Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Aleksey Mikhailenko, a junior outside hitter from Mequon Homestead High School, has been named the 2024 Badger Region/ Frisco Mo Boys High School Volleyball Player of the Year in voting done by Wisconsin boys high school volleyball coaches.

The Player of the Year and the All-State Teams are sponsored by the Badger Region Volleyball Association and Frisco Mo Apparel.

After being named third-team All-State last season, Mikhailenko took his game to another level this year, leading Homestead to a 32-7 record, finishing with 483 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. He averaged roughly 17 kills per match, as his season included 17 matches with over 15 kills, 10 with over 20, seven with over 25, as well as a 30-kill match in a playoff win against Cedarburg.  He also had strong defense (105 digs), serving (47 aces) and passing (2.25) according to Homestead head coach Tom Scherrer.

This year, Homestead was also the champions of the North Shore Conference where Mikhailenko was also player of the year.

The 2024 Gary Sorenson Coach of the Year award was given to Mike Maass. This season, Maass led the Lightning to a fifth-place finish at State, third place in the Fox Valley Association regular season and a 23-13 record on the year. Maass, a 1995 graduate of UW-Milwaukee, has a record of 547-176 in 24 years at the school. Appleton North finished the season receiving votes in the Badger Region / Frisco Mo Wisconsin Boys High School Top 10 list.

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees:

Player of the Year

Aleksey Mikhailenko, Homestead, Junior, Outside Hitter

Gary Sorensen Coach of the Year

Mike Maass, Appleton North

About the Badger Region / Frisco Mo All-State list

All athletes must be nominated by their coach and be a member of a First- or Second-Team All-Conference Team for consideration for the Badger Region/Frisco Mo All-State team. Nominations were taken for the All-State list up through Tuesday, Nov. 5. Coaches throughout the state voted on the nominations through 11 p.m. Nov. 8.  

Athletes named Player of the Year, First Team, Second Team or Third Team All-State will receive a certificate honoring their achievement as well as a gift from Frisco Mo. Honorable Mention All-State athletes will receive a separate gift from the Badger Region Volleyball Association.

This season, 54 athletes received recognition from the Wisconsin boys high school volleyball coaches in some way. These athletes represented 30 different high schools across the state. This year’s list included 30 seniors, 21 juniors and three sophomores

Breakdown by conference:

• Greater Metro:  12
• Classic 8:  11
• Big 8:   8
• North Shore:  8
• Southern Lakes: 5
• Fox Valley Association: 4
• Woodland: 4
• Southeast:  2

In addition to the All-State teams listed above, the Wisconsin Boys Volleyball Coaches Association will be releasing an All-State Academic team honoring the seniors with elite performances in the classroom. A number of teams will also be recognized with an All-State Academic Team Award as well.

Have questions about All-State? Contact Brad Kuehl (Nicolet High School) at bradkuehl@nsmvc.com or Brian Sharkey (Kenosha Indian Trail High School) at brian@badgervolleyball.org.

About the Badger Region Volleyball Association

The Badger Region Volleyball Association promotes initiatives for safe, structured and fun life-long volleyball experiences. The vision of the Badger Region is to grow the number of players, coaches, officials, spectators and other volleyball enthusiasts; provide the highest quality volleyball experience in education, training, and competition; and to provide advocacy, support, recognition and administration to the volleyball community. Any high school in Wisconsin that adds boys volleyball will receive up to $1,000 grant from the Badger Region to help offset first-year costs. Visit the Badger Region website at www.badgervolleyball.org. The Badger Region is not affiliated with the WIAA. (www.badgervolleyball.org)

About Frisco Mo

Frisco Mo is a volleyball lifestyle family business focused on having fun, creating great gear and playing volleyball every step along the way. The organization supports the growth of boys volleyball in many ways including offering scholarships to seniors in high school, hosting tournaments, and sponsoring many other programs, athletes and events for the volleyball community. (www.friscomo.com)