Carlson claims All-Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year
The senior finished her final season with 253 kills and 207 digs
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TRIMONT - Maddie Carlson was prepared. Carlson, after playing four seasons on the Martin County West volleyball team, three of which as a starter, knew her final year with the Mavericks would go quickly--every practice and game needed to be cherished.
"It was definitely a different feeling than any of the other seasons, Carlson said. "Starting out, it was like, 'Ok, this [season] is really the last one,' so you try to take it all in and realize that it's going to go by fast."
Carlson, fittingly, wrapped up her Martin County West tenure with impressive individual statistics and etched her name into program history. The senior again led the Mavericks in kills with 253. She also logged 36 service points and notched 207 digs, good for third most among her teammates. Carlson concluded her Martin County West career with 881 kills and surpassed 1,000 career digs.
Her on-court impact was a key reason Martin County West had its highest win total in the past decade. At 23-3, the Mavericks lost 11 sets all year, winning their first two Section 2A playoff games before falling to Sleepy Eye Saint Mary's in the semifinals. For these reasons, Carlson has earned the title of 2026 All-Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year.
"It's amazing, and I am very grateful that I've been picked," Carlson said on taking home the 2026 All-Sentinel Volleyball Player of the Year. "You know, I couldn't have really done it without my coaches or any of my teammates. It's a credit to them too."
One goal Carlson had before her senior season was to become a leadership figure. She already witnessed upperclassmen from previous seasons guide her to the next level of the sport. Carlson hoped to do the same in 2026.
After being named a team captain, Carlson emphasized being someone her teammates could look up to. She also sought to set a positive culture for the Mavericks volleyball program.
"No matter what you're doing, you can try to be a leader," Carlson said. "Obviously, as a senior, as a captain, I tried my best to be a good role model and help push the younger athletes harder, so that they can learn to push their other teammates harder as they become older. That leadership role was definitely something bigger for me this year."
Carlson consistently displayed her talents beyond her powerful spikes. She took pride in adding other skills that benefitted the team. The senior was one of four Martin County West players to finish with over 175 digs, helping set up the team's offense after an opponent hit over. Carlson added to her tool belt with a team high in service points.
This jack-of-all-trades mentality didn't stop with Carlson. In fact, she credits her teammates’ versatility as one reason the Mavericks had such a strong year. Everyone brought different skills to the table. Four players finished with more than 20 blocks. Five players finished with more than 25 aces and 85 kills.
"In all sports, you try to be versatile, but in volleyball, I feel like there are so many aspects to it, such as serve receive, digging, hitting and setting," Carlson said. "I feel like we all tried to work on every position. It wasn't like, 'Oh, I'm just a hitter.' We all work to be versatile. We could count on multiple people to do multiple things."
A second reason for such a strong Maverick season came off the court. Martin County West lost three seniors from the year prior - Emily Schettler, Courtney Anderson and Emily Wolhuter - who had great impacts. However, the group that returned for 2026 already logged many practice hours and matches together.
Spectators of this year's Martin County West team could see the on-court connection. Carlson said this played a major role in how the Mavericks logged so many wins. Players knew how to pick each other up when adversity struck. They also knew each other's tendencies. It led to easy connections with every dig, set, kill and rotation.
"Our chemistry has grown so much throughout the years," Carlson said. "We mostly had the same girls last year after not losing too many seniors. ...We just had so much fun with our energy. All of us were such good friends, so that bond we had and the chemistry with everyone, it was just so much fun this year."