The Argus Leader Super Six recognizes the 12 best volleyball players in the state, regardless of class. Coach nominations and statistics were taken into consideration when compiling the team.

Read more about O'Gorman sophomore Bergen Reilly, the 2022 Argus Leader Super Six Player of the Year, here.

Here are this year's honorees.

FIRST TEAM

Bergen Reilly

O'Gorman | S/OH | Sr.

Reilly somehow built upon her already-historic South Dakota high school volleyball career in her senior season. A “one of a kind talent,” O’Gorman head coach Cale Hecht said, Reilly added another 440 kills (4.7 kills per set), 26 blocks, 338 digs (3.6 digs per set) and 60 aces (97.5% serve percentage while posting a .307 hitting percentage in her senior year.

A natural setter, and one of the best in the nation at the position, Reilly stepped into the outside hitter role for O’Gorman this season and once again thrived. She’s played all over the court in her career with the Knights, and has been among the best in the state in whatever role she’s in.

She can play any position and be the best at it,” Hecht said. “Bergen will have an impact on the court at whatever position and help her team win.”

Reilly, who last year made her first-ever Team USA National Team during O’Gorman’s 2021 season, has played in two more national tournaments since. Early in the Knights’ schedule this year, she was the only minor to play for Team USA’s Senior National Team in Pan American Cup Final Six in the Dominican Republic. As she heads to Nebraska this upcoming year, she’ll graduate high school as the greatest volleyball player in South Dakota history.

Morissen Samuels

Harrisburg | RSH | Sr.

Samuels was a superstar this season for an eventual Class AA state-champion Harrisburg team. One of the key senior leaders for the Tigers, Samuels played both middle and right side hitter for Harrisburg this year but Tigers head coach Ronette Costain said that doesn’t do justice to how many positions she could truly play at a high level on the floor.

“She has great knowledge of the game,” Costain said.

Samuels is a “big block” at the net and provides such a dangerous offensive presence there as a hitter, but played back row for Harrisburg this year, too. And not only did she thrive as a defensive player for the Tigers in that position, but she continued to thrive offensively as a member of Harrisburg’s back-row attack.

In her senior season, Samuels posted 297 kills and 210 digs to go with 37 blocks and 35 service aces. Her “wicked serve” and ability to “hit a variety of shots” made her a difficult defensive assignment for any team. She is committed to play volleyball at Northern State.

“She is a natural leader and great role model to our younger players,” Costain said. “The Tigers are going to miss her next year.”

Joslyn Richardson

Washington | OH | Sr.

Washington has been among the elites in Class AA volleyball in recent years. And a big reason why is Richardson, who Washington head coach Kelly Schroeder said “has been one of the best players in the state for the last three years.”

One of the hitters in South Dakota this year, Schroeder said that Richardson is a “true” six-rotation player and the stats back that up. This season, she posted 427 kills with 424 digs, bringing her career totals to 1005 kills and 1116 digs to go with 167 service aces.

She was Washington’s go-to hitter in big situations all year long, scoring all over the floor and using her knowledge of the game to score in a variety of ways. But it was her defense that set her apart, helping her rise to one of the state’s premiere players.

“She plays aggressively at the net and has great court vision to know when to hit different shots from any position on the floor,” Schroeder said. “She plays great defense, is a great serve-receive passer, and has great instincts defensively to put herself in a position to make plays.”

Ellie Lems

Sioux Falls Christian | MH | Sr.

Sioux Falls Christian has, over the last half-decade plus, dominated Class A volleyball in every facet. And Lems was the best player on yet another dominant Sioux Falls Christian volleyball team in 2022. The senior middle hitter had a whopping 31 kills in the Chargers’ 3-1 win over Elkton-Lake Benton in the Class A state title game, helping secure Sioux Falls Christian’s sixth-straight Class A volleyball title.

Lems was a key component both offensively and defensively for the Chargers this year, being asked to play a lot of defense as well as “put the ball away” with her quick arm swing on offense. She posted a 97.7 serving percentage, 379 kills, .367 hitting percentage, 72 blocks and 182 digs to lead the Chargers all over the floor.

