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2018 Marshall Independent Volleyball Player of the Year: Lydia Sussner

Design by Sam Thiel Minneota's Lydia Sussner is the 2018 Marshall Independent Volleyball Player of the Year.

MINNEOTA – With her team at match point, Lydia Sussner stepped behind the service line, took a deep breath, and delivered a line-drive over the net.

The ball perfectly landed out of reach of the Medford defenders, giving Sussner a match-winning ace as her teammates rushed the court. The Minneota volleyball team had just returned to the top of the volleyball world for the first time in 12 years with a Class A Championship sweep.

For Sussner, it was a storybook ending to a strong career that saw the senior middle hitter help lead Minneota to back-to-back state championship appearances. In the state tournament this year, Sussner recorded 47 kills, 12 digs and six blocks. Those contributions, along with her leadership, have earned Sussner the 2018 Marshall Independent Volleyball Player of the Year.

Sussner said she was completely surprised and honored when she heard the news.

“It’s actually really surprising,” Sussner said. “There’s a lot of obviously really good athletes in our area, and we have one of the best sections in the state.”

Minneota coach Hayley Fruin said the accolade is fitting to the work that Sussner has put in during her career for the Vikings.

“I’m so incredibly proud of Lydia. She is going against the No. 1 hitter every match and she finds a way to shut them down or slow them down and she still puts balls away. She has a great sense of the game and is so smart with her shot selection; she has such a high volleyball IQ. She makes herself available as a hitter at all times. She is such a coachable kid and responds to anything asked of her,” Fruin said. “I am so happy she is getting recognized for Independent Player of the Year. She is so deserving of this and I am so happy to see all of her hard work and time commitment through Southwest JO, lifting, staying after practice and summer ball has paid off.”

Sussner has been instrumental in guiding the Vikings throughout her career, leading the way as one of Minneota’s go-to hitters. This season, Sussner was second in the area in kills at 452, including averaging 4.61 kills per set, while also leading the way in blocks with 102. She added 87 total digs and five service aces.

Those numbers paid off, as Sussner was named to the Class A All-Tournament team and was a finalist for the Ms. Baden Volleyball Award.

Sussner said what made these last couple of seasons special was the bond they’ve developed as a team, especially with her fellow seniors.

“I think the girls; we were all just really close and obviously we play both sports (volleyball and basketball), so we’re together all the time,” Sussner said. “We’ve become really close and we’re best friends off the court too.”

Fruin said Sussner has grown a lot during her career, and has taken the time to improve her game from a young age.

“She put in a lot of time during Southwest JO with Tyler Boddy and Mike Dahlager and Terry Culhane and they really developed her at a young age and just taught her so much about the game,” Fruin said. “She took it and just grew and I think she’s better than anybody ever thought she could’ve got to.”

Fruin added what makes Sussner’s play on the court so special is her knowledge of the game and willingness to share it with her teammates.

“She’s definitely one of those kids where I think when you watch her, she doesn’t always look like she’s crazy excited in the moment but she’s just so strategic the whole time. She comes out of the match and she’s talking strategy with all of the other players,” Fruin said. “People don’t see her at practice, but she’s putting in the extra time with all of the other kids and trying to make them better. She stays after practice as often as possible, she works in the offseason. She’s just one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever been around.”

Sussner said both Fruin and her teammates have made a big impact on her and that she’s grateful for the memories they were able to make as a group.

“They’ve definitely helped me out and I’ve learned a lot,” Sussner said. “Obviously we have a ton of memories that I’ll take with me the rest of my life and we’ve all just really grown together. We’re like a big family.”

Fruin said Sussner has impacted her and the team in a lot of ways, and they’ll miss her next season.

“Definitely wish I could’ve had her longer of course. It’s not often you get a middle like that in a program, especially in a small 1A school, so we didn’t take her for granted ever,” Fruin said. “We put so much pressure on her all the time and had high expectations and she handles it and just goes with it. We’ll miss her next year and hopefully she’ll come back and help us in the offseason as often as she can.”

Fortunately for Sussner, her career isn’t over just yet. The senior will be heading down Highway 68 to Marshall where she will be attending Southwest Minnesota State University and be a member of the volleyball program. The Mustangs went 23-9 this season.

Sussner is the newest addition of a Minneota-SMSU pipeline that has been treated to the talents such as Megan Larson and Taylor Reiss the past few seasons. Before she heads to SMSU, however, Sussner still has one final season on the court with the Vikings girls basketball team. She said she’ll miss the atmosphere of the high school game but is excited for her next chapter at the collegiate level.

“I’ll miss the girls, the coaches and just the environment, but I’m looking forward to playing in college,” Sussner said. “Obviously they didn’t get where they wanted to be but hopefully next year will be a different story.”

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