consistent. She got aces here and there but she always made sure it was in. She was my eyes and ears out on the court."

Second team:

• Camryn Long, Glenelg junior setter
• Cailin Fredrickson, Long Reach junior outside hitter
• Robin Laux, Marriotts Ridge senior outside hitter
• Erin Walter, Mt. Hebron junior outside hitter
• Kim Moore, Howard senior middle hitter
• Cici White-Torruellas, Centennial senior right side
• Allie Cable, Oakland Mills junior libero
• Maddie Chervenak, Hammond senior libero

IAAM All-Stars:

• Amy Trageser, Chapelgate senior setter
• Lauren Dawson, Glenelg Country senior setter

Honorable mention:

• Naomi Burke, Atholton junior setter
• Iulia Tath, Reservoir junior setter
• Morgan Walter, Mt. Hebron junior setter
• Beth Wehr, Marriotts Ridge senior setter
• Lexi White Torruellas, Centennial junior setter

• Natalie Alper, Atholton junior outside hitter
• Aly Dillon, Glenelg senior outside hitter
• McKay Evans, Atholton junior oustide hitter
• Krista Pecenka, Wilde Lake junior outside hitter
• Marta Roman, River Hill senior outside hitter
• Rachel Smith, Reservoir senior outside hitter
• Kelly Surkovich, Wilde Lake freshman outside hitter

• Paige Coolahan, Mt. Hebron senior middle hitter
• Cassidy Davis, River Hill junior middle hitter
• Alison Dorsey, Long Reach senior middle hitter
• Aly Haslam, Reservoir senior middle hitter
• Samantha Johnson, Marriotts Ridge senior middle hitter

• Michaela Tummings, Wilde Lake junior right side

• Julie Dixon, Marriotts Ridge senior defensive specialist

• Vashti Burke, Atholton senior libero
• Amanda Gross, Reservoir senior libero
• Allie James, Glenelg senior libero