By Marty Gordon
Auburn High School claimed another state volleyball title this past month, and Wednesday, the Mt. Empire District honored Auburn senior Avery Zuckerwar as player of the year and Coach Sherry MIllirons as coach of the year.
This is the third straight year the player of year has come from Riner. Zuckerwar finished the season with 362 kills, 62 aces and 340 digs.
Despite winning the state title, Auburn did have a “down” season.
The school entered this year with 70-plus win streak, but Bland handed the Eagles a loss in week number one. From there, Auburn had to battle to reach the state final including a district championship loss to Giles, but they rebounded with a regional win over the same
Giles squad.
In the state title game, they took a 25-13, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20 win over Rappahannock.
A total of six players from the Class 1 state champions were recognized on the MED first-team and honorable mention.
First-teamers included Zuckerwar, Madeline Laverage, Stacy Lewis, Madison Ketterer and sophomore Briel Underwood. Honorable mentions were Gretchen Surface and Keisie Groceclose.