Mount's Katie Playko Claims HCAC Volleyball MVP
November 12, 2008
2008 HCAC Volleyball All-Conference Team
GREENWOOD , IN - College of Mount St. Joseph's Katie Playko (Norwalk , Ohio / St. Paul ) has been selected as the 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference volleyball Most Valuable Player. Playko helped guide the Lions to their sixth straight HCAC championship and sixth tournament title in seven years with a 7-1 mark against conference opponents.
Defiance College's Kristen Nicely (Defiance, Ohio/Ayersville) has been honored as the 2008 HCAC Freshman of the Year, Anderson University's Caitlin Morency (Lanesville, Ind./Floyd Central) claimed the 2008 Defensive Most Valuable Player honor, and Mount St. Joseph head coach Michele Benoit picked up her fifth HCAC Coach of Year Award.
Playko played in 139 games for the Lions on the year and averaged a league-high 9.67 assists per contest. The Norwalk , Ohio native chipped in 30 service aces, 118 kills, 263 digs, and 37 blocks from the setter position during the Lions' 38 matches. The senior setter averaged 10.36 assists and 1.32 digs per game during conference matches this season.
Morency, the Ravens' junior libero, was the backbone of the Anderson defense all season. She led the league with a 5.94 digs per game average during conference play and posted the same average in all contests. During Anderson 's 31 matches, Morency totaled a league-high 701 digs and added 31 service aces.
Defiance College 's Kristen Nicely averaged 3.36 kills per game, 1.46 digs per game, and added 62 blocks this season. She tallied 339 total kills, ranking second in the conference in that category. Nicely was first in the conference in kills during conference play, averaging 4.28 per game and ranked fifth in hitting percentage (.292).
Benoit guided the Lions to their 10 th HCAC title in 11 years this season. Mount St. Joseph also earned the conference tournament championship and berth into the NCAA Division III national tournament. She has led the Lions to a 28-10 mark this season and will travel to Wittenberg University to face Washington & Lee on November 13 in the Great Lakes Regional tournament.
Joining Nicely and Morency as a member of the All-HCAC squad are Anderson University's Jessica Berlin (Jr., New Haven, Ind.) and Carol Weatherford (Jr., Terre Haute, Ind.), Bluffton University's Shauna Rowland (So., Bucyrus, Ohio) and Jenna Eshleman (Fr., Landisville, Pa.), Defiance College's Danyel Lipps (Jr., West Alexandria, Ohio), Hanover College's Rachel Kloentrup (So., Morning View, Ky.), Manchester College's Stephanie Rion (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill.) and Christa Peden (So., N. Manchester, Ind.), Mount St. Joseph's Jamie Grauvogel (So., Cleves, Ohio) and Anna Richter (Jr., Fairfield, Ohio), Rose-Hulman's Amanda Jevons (So., Henderson, Nev.) and Transylvania University's Jordan Geisen (So., Florence, Ky.).