Chargers place league-best 5 on All-Arrowhead Conference volleyball team

By: Aaron Frey, Carl Sandburg College

After a record-setting season, the Sandburg volleyball team had five players voted to the 2024 All-Arrowhead Conference team by league coaches, the most of any school.

The Chargers were represented on the team by sophomores Taylor Wagner, Natalie Burden, Madeline Mooney, Grace Vyhnanek and Ayla Cannon. For Burden, Mooney, Vyhnanek and Cannon, it marked their second straight season earning all-conference honors.

Wagner, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter from Southeastern High School, was one of the most prolific attackers in the country during her only season with Sandburg. In 10 conference matches, Wagner led the Chargers with 125 kills, 3.68 kills per set, a .340 hitting percentage, 3.9 points per set and 134 points.

Overall this season, Wagner led NJCAA Division II with 621 kills, was second with 682 points and was fifth with 1,636 total attacks. She also was voted first-team All-Region 4 this season.

Burden, a 5-7 outside hitter from New London, Iowa, started all 10 conference matches and finished second to Wagner in several statistical categories, including kills (95), kills per set (2.88), points per set (3.4) and points (112). Burden also totaled 111 digs (3.36 per set) in Arrowhead action.

Nationally, Burden finished 13th with 475 kills, ninth with 1,447 attacks and 15th with 551 points.

A 5-3 libero from Metamora, Mooney paced the Chargers in conference play with 221 digs, 6.70 digs per set, 208 serve receptions and 15 aces. Mooney, a second-team all-region pick, led the nation with 1,054 service receptions and was third in the country with 938 digs. For her career, she recorded 1,706 digs, which is believed to be a Sandburg record.

Vyhnanek, a 5-8 setter from West Prairie High School, tallied 338 assists while playing in all 35 Arrowhead sets this season. She also picked up 61 digs and served 11 aces in conference play.

Vyhnanek finished her sophomore season as the NJCAA Division II leader with 1,524 assists and ranked 13th with 9.71 assists per set. She wrapped up her Sandburg career with 2,723 assists.

A 6-0 middle hitter out of Burlington, Iowa, Cannon collected 89 kills, 19 blocks (10 solo) and 111.5 points in 35 conference sets. Cannon racked up nine kills, three solo blocks and totaled 12.5 points in the Chargers’ five-set match with Sauk Valley on Sept. 26. Her 47 solo blocks on the season were 16th in the country, and she was 21st nationally with 523 points.

The all-conference quintet helped Sandburg finish 36-12 overall, set a school record for victories, win the Region 4 tournament title, advance to the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championship for the fourth time since 2017, claim the program’s first victory at nationals and reach the Sweet 16.