High school volleyball: Malden’s Dobbins earns Bootheel Player of Year

BOOTHEEL — Malden High School middle hitter Angela Dobbins has been named the Bootheel Conference player of the year.

Dobbins also secured first-team honors in Class 2 District 1.

“Angela has a great understanding and knowledge of the game, and it showed on the court,” Malden head volleyball coach Jennifer Sokolova said in an email to the Delta Dunklin Democrat.

Malden High School�s Nasia Smoot (11) and Angela Dobbins (13) put up a double block during a Bootheel Conference tournament match in Malden dated Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Dobbins was named Bootheel Conference player of the year while Smoot earned first-team all-district and all-conference honors.(File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“She is the type of player you can count on to get the job done, and show leadership,” Sokolova continued. “She was an explosive player at her position, and she worked hard to be the player of the year.”

Sokolova’s coaching also benefitted Dobbins along the way, and the Green Wave finished with a 15-14-3 record — and champions of the Charleston Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 30.

Dobbins said her goal is to continue playing the sport she loves on the collegiate level.

Senath-Hornersville�s Jada Burlison (7) tips the ball over the net during a Class 2 District 1 match versus East Prairie dated Thursday, Oct. 19.(File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“It’s been an amazing journey from not playing at all my freshman year to earning all-conference honors three times,” said a grateful Dobbins.

Dobbins finished the season with 182 kills, 81 ace blocks and 32 ace serves. She produced a kill roughly one-third of the time while on attack.

Portageville’s Sasha Kellams earned coach of the year accolades, propelling Portageville to a 28-5-2 record before Scott City eliminated the Bulldogs in the Class 2 sectional round on Oct. 26.

Campbell�s Ava Baggett (3) receives a serve during a Bootheel Conference tournament match on Oct. 10. Baggett already has announced her intention to play college volleyball for University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. Baggett was an all-Bootheel Conference choice. (File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Kellams said she wouldn’t have been the coach she was without the amazing athletes who played for Portageville.

She had plenty of talent to work with in first-team, all-district selections Laney Stone and Gloriaha Farmer plus second-team picks Jayla Weddington and Ja’Niya Smith. All four girls also were named to the Bootheel Conference team.

Weddington was tops in kills with 261 and she also had 25 ace blocks. Smith paced the Bulldog defense with 427 digs, posted 189 kills and she served up a whopping 51 aces.

Malden High School senior Kinley Buchanan serves during a Class 1 District 2 match versus Portageville on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Farmer was dynamic all around with 282 digs and 252 kills to go with 42 aces. Stone compiled 379 digs, 200 kills and 24 aces to round out the Bulldog superlatives.

Senath-Hornersville earned a five-set win over Portageville on Aug. 29, which propelled the Lions to the No. 1 seed in both the conference and district tournaments.

First-team all-district selection Jada Burlison fueled the Lion offense with a team-high 323 kills plus 56 ace serves. She also was a Bootheel Conference all-league choice.

Senath-Hornersville's Chloe Edmonston was a second-team all-district and first team all-Bootheel Conference selection. (File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Morgan Chandler ran the Lion offense to the tune of 519 assists, while Chloe Edmonston served up a team-best 61 aces. Both girls were second-team, all-district selections.

Brennan Lane was Senath-Hornersville’s top defensive player with 455 digs, and she also had 58 aces — capping the school’s accolades.

Campbell had three players achieve all-Bootheel Conference honors in Ava Baggett, Hartlee Wills and Paige Knotts.

Campbell's Hartlee Wills (8) hits the ball over the net during a Bootheel Conference tournament match versus Senath-Hornersville at Malden from mid-October. (File photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Baggett was the Camels team captain, guiding them to an 11-16-2 record.

“She was our leader on the team,” Campbell head coach Chelsea Bledsoe said. “She played all the way around. She was dependable, and has the will to win.”

Baggett currently ranks No. 1 in academic standing for the upcoming Campbell graduating Class of 2024. She already has announced her intention to play for University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis next fall.

The Portageville High School volleyball team celebrates winning the Class 2 District 1 tournament in Malden on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (Submitted photo from the Portageville School District)

She posted averages of eight kills, 11 digs, three ace blocks and two ace serves per match.

Knotts is a second-year varsity player for Campbell. Bledsoe had Knotts play in defensive rotations for the first time this season. She was known for her serve accuracy (.910) and blocking (averaging one per set).

Wills, a sophomore, played in every type of rotation for the Camels. She averaged 10 digs, seven kills and two aces per match. Campbell’s all-district honors will be found in the Saturday edition of the Delta Dunklin Democrat.