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GLIAC Honors: AUs Cudworth, Freshman of the Year; FSU’s Merren, Libero of the Year, GVSU’s Scanlon, Coach of the Year
BAY CITY, Mich. - Grand
Valley State University junior outside hitter Abby Aiken
(Onsted, Mich.) was named the 2013 Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) volleyball
“Athlete of the Year” in voting conducted by the
league’s head coaches. Ashland University outside hitter
Alli Cudworth (Kent, Ohio / Theodore Roosevelt)
was tabbed “Freshman of the Year” while Ferris
State University senior Brandie Merren (Hopkins,
Mich.) earned “Libero of the Year”
honors. GVSU’s Deanne Scanlon was
named “Coach of the Year” by her peers.
Aiken becomes the fifth Laker
to be named GLIAC “Athlete of the Year,” as she helped
GVSU win the GLIAC championship with a 17-1 league mark. Aiken is
the top offensive option for Grand Valley State, which enters the
GLIAC semifinals with a 27-3 record; the Lakers have won 25 of
their last 26 matches. She ranks fifth in the GLIAC in kills per
set (3.40) and seventh in total kills (360) despite a majority of
the Lakers’ matches (17 of 30) being just three sets. Aiken
is second on the team in digs (330), service aces (33), and solo
blocks (13), while ranking third in total blocks (57). Totaling
nine double-doubles (kills-digs) this season, she is averaging 4.04
points, 3.40 kills, and 3.11 digs per set. Aiken is the first GLIAC
“Athlete of the Year” from GVSU since 2008.
Cudworth currently ranks third
in the GLIAC in kills (401) and kills per set (3.78). She leads the
Eagles in both categories. Cudworth has been named the GLIAC South
Division “Player of the Week” three times this season.
She has led AU (24-6) into the GLIAC semifinals. The Eagles enter
the Final Four with a 10-match winning streak and are ranked sixth
in the Midwest Region.
Merren leads the Bulldogs with
503 digs to date this campaign. The returning all-region honoree
and two-time all-conference pick became the 14th player in school
history earlier this season to notch 1,000 career digs. A
three-year letterwinner, she’s averaged 4.75 digs while
helping lead the Bulldogs to a potential NCAA Division II
Tournament berth and top 25 national ranking this campaign. This
season, she’s played in all 106 sets and has tallied 10 digs
or more in 26 matches with 11 performances featuring 20 or more
digs. She’s also added a team second-best 26 service aces and
ranked near the top of the conference leaderboard in total digs
this season. Her performance helped the Bulldogs tie for second
place overall in the GLIAC regular-season standings this year.
Scanlon was named the GLIAC
“Coach of the Year” for the fourth time in her career,
also winning the award in 2001, 2005, and 2008. She led Grand
Valley State to the GLIAC regular season championship and the #1
seed in the conference tournament. The Lakers are 27-3 entering
Saturday’s GLIAC semifinal match, while GVSU went 17-1 in
regular season league play. Grand Valley State is on a 17-match win
streak, having won 25 of its last 26 contests. Selected to finish
in a tie for third place in the North Division of the GLIAC
preseason poll, the Lakers are 5-1 against top-25 opponents and
have lost just five sets in their last 17 matches. Scanlon’s
career record in 19 seasons at GVSU is 495-146 (.772).