“Ellie is a phenomenal athlete and volleyball player,” Chargers head coach Darci Wassenaar said. “She plays all the way around and executes every skill so well.”

Logan Miller

Dakota Valley | S | Sr.

Miller has “made (Dakota Valley) go” for each of the past three seasons, Panthers head coach Mary Miller said. The three-year starter has become one of the state’s premiere setters, creating a constant offensive threat of Dakota Valley’s attackers whenever she’s on the floor. This year, Miller totalled 968 assists (9.4 per set), 49 aces, 80 kills and 216 digs, bringing her career totals to 2678 assists, 509 digs and 215 kills.

Miller is “perfect technically,” Mary said, jump-setting 90% of the balls passed to her. The jump holds the middle blocker — preparing for a potential attack — which gives Dakota Valley’s hitters a bigger window on their swings. More than that, she can do it on all spots of the floor, rotating and moving to the ball “super quick”: “She can move the ball around to any hitter in any position on the court,” Mary said.

Miller has been First Team Class A All-State each of the past two seasons and has been on the Class A All-Tournament team every season since her sophomore year.

“Logan has a super high volleyball IQ,” Mary said. “She understands situations better than any player that I have coached.”

Ava Nilsson

Warner | S | Jr.

With still a season to go, Nilsson has established herself as one of the best setters in the state over the last couple years and is perhaps the top junior in South Dakota.

Last season, the sophomore landed on Argus Leader’s Super Six Second Team approaching 3,000 career assists. This year, Nilsson passed 3,000 assists and then later in the season crossed the 4,000 assists mark, too (4094 career assists). With Nilsson leading the Monarchs with 46 assists in the state title match, Warner won its second-straight Class B state volleyball title.

“She worked hard to speed up our offense this season,” Jung said, “and made great decisions on where to set the ball in fast paced rallies.”

Jung said setting is what Nilsson gets “noticed” for, but she is also a strong block at the net and is a plus back-line defender, too. She finished this season with 1167 assists, 63 aces, 94 kills, 250 digs, seven solo blocks and 54 block assists.

“Ava is an incredible leader,” Warner volleyball head coach Kari Jung said. “With her passion for volleyball and her positive energy, she can always get the best out of those playing with her.”

SECOND TEAM

Maddie Paulsen

Jefferson | OH | Sr.

Paulsen is Sioux Falls Jefferson’s “spark plug,” Cavaliers head coach Beth Donnelly said. A strong figure at the net, Paulsen has emerged as one of the premiere attackers in all of South Dakota, leading Jefferson to the Class AA state title game in the second year of the program’s history.

Paulsen impacts the game in a variety of ways: pulling blockers to give Jefferson 1-on-1 situations in the front row as well as finishing off kills herself, an area where she was among the best in Class AA. She had 232 kills this year with a .321 hitting percentage to go with 61 blocks on the year.

“She has been our vocal and emotional leader for two years now,” Donnelley said. “She has been instrumental in building the Cavalier Culture and setting the foundation for athletes to come.”

Paulsen is committed to play volleyball at Concordia University, which is off to a 5-0 start this year and was just ranked in the top-10 among NAIA schools in the most-recent coaches poll.

Adisyn Indahl

Burke | OH | Sr.

Indahl put up incredible numbers as a hitter for Burke this season, but it was her play all over the court that sets her apart. She nearly matched her season-total digs (514) with her season-total kills (520). She also picked up 83 assists, 20 blocks and 53 service aces.

Indahl was a constant part of everything that Burke did on the floor this season, helping the Cougars go 32-6 and advance to the state semifinal at the Class B state tournament.

“All-Around great player,” Burke head coach Billiejo Indahl said. “Solid six rotation player that can play and has played any position on the court.”

She finishes her career with the Cougars with 1,455 kills, 199 aces and an incredible 1,962 digs, highlighting the overall contributions she has made in her years as a do-everything player for Burke.

“(Indahl’s) awesome on defense while also being a major threat on offense,” Billiejo said. “She sees the court and anticipates so well.”

