Keene Earns Senior CLASS Award All-American Status

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – One of 10 NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes to be selected as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, Illinois State standout Jaelyn Keene was selected as a Second-Team Senior CLASS Award All-American by the organization on Wednesday.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

"Jaelyn fits the mold of CLASS perfectly," Illinois State head coach Leah Johnson said. "She is an outstanding student and she is a loyal Redbird. We are so proud of her efforts on the court and in the classroom. We know her next step in life will be equally successful."

Keene is the second player in Illinois State history to be named a four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team selection. She is also just the second player in program history to earn all-region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in each of her four seasons. In addition, Keene was recently named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First-Team selection.

A senior from Jacksonville, Illinois, Keene led Illinois State in kills (503), attacks (1,156), hitting percentage (.326), aces (43) and blocks (131) during the 2017 season. She finished her career ranked in the top 10 in school history in kills (1,567), aces (140) and blocks (472), and set a new ISU career hitting percentage record (.367). 

Penn State middle blocker Haleigh Washington was selected as the 2017 Senior CLASS Award® winner in NCAA® Division I women's volleyball. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition. 

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