ST. LOUIS – Illinois State volleyball senior standout Stef Jankiewicz has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Setter of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to earn the award twice in her career, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Jankiewicz is joined by Kaylee Martin on the All-MVC First Team, while Sarah Kushner and Kendal Meier have earned second-team honors and Nicole Lund has been placed on the MVC All-Freshman Squad.
Jankiewicz, who earned the league's Setter of the Year honor in 2018, currently ranks 26th in all of NCAA Division I in assists per set (10.73) with a league-leading 11.10 assists per set during conference play. She has accumulated 4,680 assists in her career, which ranks third all-time in ISU program history and 13th in Valley history. The four-time all-conference player is a two-time AVCA All-North Region Honorable Mention and was named a Senior CLASS Award candidate earlier this month.
For the third-straight year, Martin has garnered All-MVC First Team honors and currently ranks third in Valley in kills per set (3.94) and points (271.5). The outside hitter leads the team with 244 kills and has collected the fourth-most digs (179) as a six-rotation player this season. Martin has ten 20-plus kill performances in her career, has tallied 1,065 total kills and is the only three-year player in the 1,000-kills club at Illinois State.
Kushner, who has been selected as the MVC Player of the Week twice this season, leads the league in aces per set (0.42) and has delivered a service ace in all but four matches this season. She has seven double-doubles on her stat sheet this spring and has turned in career kill performances in three-, four- and five-set matches this season against three different MVC opponents.
For the first time in her career, Meier is earning post-season accolades for her success on the court. The senior libero ranks fifth in the Valley in digs per set (5.08) and seventh all-time at ISU in the career category. Meier has 1,247 career digs, including a team-leading 330 digs this season, and has turned in double-digit figures in all but one match in 2021.
For the third time under the direction of head coach Leah Johnson, a Redbird rookie has collected all-freshman honors. Lund leads the team and the MVC in blocks per set (1.15), while her .241 hitting percentage ranks in the top 15 in the Valley. She was named the MVC Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week on March 16 for her performance in a series sweep of Missouri State. Additionally, Lund has turned in career kill and blocking performances against three different Valley foes throughout the year.
UP NEXT
Illinois State will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MVC Volleyball Championship at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds will take on the No. 8 seed, Indiana State, at 11 a.m. on Thursday. For more information on the tournament and how to purchase tickets, please visit GoRedbirds.com or the Valley's tournament central.
Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change. To view Illinois State's full schedule and find ways to follow the matches, visit GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
