With their ‘eyes on the prize’ Ashley Deschampe, Bekah Laky and Ali Iverson helped lead the CCHS girls’ varsity volleyball team to a 20-3 record. During the season the team posted an incredible 18 wins in a row. All three were selected to the first or second Polar League All-Conference team and each was invited to play in the All-Star game.
The Cook County Vikings have enjoyed an extraordinary run of success the past three seasons. They have placed numerous girls on the Polar League All-Conference and All-Star teams but not until this year have they had three girls selected to play in the All-Star game.
The Vikings ended the season with a gut-wrenching loss to the eventual section champion Cherry Tigers, to give them a season end record of 20-3. Two tournament victories were highlights of the season, with championships won in Hill City and Two Harbors, to go along with an 18-game win streak, the longest in school history.
Three girls have been chosen as Academic All-State, which requires the girls to have an extraordinary grade point average. The Vikings chosen for Academic All-State are seniors Michaela Buchheit, CeCe Olsen, and Ashley Deschampe. That’s only where the awards began, though, there were plenty more to go.
Coach Pam Taylor went into the Polar League selection meeting hoping for her girls to be recognized for their accomplishments. She was thoroughly impressed that the committee of coaches not only remembered her girls but also spoke highly of them. Senior Ashley Deschampe was voted unanimously as a 1st Team selection, while fellow senior Bekah Laky was voted to the 2nd team. Junior Ali Iverson was also chosen to the 2nd team, in a rare selection of three girls from one team making the cut. All three were automatically invited to play in the Polar League All-Star game.
Ali Iverson spoke about the award, “It’s pretty honorable, it’s pretty awesome that I got picked.” When asked why she thought she was chosen she deflected the attention, “I really like the girls I work and play with, so I feel that I play better when we all have a connection, like a family. Without the support of my teammates, there’s no way I’d have gotten this award.”
A multiple All-Conference athlete in volleyball, as well as basketball, Ashley “Dish” Deschampe has had experience in numerous All-Star games. She said, “I’m still excited, it’s really fun. You get to chat with the girls you’ve competed against in all sports and now you get to be teammates with them.”
Dish talked about the team’s successful season. “Overall it was a really good season because we had a fun group of girls and we all got along,” she said. She praised her fellow All- Star Bekah Laky, “It was a great season to play with my ‘bestie’ Bekah. She’s a great player, she’s always positive, has great energy on the court, and that’s why I love playing with her.”
Bekah Laky finished her senior season in fine fashion, catching the eye of many college recruiters. Bekah is undecided about what the future will bring, “I don’t know if I’ll play in college, yet. I know it’d be fun, I just don’t know where I’m going yet.”
After making some visits, she definitely has some deciding to do, but rest assured, any team that gets her would be acquiring a top notch athlete and person. Coach Taylor had this to say about Bekah, “She’s consistent and you know what she’s going to give you every night. She’s also a great leader and the girls look up to her, it’ll be tough replacing her and Dish, as well as the other seniors.”
The Vikings will have some work to do in the off-season, but with a strong core coming back they look to reload, rather than rebuild. A strong J.V. program, headed by coach Sharon Dorr, and a deep bench will provide the Vikings with a team that should look to compete again in a tough section.
One thing that the Vikes lose a lot of though is leadership, and those big shoes will have to be filled. Iverson spoke of this, “I feel like I’m going to have to step it up and be a leader, like Bekah and all the other seniors were. We have a lot of potential and I think we’ll be good, we just have to be ready to step it up.”
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