CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Several Illinois State volleyball players and the team's coach were recognized Thursday at the Missouri Valley Conference Awards Presentation Thursday at Northern Iowa's McLeod Center.
Illinois State's Kaitlyn Early was named the league's Player of the Year and Setter of the Year. Emily Orrick was named the MVC Libero of the Year for the second-straight year, and head coach Melissa Myers was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Ashley Rosch, Jaelyn Keene, Early and Orrick were named to the All-MVC First Team. Emily Schneider earned All-MVC Second-Team honors. Keene was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
"The individual accolades are a result of the team's success this season," Myers said. "They are a great compliment to the athletes that have received them, but also for their teammates who helped our team achieve success."
Early, a senior setter from Wildwood, Missouri, tallied 1,196 assists and led the league with 11.18 assists per set. She helped Illinois State to a league-best .245 hitting percentage, and added 121 kills herself. Early registered 261 digs and 63 blocks in 2014, in addition to 19 service aces.
"It feels really amazing, but honestly, this is a tribute to my team," Early said. "These awards belong to them. They make me look good and it's all because of them."
Orrick, a senior libero from Mackinaw, Illinois, led the MVC with 617 digs and 5.77 digs per set, and currently ranks fourth in the nation in digs per set. She led the team in digs in all but one match this season, and chipped in 87 assists and 22 aces along the way.
"I feel very honored to represent our volleyball team," Orrick said. "I'm not the only one in the back row. My teammates are there next to me and I have to thank them and my coaches for this."
Rosch, an outside hitter and native of Fox River Grove, Illinois, was named to the all-conference team for a third-straight season, and is one of only three Redbirds to be named a three-time All-MVC selection. Rosch led the Redbirds in kills for a third straight season, with 373 kills at an average of 3.49 per set. She added 270 digs and 48 blocks.
Keene, a freshman middle hitter from Jacksonville, Illinois, led the MVC in blocks, with 1.11 per set. She ranked among the Valley leaders in multiple statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.355), kills (309 total, 2.89 per set), aces (0.27 per set) and points (3.80 per set).
Schneider, a senior middle hitter from Jacksonville, Illinois, capped her career with 229 kills, at an average of 2.20 per set. She also recorded 98 blocks, at a rate of 0.94 per set. She set a career-high with 16 kills in a match against Baylor in 2014.
Myers, in her seventh season at the helm of the Redbird volleyball program, guided the team to its best season during her tenure. Her 2014 team won the program's first MVC regular-season title in 17 years and is currently in the midst of a 20-match winning streak, the second-longest winning streak in school history.
The Illinois State volleyball team enters this week's MVC Championship as the tournament's No. 1 seed, and will open play Friday at 5 p.m. against the winner of Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
This week's matches at the MVC Tournament can be viewed live online at ESPN3.com, and all Redbird volleyball matches this season can be heard live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/isu/.
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