ST. LOUIS – Illinois State volleyball seniors Ali Line and Courtney Pence have been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team, the league announced Tuesday. The pair were among 12 Valley players recognized as first-team honorees.
Line and Pence are two of five players that are repeat MVC volleyball scholar-athlete first-team honorees, while Line is a three-time first team selection.
A nursing major, Line is the lone member of the first team that boasts a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. She was recently named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) All-District First Team selection for her success in the classroom and on the court. At the beginning of July, it was announced that the Bargersville, Indiana, native was selected as a Robert G. Bone Scholar for the 2018-19 academic year. The Bone Scholarship is the top undergraduate honor bestowed at Illinois State, and is reserved for only the top 14 rising seniors, across the entire University.
On the court, Line leads the team with 271 kills, averaging 2.58 kills per set on .332 hitting – the third-best percentage in the conference. The senior has reached double-digit kills on 13 occasions in 2018, while being named the Top Dawg Challenge's Most Valuable Player, after helping guide the Redbirds to a trio of wins over Eastern Illinois, Auburn and Butler earlier this season. She has turned in career-best kill performances in three-set, four-set and five-set matches this season, tabulating an all-time best 19 against Evansville. Line's career hitting clip of .288 ranks eighth all-time in Illinois State program history, while her 316 career blocks and 930 career kills are the 15th- and 23rd-most by a Redbird.
Pence, who holds a 3.62 cumulative GPA as a double major in small business management and insurance, is a three-time scholar-athlete honoree, after earning an honorable mention nod in 2016. She has earned a spot on the MVC and AFNI honor rolls in every possible semester, while being recognized with the MVC Comissioner's Academic Excellence Award the last two years.
The libero is just as impressive on the volleyball court, as Pence became the Valley's all-time digs leader, surpassing UNI's Ellie Blankenship's (2007-10) career digs mark in the Valley record book at Loyola Chicago on Nov. 9. Pence currently ranks fifth (2,714) all-time in NCAA Division I volleyball history in the career category. She needs just 39 digs to jump into fourth all-time, passing Valparaiso's Taylor Root (2009-12). If she does so, she will become the highest-ranking player who played her entire career in the 25-point era. Pence currently ranks second in the NCAA in digs per set (6.01) this season, while helping the Redbirds hold their opponents to the eighth-lowest hitting percentage at .153. The Springfield, Illinois, native is also a Senior CLASS Finalist for her excellence in the classroom, on the court and in the community. To vote for Pence, fans can visit www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/volleyball_2018.
By securing the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament, the Redbirds will face the winner of the first round match-up between No. 3 Bradley and No. 6 Drake on Friday, Nov. 23 at 5 p.m.
For more information regarding the Valley's championship tournament, please visit the MVC's championship central page.
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