INDIANAPOLIS - Lewis University junior middle hitter Aly Schneider, her head coach Lorelee Smith, along with Bellarmine University sophomore libero Jordyn Kuchenbrod and Rockhurst University freshman attacker Alyssa Woodman have earned major postseason honors for the 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball season, it was announced by the league office Thursday evening. Schneider was voted by the league coaches as GLVC Player of the Year, while the Knights' Kuchenbrod was picked as the Libero of the Year, the Hawks' Woodman was Freshman of the Year, and the Flyers' Smith garnered Coach of the Year accolades. In addition, a total of 28 standouts were named to the 2016 All-Conference Teams. The annual awards were presented Thursday at a reception on the eve of the GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament.
Schneider led the Flyers and the Conference in hitting percentage (.376) and ranks fourth in kills per game (3.24). Those numbers were even higher in GLVC-only matches at .395 and 3.29, which rank second and fourth, respectively, in the loop. The junior earned a league-record four offensive weekly awards, including bookending the season as the first and last honoree. She was selected as the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5, 19, 26 and Nov. 14. Week one also saw her garner AVCA National Player of the Week accolades. Schneider is the fifth Flyer to earn the league's top honor, as Kim Vertin was the most recent in 2013. The middle hitter is now a three-time All-GLVC selection, earning honorable mention as a freshman, second-team distinction last year and becomes a first-team pick this season.
Kuchenbrod, a unanimous pick for the award, is Bellarmine's second Libero of the Year, as Jaclyn Ohlmann was chosen as the GLVC's first major award winner at the position in 2013, but Kuchenbrod is only the fifth Knight overall to earn an individual postseason award. The sophomore led the league in digs per game (6.74) and total digs (788) and in GLVC-only contests notched a staggering 7.27 digs per game and 480 total. Her efforts lead the NCAA in total digs and rank third nationally in digs per set. She also tallied the second-most service aces (38) this season, which was good for sixth in the loop for aces per set (0.32). Much like Schneider, Kuchenbrod also garnered four weekly honors in 2016 as GLVC Defensive Player of the Week - only the second Conference player to do so. Her first selection opened the season on Sept. 9, and then she was honored again on Oct. 17 before taking back-to-back nods Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. The libero also was picked for the All-GLVC First Team.
Woodman ranks sixth in league-only matches with 0.30 service aces per set and tallied 17 total. Her mark of 30 service aces through all 31 matches this season leads the Rockhurst contingent. The outside hitter finished the regular season with a .231 hitting percentage and 283 kills in 98 sets for a 2.89 kills per set average. Her best hitting performance came on Sept. 24 against Illinois Springfield when she tallied a .500 mark, and her best kills per game mark was set twice when she notched 17 in three sets against Minnesota State on Sept. 9 and against Hillsdale on Oct. 14. Woodman joins teammate Morgan Rietzke (2013) as a postseason honoree in their first season, while two other Hawks earned the laurel both in 2007 and 2012 via Emily Crowley and Kelsey Stratman, respectively.
Smith becomes a three-time GLVC Coach of the Year honoree, having also been voted back-to-back by her peers in 2010 and 2011. This 2016 campaign saw Lewis go 24-6 and a near-perfect 17-1 in GLVC matches. The mentor also guided her program to an AVCA national ranking as high as No. 8 back on Sept. 5 and a No. 15 spot in the most recent poll released Nov. 14. She has led the Flyers to their 17th-straight GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament appearance and 26th overall to go along with back-to-back East Division titles, while they'll also be looking to defend their Conference Championship crown this weekend. Additionally, Smith mentored four first-team All-GLVC nominees in Schneider, sophomore outside hitter Elizabeth Hyland, junior right side Maddie Seliga and the only unanimous pick sophomore setter Abby Becker.
Twenty-three other volleyball stars earned recognition from the GLVC coaches, as two 14-member All-Conference teams were also released on Thursday.
Of the 28 All-Conference selections, Lewis and Rockhurst led the way with four representatives apiece, while the Flyer's four first-team choices were a league-high, and the Hawks put two on the First Team and two on the Second Team. Bellarmine, McKendree University and University of Wisconsin-Parkside followed with three honorees each, as the Knights and Bearcats put two on the First Team and one on the Second, while the Rangers had one first-teamer and two second-team picks. With two selections were Quincy University, Saint Joseph's College and Truman State University followed by Drury University, University of Indianapolis, William Jewell College, Missouri S&T and University of Missouri-St. Louis all with one All-GLVC nominee to round out the field.
Joining the four Flyers and Kuchenbrod on the First Team include Bellarmine's Margaret Horihan, Drury's Brooke Antenen, McKendree's Sophie Fairman and Arela Williams, Quincy's Emily Lindemulder, Rockhurst's Rietzke and Mattie Gray, Jewell's Olivia Tolberd - who becomes the Cardinals' first-ever first-team honoree - and Parkside's Lauren Hickson.
The league also recognized 16 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. 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 - that each includes nine attackers, three setters and two liberos per GLVC Handbook Section 12 - and major postseason award winners follow below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aly Schneider, Attacker, Jr., LEWIS
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Jordyn Kuchenbrod, So., BU #
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Alyssa Woodman, Attacker, Fr., RU
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lorelee Smith, Lewis
| FIRST TEAM |
SECOND TEAM |
Margaret Horihan, Attacker, Jr., BU
Jordyn Kuchenbrod, Libero, So., BU
Brooke Antenen, Setter, Sr., DU
Sophie Fairman, Attacker, Sr., MCK
Arela Williams, Attacker, Jr., MCK
Abby Becker, Setter, So., LEWIS #
Elizabeth Hyland, Attacker, So., LEWIS
Aly Schneider, Attacker, Jr., LEWIS
Maddie Seliga, Attacker, Jr., LEWIS
Emily Lindemulder, Attacker, Sr., QU
Morgan Rietzke, Attacker, Sr., RU
Mattie Gray, Attacker, Sr., RU
Olivia Tolberd, Libero, So., WJC
Lauren Hickson, Setter, Sr., UWP |
Allie Muha, Setter, Jr., BU
Kacee Salyers, Attacker, Jr., UINDY
Allison Schneider, Attacker, Sr., MCK
Alexis White, Setter, Jr., S&T
Lexi Rogers, Attacker, Sr., UMSL
Rachel Shores, Libero, Jr., QU
Anne Hellwege, Libero, Jr., RU
Mary Rolf, Attacker, Fr., RU
Bridget Krasowski, Attacker, Jr., SJC
Alyssa Spears, Setter, Fr., SJC
Kayla Bastian, Attacker, Sr., TSU
Jasmine Brown, Attacker, Jr., TSU
Rebecca Roembke, Attacker, Sr., UWP
Lexi Turek, Attacker, Jr., UWP |
# Unanimous Selection
2016 VOLLEYBALL JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD NOMINEES
Bridget Guinane, BU
Brooke Antenen, DU
Allison Splitt, UIS
Kacee Salyers, UINDY
Maddie Seliga, LEWIS
Maggie Murphy, MU
Alissa Zeitelhack, MCK
Claire Friedlund, S&T
Kayla Shane, UMSL
Bekah Raebel, QU
Anne Hellwege, RU
Bailey Worl, SJC
Erika Peoples, USI
Kayla Bastian, TSU
Grace Miller, WJC
Katie Adams, UWP