West Ottawa's Raegan Lantz is Holland Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year

PARK TWP. - With her team's season on the line, Raegan Lantz was at her best.

Down two sets in the district tournament, the West Ottawa senior outside hitter upped her game to a level rarely seen in a high school match.

Lantz put down ball after ball to help the Panthers force a fifth set. With the season on the line, she had the best match of her career, slamming a stunning 36 kills.

"This year, I really saw my competitiveness and drive come out even more. I always wanted to get better and what way I could help my team more. Wanting to be the best has helped me grow and developIt was huge," Lantz said. " Looking back at how much I was able to do during the match was really cool. I do well when there is a lot of pressure, and that pressure of it being my last game helped me get the job done. I wanted to give the team the energy it needed to thrive.

"Thinking about how we left it all on the court made me happy, even though we didn’t get the result we were hoping for."

The Panthers lost the match, but Lantz put an exclamation point on her all-state career. She is The Holland Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

"Raegan Lantz in a six rotation player that brings heart and soul into everything that she does. She will be remembered at WO for her skill, but more importantly, the great person and role model," West Ottwaa coach Kaitlyn Lawton said. "Her ability to mix up her shots on offense kept opposing defenses on their toes and seemingly unstoppable while helping her hit her 1000 career kill milestone. She has made a statement in the records that she has set during her three years on the varsity team, but more importantly she has left a legacy with her example of what an amazing teammate looks like. Team success was most important to her and showed in the way that she supported her teammates."

Lantz finished the season with 669 kills, hitting .300 for the season. She had 28 blocks, 73 aces and 277 digs from her outside hitter position. She was named second-team all-state in Division 1, and third-team All-American.

Perhaps the most impressive part of her dominating on the volleyball court is that she is doing so while constantly battling Type 1 Diabetes.

"It has been a lot of figuring out what works. Type 1 is 24-7. It is a full-time job. With playing, I have had to do a lot of trial and error over the past few years, figuring out what to eat before games, what to eat during games when my blood sugar is low, shoving fruit snacks into my mouth during games. Telling refs to hang on a sec so I can get (a snack) in my mouth. Exercise impacts it so much from day to day. Sometimes I exercise a lot and I just cannot get my blood sugar up the next day, or its perfectly fine. I never really know what is going to happen," Lantz said. "My pancreas just doesn’t work at all. I wear a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). I continually have that and it is connected to my phone. I have a pump that I give myself insulin through that."

Subscribe:Get complete local sports coverage with this special offer

Lantz will take her struggles and her successes to the next level. She signed with Miami (Ohio) to play volleyball next year at one of the top Mid-American Conference programs, an NCAA Division I team.

"I am most excited for the challenge for playing at a Division I school. It is a whole other ballgame playing with girls who are 21, and the speed and intensity of it," Lantz said. "It is going to take a lot of time in the gym and paying a lot of attention in the gym. I know the coaches are going to help get me ready for that. I am lifting more this year, trying to get stronger and get some more momentum on that ball. Some little tweaks will help me get more power on my swing, read defenses better, read blocks better and make more shots."

But there will be nothing quite like her high school years.

"I am most proud of how much I have grown and developed over the years, how much my volleyball IQ has improved, especially switching positions - and how much our team has grown," Lantz said. "This group of girls was really special. Having a fun, loving group to go out with is really great."

All-AREA FIRST TEAM

• Raegan Lantz, West Ottawa (POY)

• Nevaeh Bakker, Zeeland West

• Katie Carlson, Zeeland East

• Chloe Duckworth, West Ottawa

• Kiria Elenbaas, Zeeland East

• Jeralyn Hoppes, Hamilton

• Lindsey Houle, Zeeland West

• Avery Huisman, Holland Christian

• Madie Jamrog, Hamilton

• Chelsea Overbeek, West Ottawa

• Tryna VanderZwaag, Holland Christian

• Ally Yonker, Zeeland West

• Reilly Zegunis, Zeeland East

SECOND TEAM

• Joelle Boeskool, Hamilton

• Ava Conklin, Black River

• Makynna Crook, West Ottawa

• Petra DeBoer, Zeeland East

• Chloe Fris, Black River

• Ariana Gray, Holland

• Lindy Gulker, Zeeland West

• Kennedy Gustafson, Saugatuck

• Cece Huizingh, Zeeland East

• Amelia Manosack, West Ottawa

• Abby Nash, Zeeland West

• Annabel Pierce, Holland Christian

• Sophia Pierce, Holland Christian

• Alyssa Ries, Saugatuck

• Haley Rivera, Saugatuck

• Brylee Selby, Zeeland East

• Macey Smith, Zeeland East

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa's Raegan Lantz is Holland Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year