INDIANAPOLIS – Rockhurst University senior attacker Karli Reichert along with University of Missouri-St. Louis sophomore libero Megan Woll, Bellarmine University freshman attacker Jayme Scott, and UMSL head coach Ryan Young have earned major postseason honors for the 2019 Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball season, it was announced by the league office Thursday evening. Reichert was voted by the league coaches as GLVC Player of the Year, while the Knights’ Scott was picked as the Freshman of the Year, and the Tritons’ Woll was Libero of the Year and her head coach Young was recognized by his peers as Coach of the Year. In addition, a total of 28 standouts were named to the 2019 All-Conference Teams with 16 honored as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship nominees. The annual awards were presented Thursday at a reception on the eve of the GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament.
Reichert becomes the first-ever Conference Player of the Year for Rockhurst while she is the fifth major honoree, as four others have earned Freshman of the Year accolades in 2007 (Emily Crowley), 2012 (Kelsey Stratman), 2013 (Morgan Rietzke), and 2016 (Alyssa Woodman), while her veteran head coach Tracy Rietzke has won Coach of the Year merits three times (2005, 2012, 2015). The outside hitter played in 110 sets during 33 matches, leading the Hawks to a 26-7 overall record and 13-2 league mark to earn the GLVC Regular Season title and top seed in the postseason event. They too have been ranked in the AVCA national poll all season with a current spot at No. 21, while they sit sixth in the NCAA Midwest Region rankings. Individually, Reichert racked up a team-high 429 kills, 3.90 per set, 483.5 points, and 4.40 points per set, while she hit at a .235 clip. She added 300 digs for 2.73 per set with 57.0 blocks and 0.52 per set. Her number for points ranked second among league players and third for kills, kills per set, and points per set. For GLVC-only contests, the senior fared even better with 213 kills for 4.18 per set along with 239.5 points for 4.70 per set through 51 sets played, which were all third-best in the loop. She also tallied 164 digs for 3.22 per set. In leading up to this major recognition, Reichert earned a pair of Baden GLVC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week laurels on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11, while she was additionally voted to the All-GLVC First Team for the second year in a row.
Woll is the first GLVC Libero of the Year for UMSL and only the third major award winner for the program, following respective 2008 Freshman and Coach of the Year honorees Weslie Gaff and Trent Jones. She was chosen a league-best four times as GLVC Defensive Player of the Week, including back-to-back Oct. 14 and 21 as well as Nov. 11 and 18. The defensive specialist was selected as one of five unanimous choices on the All-GLVC First Team thanks to a league-leading 321 digs in 56 sets against GLVC foes and had the second most digs per set (5.73), dishing the most assists (62) and assists per set (1.11) compared to the other liberos in the league. Overall, in 107 sets played, she totaled the second-most digs (568) and digs per set (5.31). Additionally, the sophomore surpassed 1,000 career digs on Oct. 19 in a 3-0 win past Trevecca Nazarene during the 2019 Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament and now ranks seventh all-time in program history with 1,188.
Scott is Bellarmine’s fifth newcomer credited with a postseason award, as junior middle hitter/right side teammate Abbie Oetting was the pick two seasons again, Krista Gibson was honored in 2019, while Abbi Paine and Carrie Wentzel went back-to-back in 1996 and 1997. Jordyn Kuckenbrod also picked up three-straight Libero of the Year accolades from 2016-18, and Jaclyn Ohlmann was the Conference’s inaugural Libero of the Year in 2013. Head coach Jenni Grzebin was voted as Coach of the Year in 2017, and Kevin Payne won the same honor in 1991. As the only freshman on the All-GLVC First Team, Scott bested all other attackers during regular season Conference matches in kills (251) and kills per set (4.83) through 52 sets played, as well as points (274.0) and points per set (5.27). In all 106 sets overall, the outside hitter ranked second in the loop in three categories, including kills (441), kills per set (4.16), and points per set (4.54). Moreover, her accumulation for kills and kills per set respectively rank 14th and 15th in the nation for Division II, while she averaged 3.06 digs per set and to help tally 17 double-doubles this season.
