Click here for a printer-friendly (PDF) version of this release
BAY CITY, Mich. - Hillsdale College senior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder (Jenison, Mich.) was named the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) volleyball “Player of the Year” in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. Ferris State University middle hitter Courtney Rehm (Portage, Mich./Central) was tabbed “Freshman of the Year” while Ferris State senior Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville, Mich.) earned “Libero of the Year” honors. FSU’s Tia Brandel-Wilhelm was named “Coach of the Year” by her peers.
Crowder was named the GLIAC “Player of the Year” for the second consecutive season. Crowder finished the regular season leading the conference in kills per set (3.92), and her hitting percentage of .371 ranked third in the conference. Crowder will go down as one of the most decorated players in Charger volleyball history. She is a two-time All-American and has been named First-Team All-Region twice. She was the most outstanding player of the 2009 GLIAC Tournament, and she’s led the Chargers to GLIAC tournament titles in 2009 and 2010.
Rehm had an impressive rookie campaign with the nationally-ranked Bulldogs. She wrapped up the regular-season ranked third in blocks among the GLIAC leaders and has recorded a team-high 93 total blocks this season with 17 solo and 76 assists. She’s also notched 192 kills and ranks fourth among the team leaders with 2.06 kills per set. Rehm also is hitting a squad second-best .337 on the year.
Tobiczyk became the program’s all-time career digs leader this season. The senior captain leads the GLIAC with 447 digs this campaign heading into the conference semifinals and has totaled 1,704 career digs in her four years with the Bulldogs. She had at least 10 digs in 25 matches this season, including 20 or more eight times overall and five of her last seven matches. Tobiczyk recorded the second-highest single match digs total in school history with 37 this season and is listed among the national leaders in the digs category (4.81 per set). She’s both a three-time All-GLIAC and GLIAC All-Academic Team selection.
Brandel-Wilhelm became the
school’s all-time winningest coach by notching her 331st
victory with the Bulldogs by virtue of FSU’s GLIAC
Tournament Quarterfinal win over Wayne State. The 16th-year
head coach guided FSU to its 14th consecutive winning campaign this
season and the school’s first conference regular-season crown
since the GLIAC split into divisional play. Under
Brandel-Wilhelm’s tutelage, the Bulldogs have posted an
impressive 25-2 mark to date and were 18-1 in conference
regular-season play. FSU also earned its highest national
ranking in 20 years by moving up to 11th nationally this season
along with second in the Midwest Region.
A complete list of the 2011 All-GLIAC Volleyball teams can be found below:
2011 GLIAC Volleyball
Postseason Awards & |
||||
Player of the
Year: |
||||
Libero of the
Year: |
||||
Freshman of the
Year: |
||||
Coach of the
Year: |
||||
All-GLIAC First-Team |
||||
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Position |
Hometown |
Kristen Bulkiewicz |
Wayne State |
So. |
OH |
LaSalle, Ont./Sandwich |
Annie Buxton |
Saginaw Valley State |
Sr. |
OH |
Aurora, Ontario |
Ashlee Crowder |
Hillsdale |
Sr. |
MH/OH |
Jenison, Mich. |
Katie Fitzgerald |
Saginaw Valley State |
Sr. |
MH |
Whitby, Ont./Sinclair SS |
Samantha Fordyce |
Ferris State |
Jr. |
S |
DeWitt, Mich. |
Ashley Huntey |
Ferris State |
Sr. |
OH |
Stanwood, Mich./Morley-Stanwood |
Clara Leutheuser |
Hillsdale |
Sr. |
MH |
Hillsdale, Mich./Hillsdale Academy |
Abby Lovell |
Northern Michigan |
Jr. |
S |
Leonard, Mich. |
Arian Martin |
Ashland |
Sr. |
L |
Independence, Ohio |
Apryl Schmucker |
Hillsdale |
Sr. |
S |
Inman, Kan./Little River |
Anne Sutton |
Ferris State |
Jr. |
MH |
Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview |
Emma Wolfe |
Northern Michigan |
Sr. |
MH |
Madison, Wis. |
All-GLIAC Second-Team |
||||
Anesia Benton |
Ashland |
Sr. |
OH |
Lima, Ohio |
Rachel Billing |
Ohio Dominican |
Sr. |
OH |
Anna, Ohio |
Abby Ebels |
Grand Valley State |
So. |
MB |
McBain, Mich./North. Mich. Christian |
Lauren Grover |
Hillsdale College |
Jr. |
MB |
Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy |
Danielle McQuade |
Tiffin |
So. |
OH |
North Olmsted Ohio/Magnificat |
Brittany Newberry |
Lake Superior State |
Jr. |
L |
Iron Mountain, Mich. |
Courntey Rehm |
Ferris State |
Fr. |
MH |
Portage, Mich./Central |
Sara Skornia |
Northwood |
Sr. |
MB |
Bay City, Mich./Central |
Danielle Taflinger |
Findlay |
So. |
MH |
Lima, Ohio |
Lisa Tobiczyk |
Ferris State |
Sr. |
L |
Marysville, Mich. |
Eno Umoh |
Grand Valley State |
Jr. |
MB |
Wyoming, Mich./Park |
Sami Vierk |
Northern Michigan |
Jr. |
MH |
West Lafayette, Ind. |
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention |
||||
Cydney Biessel |
Wayne State |
Jr. |
S |
Ruby, Mich./Yale |
Aly Brecht |
Ferris State |
Jr. |
OH |
Alma, Mich. |
Kathy Fletcher |
Ashland |
Fr. |
MB/OH |
West Chicago, Ill./Community |
Lindsay Heller |
Tiffin |
Sr. |
L |
Dublin, Ohio/Scioto |
Jamie Hoppe |
Lake Erie |
So. |
OH |
Green Springs, Ohio/Clyde |
Jena Karkos |
Michigan Tech |
Sr. |
OH |
Hampshire, Ill./Kishwaukee JC |
Caitlin Kopmeyer |
Hillsdale |
So. |
OH/DS |
Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Hills Lahser |
Lina Lopes |
Northern Michigan |
So. |
LS |
Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
Jeanna Radzinzki |
Lake Superior State |
Sr. |
OH/MH |
Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II |
Tatjana Rajic |
Northwood |
Jr. |
MB |
Belgrade, Serbia |
Stacy Rogg |
Ohio Dominican |
Sr. |
OH |
Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton |
Clair Ruhenkamp |
Grand Valley State |
Fr. |
S |
Fort Loramie, Ohio |
Mackenzie Vorst |
Findlay |
So. |
MB/OH |
Columbus Grove, Ohio |
Laura Ward |
Saginaw Valley State |
Sr. |
L |
White Lake, Mich./Lakeland |