Coming into her sophomore season with varsity experience already under her belt, Panther sophomore Addy Thorington knew she needed to continue to improve. She made that leap, garnering All-Conference and All-State honors from the Wyoming Coaches Association for her efforts in the 2021 season.

“It felt super exciting,” Thorington said. “It was an honor and I could not stop shaking.”

Over the summer, she felt like she had improved her vertical and overall strength, while continuing to learn how to place the ball in the correct spot on her kills.

“It was very exciting to see that the other 3A coaches throughout the state recognize her abilities,” Panther volleyball coach Lesli Spencer said.

Thorington finished the season with 246 kills for the Panthers on a hitting percentage of .210. She had 60 solo blocks, a passer rating of 2.29 out of 3.0, an 86% serve percentage and a serve receive rating of 1.93 out of 3.0 from her 395 attempts.

Thorington is the first Panther to be named to the All-State team since Aubrie Stenerson in 2018, and the first Panther to be named to All-Conference since Stenerson, Hartley Thorington and Rachel Bonander that same year.

Despite falling just short of the state tournament for the third consecutive year, Thorington said the team’s attitude continued to improve throughout the season — which made a huge difference when the Panthers were playing together.

“Addy [Thorington] really grew as a leader on the court,” Spencer said. “She understands the importance of reading the other team and capitalizing on what she sees.”

Thorington said that listening to coach Spencer, along with becoming a cohesive team, will allow the Panthers to use everyone’s individual talents to come together and make the team great.

How does she plan to improve heading into next year?

“Staying constant with my movements, building my strength and playing each point like it is the last,” Thorington said.

She’s excited to play with the younger girls who are coming up, and is hoping the experience from this team — which will lose only two seniors to graduation — will help the team to its first state tournament berth since 2018.

“It meant the whole world to me to go out with my teammates and play volleyball,” Thorington said. “I love this sport with my whole heart, and I am so glad I get to play it with my closest friends.”