Avon's Alex Laboy named Lorain County Miss Volleyball

ELYRIA — Before each match, the only thing distinguishing Alex Laboy from the other players on the court is the color of her uniform. As the libero on Avon's Southwestern Conference champion team that finished the season 22-2 and ranked 10th in the state in Division I, Laboy wears alternating colors but once the games start, there's no question about her ability or impact on the match — especially when it comes to defense. At the annual Lorain County Volleyball All-Star Games on Tuesday, Laboy was the 35th recipient of the annual Miss Volleyball Award. "I really wasn't expecting it," Laboy said. "I always go into the season working my hardest and work hard for my teammates. Knowing they're behind me, it means a lot. Having the other girls here with me, that means a lot." At 5-foot-5, Laboy does all the little things that only volleyball coaches and the most knowledgeable fans would appreciate as key elements of a successful team. She totaled a team-high 350 digs. From the service line, Laboy had 53 aces to lead the Eagles in that department as well. Her serve-reception percentage was nearly 95 percent in 327 attempts. Laboy is a four-year varsity letterwinner and carries over a 4.0 GPA. She was the SWC's MVP this year and Lorain County's D-I player of the year. She was named to the All-Ohio second team. "I'm really proud of Alex," Avon coach Julie Bendzuck said. "There have been great recipients the past couple years. I'm proud of all of them. This just defines Alex's career and the role that she had on our team. She had an outstanding senior season. We knew she was capable of it and when you look at her stats, they truly were remarkable. "She's an amazing person. She's one of the most humble people that I think I will ever coach. It's always about the team." It's the third straight year and the fourth time in the past six seasons that the Miss Volleyball Award went to an Avon player. The award, sponsored and presented by Burger King, was given to Laboy by director of training, Betty Hanson. Burger King has sponsored the award for its entire existence. Gillian Romanchock and Erin Gardner took home the award the past two years. Elizabeth Zollos, in 2014, and Rosie Schneider in 1989 were the other previous winners from Avon. "I have been really close with the girls that won this previously," Laboy said. "They kept saying if I worked my hardest, I'll be right where they were. It's paid off. I stay focused and work on what will help my team." The award is given to the senior volleyball player in Lorain County who exhibits high scholastic ratings, outstanding volleyball ability, displays good sportsmanship and the ability to play college volleyball. Laboy has verbally committed to continue her career at Bowling Green. Her father Phil credits her older sister Gabby with helping Alex win the award. He said Gabby would throw down a volleyball from the second floor for Alex to practice digging. "She worked her butt off," he said. "It's the culmination of all the work. It's a team sport, obviously, and what she does back there (on defense) is special." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Miss Volleyball Winners Year Player &emsp;&emsp;School &emsp;&emsp; 1985 Angie Riggins &emsp;&emsp;Elyria 1986 Jennifer Smith &emsp;&emsp;Midview 1987 Rebecca Yarish &emsp;&emsp;Elyria Catholic 1988 Monica Taylor &emsp;&emsp;Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 1989 Rosie Schneider &emsp;&emsp;Avon 1990 Amy Schloss &emsp;&emsp;Elyria 1991 Kearsten Yarish &emsp;&emsp;Elyria Catholic 1992 Marin Ferlic &emsp;&emsp;Lorain Catholic 1993 Becky Paukst &emsp;&emsp;Elyria West 1994 Jodie Williams Elyria 1995 Sarah Simmons Avon Lake 1996 Erinn Kingman Elyria 1997 Rachel Beran &emsp;&emsp;Firelands 1998 Jenn Snyder &emsp;&emsp;Elyria 1999 Jessy Verhoff &emsp;&emsp;Elyria 2000 Laura Sidorowicz&emsp;&emsp;Amherst Steele 2001 Lisa Verhoff &emsp;&emsp;Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 2002 Courtney Gilbert &emsp;&emsp;Midview &emsp;&emsp; 2003 Mel Snyder &emsp;&emsp;Amherst Steele 2004 Kate Verhoff &emsp;&emsp;Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 2005 Kelly Ruth &emsp;&emsp;Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 2006 Ashley Yuhas &emsp;&emsp;Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 2007 Courtney Jarvis Amherst Steele 2008 Amanda Medvetz&emsp;&emsp;Elyria 2009 Zoe Zwegart &emsp;&emsp;Elyria Catholic 2010 Deme Morales &emsp;&emsp;Amherst Steele 2011 Sarah Kaminski &emsp;&emsp;Elyria Catholic 2012 Whitney Craigo &emsp;&emsp;Avon Lake 2013 Katie Mihalik &emsp;&emsp;Avon Lake 2014 Elizabeth Zollos &emsp;&emsp;Avon &emsp;&emsp; 2015 Ashley Makruski &emsp;&emsp;Amherst 2016 Jessie Lee &emsp;&emsp;Elyria 2017 Erin Gardner &emsp;&emsp;Avon 2018 Gillian Romanchok Avon 2019 Alex Laboy &emsp;&emsp;Avon