Brogan Beck

O'Gorman | MB | Sr.

Beck is one of the many who have made the Knights a constant title threat over the last few seasons. In her time in the lineup, the Knights have won two state titles, including a fourth-place finish in the state tournament this past season.

Beck did all she could in the semifinal against Harrisburg in the state tournament this year, picking up 13 kills on 13 attack attempts (for a perfect hitting percentage) while blocking seven shots in the Knights’ loss. Beck posted another 11 kills in the third-place game versus Washington the next day.

This season, Beck was an imposing force in the middle of the net all year, posting 294 kills, (3.1 kills per set), a .409 hitting percentage and 74 total blocks (2.3 blocks per match). At 6-foot-4, she has a standing blocking reach of 101 inches (8.42 feet). Beck is committed to play volleyball at South Dakota State.

“(Beck) helped lead O'Gorman and was a dominant force for (us),” O’Gorman head coach Cale Hecht said. “Brogan took over matches offensively and defensively.”

Mataya Ward

Belle Fourche | OH/DS | Jr.

Speed, leaping ability and an “aggressive serve” that put opponents in “out of system opportunities” have made Ward “a force to be reckoned with” on the court for Belle Fourche. A six rotation player for the Broncos, Ward has “a variety of shots in her toolbox that she can score off of,” Belle Fourche head coach Loree Schlichtemeier said.

It’s what made her one of the premiere hitters in Class B, leading Belle Fourche to a 32-7 record and a state-tournament appearance. Ward finished the year with 537 kills on a .251 hitting percentage with 441 digs and 28 blocks. She also had 89 service aces. She was named Black Hills All Conference in 2021 and 2022, was Honorable Mention All State in 2021 and First Team All State in 2022.

“From the service line Mataya has an aggressive serve that has been very valuable in creating some out of system opportunities for our team to take advantage of,” Schlichtemeier said. “Mataya is packed with speed and has the ability to track down volleyballs all over the court.”

Ella Haven

Northwestern | MH | Sr.

Northwestern head coach Nora Groft called Haven “the epitome of a Northwestern volleyball player.” Haven has grown with Northwestern volleyball since she was in third grade, getting an opportunity to contribute for the Wildcats as a freshman in a “small role,” playing primarily middle blocker.

But Groft said Haven “worked extremely hard” each offseason, improving her skills and “transforming” herself into what Groft referred to as a “six-rotation powerhouse.” Since then, she’s contributed to two state titles (2019, 2020) and one consolation state title (2022).

“I have coached Ella for the past 10 years and am so proud of the person and player she has become,” Groft said. “She was once the young, little freshman on the court, and now as a senior, she is the one who leads all of our young players.”

This year was Haven’s best yet. She broke the school record for kills in a season (673) and set a record for career blocks with 300, leading Northwestern in every statistical category except for assists. She finishes her career with 1,422 kills, 300 blocks, 729 digs and 190 aces while leading the Wildcats to 127 wins in four years.

Olivia Kieffer

Rapid City Christian | OH | Sr.

Kieffer has been the backbone of Rapid City Christian for the last six years, spending every one of those years a starter for the Comets. She’s the team leader, having been co-captain for the last several seasons, and plays an invaluable role in Rapid City Christian’s play. She takes about 40% of the serve receives that the Comets face, playing defensive volleyball until it’s time to play at the net, where she was one of the best in Class A.

This season, she had 492 kills with 297 digs and 41 aces, which brings her career totals to 2,298 kills, 1,871 digs and 334 aces.

“She is mentally and physically tough with a positive attitude,” Rapid City Christian head coach Elizabeth Kieffer said. “Her grit, competitive spirit, and unstatable hustle plays put her on top.”

Kieffer has accumulated a long list of awards with her play on the volleyball court and was named Class A all-state each of the last three years. With Kieffer in the starting lineup, Rapid City Christian has made the SoDak 16 every year and qualified for state twice. She is committed to South Dakota to play basketball.

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Meet South Dakota's best high school volleyball players of 2022