A complete list of the 2013 All-GLIAC Volleyball teams can be found below:
GLIAC Volleyball Postseason Awards |
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Player of the Year: |
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Libero of the Year: |
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Freshman of the Year: |
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Coach of the Year: |
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All-GLIAC First-Team |
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Name |
School |
Yr. |
Position |
Hometown |
Abby Aiken |
Grand Valley State |
Jr. |
OH |
Onsted, Mich. |
Kristen Bulkiewicz |
Wayne State |
Sr. |
OH |
LaSalle, Ont./Sandwich |
Casey Clark |
Ashland |
Fr. |
OH |
Indianapolis, Ind. / Warren G. Harding |
Alli Cudworth |
Ashland |
Fr. |
OH |
Kent, Ohio / Theodore Roosevelt |
Kellisha Harley |
Northern Michigan |
Sr. |
S |
Lake Wood, Colo./Iowa Lakes C.C. |
Alexis Huntey |
Ferris State |
So. |
OH |
Stanwood, Mich./Morley-Stanwood |
Caitlin Kopmeyer |
Hillsdale |
Sr. |
OH |
Troy, Mich./Bloomfield Hills Lahser |
Lina Lopes |
Northern Michigan |
Sr. |
LS |
Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
Brandie Merren |
Ferris State |
Sr. |
Libero |
Hopkins, Mich. |
Juliia Pakhomenko |
Northwood |
Jr. |
OH |
Donetsk, Ukraine |
Danielle Taflinger |
Findlay |
Sr. |
MH |
Lima, Ohio |
Kaitlyn Wolters |
Grand Valley State |
Jr. |
S |
Hudsonville, Mich./Grand Rapids C.C. |
All-GLIAC Second-Team |
||||
Christina Canepa |
Grand Valley State |
Jr. |
Libero |
Grand Rapids, Mich./ East Grand Rapids |
Shelly DeHenning |
Ashland |
So. |
S |
Holland, Ohio / Notre Dame Academy |
Jordan Dunn |
Northwood |
Sr. |
S |
Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green |
Kelsey Ferla |
Saginaw Valley State |
Jr. |
MH |
Lincoln Park, Mich. / Gabriel Richard |
Madeline Haben |
Michigan Tech |
Sr. |
S |
Edina, Minn./Holy Angels |
Kalli Herron |
Northern Michigan |
Sr. |
LS |
Peru, Ill. / LaSalle-Peru Twp. |
Lindsay Kostrzewa |
Hillsdale |
Jr. |
MH |
Traverse City, Mich. / Christian |
Kaleigh Lound |
Grand Valley State |
So. |
MB/LS |
Mason, Mich. |
Danielle McQuade |
Tiffin |
Jr. |
OH |
North Olmsted, Ohio/Magnificat |
Courntey Rehm |
Ferris State |
Jr. |
MH |
Portage, Mich./Central |
Mackenzie Vorst |
Findlay |
Jr. |
MB/OH |
Columbus Grove, Ohio |
Emily Wolfert |
Hillsdale |
So. |
OH |
Yorktown, Ind. / Yorktown |
All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team |
||||
Marci Zagarac |
Ashland |
Jr. |
OH |
Lansing, Ill./South |
Angi Kent |
Ferris State |
Sr. |
MH |
Lansing, Mich./Waverly |
Amanda Calhoun |
Findlay |
Jr. |
S |
Troy, Ohio / Tippecanoe |
Megan Schroeder |
Grand Valley State |
Sr. |
RS |
Racine, Wisc. /Kishwaukee J.C. |
Jenalle Beaman |
Hillsdale |
So. |
OH/DS |
Lafayette, Ind. / Harrison |
|
Lake Erie |
|
|
|
Emily Snyder |
Lake Superior State |
Sr. |
OH |
Archbold, Ohio / Archbold |
Taylor Slauterbeck |
Malone |
Jr. |
OH |
Huron, Ohio / Huron |
|
Michigan Tech |
|
|
|
Sarah Hamilton |
Northern Michigan |
Sr. |
MH |
Galesburg, Mich. / Galesburg-Augusta |
Krysta Kramer |
Northwood |
So. |
OH |
Lansing, Mich. / Grand Ledge |
Jackie Oestreich |
Ohio Dominican |
Fr. |
MH |
Brighton, Mich. / Greenhills |
Ashley Driscoll |
Saginaw Valley State |
Jr. |
RS |
Bellevue, Mich. / Pennfield |
Jordan Jenkins |
Tiffin |
Sr. |
DS |
Hartville, Ohio / Lake |
Krissy Sokol |
Walsh |
Sr. |
OH/RS |
Akron, Ohio / Hoban |
Heather Weiss |
Wayne State |
So. |
OH |
Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron |