The awards are starting to pile up for Plant’s volleyball team.

Lily Frierson, who helped the Panthers win their first state title since 2010, was named the Class 7A state player of the year by the Florida Dairy Farmers. 

The senior outside hitter finished with 267 kills, 309 digs, 23 aces and a .335 hitting percentage.Her offensive firepower was a big reason reason Plant was able to bounce back from a loss in the district final and win four of its five playoff matches on the road. 

Plant coach Sarah Reiss also was named the 7A state coach of the year. Reiss (formerly Kirkwood), who starred at Plant before going on to play at Virginia, returned to her alma mater to take over the program. She was already used to winning state titles. She won three straight (2001-03) as a player with the Panthers and guided the Spence School (Manhattan, NY) to a state title in 2013.

This season, Reiss helped a program that had been to state semifinals each of the previous three three seasons, take the next step and win what had been an elusive state title. 

The winners in each classification were selected through voting from a statewide panel of volleyball coaches and media representatives. They are now eligible to be named the overall winner in the state, which will go through another round of voting and likely be announced later this month.