Young earns his first GLVC Coach of the Year acclaim after a vote of his peers and is just the second UMSL mentor to be named as such but the first in over a decade. The ninth-year headman guided his Tritons to their most wins in that time at 27-3, while their 12-3 GLVC record was good for the third seed in the Championship Tournament, which matches their highest seed since he took the reins. On Oct. 8 in a 3-0 sweep of Lindenwood, he notched his 150th career victory. Currently riding a league-best seven-match win streak, the team ranks No. 22 in the AVCA national poll and third regionally. Under Young’s tutelage, five players were named All-Conference, including Woll and three others on the First Team and one second-team honoree.
Twenty-five other volleyball stars earned recognition from the GLVC coaches, as both a 14-member All-Conference First Team and a 14-member Second Team were also released on Thursday.
Of the 28 All-Conference selections, UMSL and Rockhurst led the way with five representatives apiece, while the Tritons had a league-high four first-team nods. University of Illinois Springfield had four on the Second Team, while University of Indianapolis and Lewis University followed with three each. Bellarmine and Drury picked up two, while McKendree University, Missouri S&T, Quincy University, and Truman State University all had one player honored.
Joining Reichert, Woll, and Scott on the First Team were unanimous picks in UIndy junior attacker Katie Furlong and senior setter Alyssa Spears, as well as UMSL junior setter Kaileen Herman and Rockhurst junior setter Dani Prusha. The Tritons also saw senior attacker Selena Nolte and sophomore attacker Charlotte Richards chosen, while Hawks senior attacker Alyssa Woodman made a repeat appearance on the team. Lewis earned two spots for senior attacker Colleen Wilhelm and junior attacker Ava Venema; S&T had senior attacker Emilee Schlader recognized; and Truman libero picked up a first-team merits for senior libero Lauren Wacker.
The league also recognized 16 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award nominees and one team award winner: Truman State. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
A complete list of the All-Conference Teams and major postseason award winners follows below.
2019 ALL-GLVC VOLLEYBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
2019 GLVC Player of the Year: Karli Reichert, Sr., Attacker, Rockhurst
2019 GLVC Libero of the Year: Megan Woll, So., Missouri-St. Louis
2019 GLVC Freshman of the Year: Jayme Scott, Attacker, Bellarmine
2019 GLVC Coach of the Year: Ryan Young, Missouri-St. Louis
FIRST TEAM
Jayme Scott, Fr., Attacker, BU
KATIE FURLONG, Jr., Attacker, UINDY
ALYSSA SPEARS, Sr., Setter, UINDY
Colleen Wilhelm, Sr., Attacker, LEWIS
Ava Venema, Jr., Attacker, LEWIS
Emilee Schlader, Sr., Attacker, S&T
Selena Nolte, Sr., Attacker, UMSL
KAILEEN HERMAN, Jr., Setter, UMSL
Charlotte Richards, So., Attacker, UMSL
MEGAN WOLL, So., Libero, UMSL
Karli Reichert, Sr., Attacker, RU
Alyssa Woodman, Sr., Attacker, RU
DANI PRUSHA, Jr., Setter, RU
Lauren Wacker, Sr., Libero, TSU
UNANIMOUS SELECTION |
SECOND TEAM
Kristen O'Toole, Jr., Setter, BU
Makina Wratten, So., Attacker, DU
Julia McCown, Fr., Attacker, DU
Becca Blakeley, So., Setter, UIS
Brianna Bush, Jr., Attacker, UIS
Jailyn Borum, Sr., Libero, UIS
Allison Splitt, Sr., Attacker, UIS
Taylor Jacquay, Jr., Attacker, UINDY
Alexandra Preuss, Sr., Attacker, LEWIS
Hope Gramly, So., Attacker, MCK
Kylie Rudsinski, Sr., Attacker, UMSL
Mary Rolf, Sr., Attacker, RU
Jadyn Makovicka, Fr., Libero, RU
Makayla Knoblauch, So., Setter, QU
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2019 GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINEES
Abbie Oetting, BU
Paige Perry, DU
Rachel Cobert, UIS
Emma Jones, UINDY
Caroline Stefanon, LEWIS
Kat Finnerty, LWU
Allison Lakin, MU
Alex Tinnin, MCK
Kiernan O'Boyle, S&T
Madsy Richards, UMSL
Alaina Rothermich, QU
Emma Kriete, RU
Casey Cepicky, USI
Makenzie Bouse, SBU
Meghan Gasper, TSU
Maddie Wingert, WJC
2019 GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Truman State