Kamiakin’s Allison Stapleton rules the All-Area volleyball court

Being a standout track athlete, Allison Stapleton was not expecting to run away with volleyball honors this fall.

The 6-foot-2 Kamiakin senior outside hitter said she was surprised when she was named co-player of the year for the Mid-Columbia Conference with Chiawana’s Ashtin Olin. The disbelief continued when she was named the Tri-City Herald’s All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year.

“I was looking forward to seeing the (all-league) team,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect. The MCC was so talented. I wasn’t expecting it at all, then I saw that me and Ashtin were up there. I started freaking. This (All-Area player of the year) is more than I could have thought. It’s a surprise.”

The Braves finished the regular season 11-3 and earned a trip to the Class 3A state tournament, where they finished 0-2. For the year, they were 19-9.

Richland’s Bob Raidl was named coach of the year. The Bombers went 14-0 during the MCC season and advanced to the Class 4A state tournament for the first time since 2012. Richland went 1-2 at state and finished with an 18-4 overall record.

Stapleton was part of a towering trio that included 5-11 Leanna Shymanski and 5-10 Madison Judy. The Braves used their height to their advantage. But Stapleton was more than a go-to player at the net. She played the full rotation on the floor, to the surprise of many.

“For me, I think when opponents see a 6-2 girl, they say, ‘I’m going to serve to her,’ then they realize I can pass and they move on,” Stapleton said. “The big benefit of being in the back row was being able to have that impact with my energy, and you get a different perspective of the other team’s court. You see where the openings are, and I’m able to pass information to my teammates.”

Stapleton finished the season with 279 kills while hitting .286. She added 311 digs, 37 blocks and served at 92.7 percent with 24 aces.

“It was nice to have tall girls this year, and ones who had experience,” Kamiakin coach Morgan Schauble said. “She plays hard. Volleyball wasn’t her top sport, and she has worked really hard. Track runs in her family, but when people started taking an interest in her, I think she knew she could do something with volleyball.”

So did BYU, who offered Stapleton a partial scholarship. Washington State had a full-ride offer on the table, but the school doesn’t have the photography major she wanted.

“I started the recruiting process pretty late,” Stapleton said. “WSU was at first my top pick before I heard from BYU. I loved everything about WSU, but they didn’t have my major. I couldn’t go to school just for sports. I know I made the right choice. There are tons of WSU fans around here, but I know BYU is where I need to be.”

BYU took notice of Stapleton before her junior year. She was at a team camp that had college coaches on staff. They inquired where she was going to play, and she told them she was going to do track.

“They told me they thought I could play volleyball and do well,” she said. “One of the coaches there contacted the BYU coaches. Both (BYU and WSU) were perfect fits. I didn’t look into any other schools. I didn’t want the extra stress. I took an official visit to BYU in November (2015) and committed in April. Right now, I have a partial scholarship. Then it depends on how much I improve. It’s a motivator to improve myself.”

Stapleton dipped her toe in the club volleyball waters late in her career. She and Shymanski play on a team in Ellensburg.

“I played a little bit of club last year,” Stapleton said. “I went to practice and got some touches. This is my first full year. We have tournaments coming up in January. It’s a fairly new club, and I love it. We practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am not looking forward to that drive in the snow.”

Also making the trip to Ellensburg are Lainie Lacey and Hailey Daves from Richland, and Marissa Logozzo and Yaneli Garcia of Chiawana.

“We have a carpool,” Stapleton said. “It’s been different for me. Most of my volleyball career has been with Kamiakin and the same faces. It’s different to see new faces and a new style of play.”

Stapleton has plans to turn out for track in the spring, but that likely will be her last time soaring through the air in the long, triple and high jumps.

“That was hard,” Stapleton said of giving up track. “It has been one of the hardest things emotionally I have gone through. That was the first sport I think I really excelled at. (Older sister) Andrea is on the BYU track team. How fun would it be to jump together? Once I knew I could do volleyball, I realized how much I liked it. I could do volleyball every day and not get sick of it. Volleyball is that one constant thing I want to do. It is kind of bittersweet.”

Stapleton reports to BYU for volleyball June 27.

“I’m a little scared, but excited at the same time,” she said. “I will miss summer with my friends, but this is a new adventure.”

Joining Stapleton on the All-Area first team are Shymanski, Catelyn Linke of Pasco, McKaidan Moore of Chiawana, and Kamry Breard and Lacey of Richland.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Kamiakin’s Allison Stapleton rules the All-Area volleyball court."