MINNEAPOLIS – For the second-consecutive year, Illinois State volleyball standout Courtney Pence has been named a 2018 Division I American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Honorable Mention selection, the organization announced on Wednesday. With this honor, Pence becomes the first repeat All-American in Illinois State volleyball program history, as the senior earned an honorable mention nod in 2017.
The Springfield, Illinois, native rejoins a group of Redbird All-Americans highlighted by Julie (Mueller) Paska (Second Team, 1984), Jolene (Jordan) Hoover (Honorable Mention, 1985), Kaitlyn Early (Honorable Mention, 2014), Jaelyn Keene (Honorable Mention, 2014) and Emily Orrick (Honorable Mention, 2014).
"Courtney's talent and passion has been the engine of Redbird volleyball for four years," head coach Leah Johnson shared. "She earned this award every day she stepped foot in the gym, weight room or team meeting. Her commitment to excellence has been an exceptional trademark and we are so proud to celebrate this achievement with her for the second year in a row."
A 2018 Missouri Valley Conference First-Team selection, both on the court and in the classroom, Pence earned her way onto the AVCA All-America ballot after being named to the AVCA All-North Region First Team last week for the second-straight year. The 2018 MVC Libero of the Year broke the Valley all-time digs mark on Nov. 9 at Loyola Chicago, finishing her career fourth overall in NCAA Division I volleyball with 2,778 digs. She ranks second among all Division I volleyball players in digs per set (6.04) this season, while collecting the eighth most total digs (695) across the nation.
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