McIntyre shares top LTC honor

The junior outside hitter’s all-around effort on the floor helped her share the LTC Player of the Year honor with Watertown senior Erienne Lauersdorf.

"She understands the game so well," BD coach Melissa Gehring said. "She has the arsenal to play many different types of shots. The biggest improvement I’ve seen is her knowledge of the game."

McIntyre was the main focus of opposing defenses throughout the season but still recorded 134 kills and hit .227 with 52 errors in 10 LTC matches. Her numbers are even more impressive when taking into account a change in offensive philosophy midway through the season.

"She may not be getting the ball in the right spot every time but she still finds a way to put it down," Gehring said.

McIntyre added 22 aces and recorded 147 digs as she stabilized BD’s defense when she was in the back row.

"She can read balls as well as most liberos," Gehring said. "Our defense picks up when she’s in the back row."

What separated McIntyre from the rest of the first team is her ability to take over a match. In the LTC tournament, she played her best all-around matches of the season. Against West Bend West, McIntyre posted 19 kills to go along with 18 digs and four aces.

In the three-match tournament, she totaled 51 kills and 47 digs.

"When she can dominate a match, it’s noticeable," Gehring said.

BD’s Sarah Breuer served as a perfect compliment to McIntyre in earning an honorable mention. The junior outside hitter had 79 kills, 96 digs and chipped in 19 aces.

"Her and Kaitlyn kind of balanced each other out," Gehring said. "We needed a second person to be a threat offensively and Sarah provided that."