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RIPON, Wis. – Cornell placed a league-high four student-athletes on the 2013 Midwest Conference (MWC) All-Conference Volleyball Team announced on Wednesday afternoon. Cornell, who won both the MWC Championship and the MWC Tournament, had three First Team winners while placing one more on Second Team. MWC Tournament participants Carroll (three), St. Norbert (two), and Ripon (two) were joined by Lawrence (two) with multiple award winners. Lake Forest, Monmouth, and Grinnell had one student-athlete named on either the First or Second Team.
Senior outside hitter Kathleen O’Connor was named the MWC Player of the Year for the second straight year after another stellar season. O’Connor finished the year ranking first in the MWC in kills per set (4.17) and total kills (429) while finishing 10th in the leauge in digs per set (3.64). She had 16 double-doubles on the year which was four more than any other MWC player and contributed 71 total blocks.
Jeff Meeker was named 2013 MWC Coach of the Year and took home the award in consecutive seasons since coming back to the MWC in 2012. This year under Meeker’s guidance Cornell led the league in hitting percentage (.229), opponent hitting percentage (.096), assists per set (11.70), kills per set (12.88), and service aces per set (2.17). The Rams enter the NCAA Tournament on a 15 game winning streak and didn’t lose a single set against a conference opponent during the 2013 season.
O’Connor was joined by a pair of teammates on First Team that included defensive specialist Kylea Weber and middle Taylor Dicus. Weber led the entire league with 607 digs and averaged 6.01 digs per set while Dicus topped the charts in blocks per set (1.20) and finished second in hitting percentage at .338.
Carroll’s Emily Cecka was named to First Team for the Pioneers after finishing second on the team in kills per set (1.96) and hitting percentage (.220) and finished second in the league in blocks per set (1.09). Emily Gary represented Ripon after she finished third in the league with a .309 hitting percentage and haverd 2.81 kills per set and 0.81 blocks per set. Heidi Spies (St. Norbert) hit .278 (fifth in MWC) and averaged 2.96 kills per set (sixth in MWC) with Kathleen Rowland (Lawrence) finished second in the conference in digs per set (5.41) while also contributing 35 service aces. Lake Forest’s Brittany Avonts rounds out the First Team award winners after she led the league in hitting percentage (.342) and finished fourth in kills per set (3.05).
2013 Award Winners
|
Player of the Year |
|
Kathleen O'Connor |
Outside Hitter |
Senior |
Cornell College |
|
Coach of the Year |
|
Jeff Meeker |
Cornell College |
First Team
|
Name |
Pos. |
Year |
School |
|
Kathleen O'Connor |
OH |
Sr. |
Cornell College |
|
Emily Gary |
OH |
So. |
Ripon College |
|
Heidi Spies |
MH |
Jr. |
St. Norbert College |
|
Taylor Dicus |
MB |
Jr. |
Cornell College |
|
Brittany Avonts |
MB |
Fr. |
Lake Forest College |
|
Emily Cecka |
MB |
Sr. |
Carroll University |
|
Kathleen Rowland |
DS |
Sr. |
Lawrence University |
|
Kylea Weber |
DS |
Jr. |
Cornell College |
Second Team
|
Name |
Pos. |
Year |
School |
|
Breanne Brocker |
OH |
Jr. |
St. Norbert College |
|
Ashley Radtke |
OH |
So. |
Carroll University |
|
Claire Weidman |
OH |
Jr. |
Grinnell College |
|
Katie Sickelka |
MB |
Jr. |
Cornell College |
|
Katrina Zenz |
MB |
So. |
Carroll University |
|
Mollie Murdock |
S |
Sr. |
Momouth College |
|
Abbi Williamson |
S |
Fr. |
Ripon College |
|
Diane McLeod |
S |
Sr. |
Lawrence University |