ASHLAND, Ohio—With the tournament quarterfinals scheduled to take place later today, the Great Midwest All-Conference Volleyball Team was announced on Thursday morning following a vote by the league’s coaches.
Eight teams advanced to the tournament this year with games scheduled to take place Nov. 10 – Nov. 12.
The coaches’ vote determined a total of 36 student-athletes on this year’s all-conference team. Each first, second, or third team has (2) outside/right hitters, (2) middle blockers, (1) setter, and (1) defensive specialist/libero followed by (6) wild card selections of the highest vote getters regardless of position.
Individual awards include Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Great Midwest Elite 26 Award Winner.
The Elite 26 Award winner was announced as Cedarville’s Mallory Delamarter, a senior defensive specialist studying accounting. Delamarter has a 4.0 cumulative GPA as she and her teammates prepare for the quarterfinals against Trevecca Nazarene.
Findlay’s Journey Blevins, who was named the 2021-22 Freshman of the Year, was voted Great Midwest Player of the Year. Blevins was named the North Division’s Offensive Athlete of the Week for four consecutive weeks this season. She leads the conference in points at 4.92 per set as well as kills with 4.61 per set. At the national level, Blevins ranks eighth in points per set and fifth in kills.
Northwood’s Sydney Hasenfratz is the Freshman of the Year. She is second in the conference in kills per set at 3.5 and in blocks per set at 1.11. Hasenfratz has earned Great Midwest Athlete of the Week honors and has helped the Timberwolves advance to the conference tournament as the No. 7 seed.
Ashland is this year’s host and claimed the No. 1 seed as well as the South Division regular season title. The Eagles are led by this season’s Coach of the Year Kevin Foeman. Foeman helped the Eagles obtain a 23-7 overall record and an impressive 16-1 conference record. Ashland ranks No. 6 in the Midwest Region and is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll. Foeman and the Eagles will face Tiffin Thursday (Nov. 10) evening at 5 P.M.
Four student-athletes from Ashland received All-Conference First-Team honors. Erin Krupar and MaKenna Belcher parlayed in a dominant season from the outside hitter position. Krupar was last season’s Great Midwest Player of the Year and leads the Eagles and ranks sixth in the Great Midwest in kills with 322 on the year. Belcher is close behind at seventh in the league and second on the team with 311 kills this season.
Zoey Peck and Anna Krikke round out Ashland’s First-Team All-Conference honorees. As a setter, Zoey Peck is second in the conference in assists with 993 on the year and 10.45 per set. Anna Krikke was voted First-Team All-Conference at the middle hitter position. Sher egistered the league’s fourth highest hitting percentage at .322. Krikke proved to be a defensive force for the Eagles as she added 1.06 blocks per game, the third highest in the league.
Findlay and Hillsdale each had a trio of First-Team All-Conference selections. The Oilers had Player of the Year in Journey Blevins as well as Middle Hitter Alana Pohlman and Freshman setter in Emma White. Pohlman holds the third highest hitting percentage in the Great Midwest at .332. In her college debut season, Emma White established herself as the conference’s leader in assists at 10.98 per set. Findlay is the No. 3 seed and will battle the Walsh Cavaliers at 2:30 P.M. in the quarterfinal round.
The Chargers have their dominant duo of Karoline Shelton (OH) and Alli Wiese (L) selected, after ranking among the league’s best in kills and digs. Wiese and Shelton swept the North Division’s Athlete of the Week honors this week as they secured the North Division Title. Sophomore Marilyn Popplewell joins Shelton and Wiese as a First-Team selection for the outside hitter position.
Hillsdale, the No. 2 seed, will face the No. 7 seeded Northwood at 12:00 P.M.
Trevecca’s Ellie Buffler was also placed on first team as the league leader in service aces. Buffler led the Trojans to a 11-6 conference record and a spot in the Great Midwest quarterfinals. Seeded at No. 5, Trevecca will face the No.4 seed in Cedarville at 7:30 P.M. ET.