Nov. 14, 2001
Seven Players & Coach Qi Wang Named to All-MIAA Volleyball Team
Eight members of the Truman State University volleyball squad have been named to the All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Volleyball Team, as selected by the coaches. In addition, the Bulldogs swept the major awards Most Valuable Player, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Senior middle hitter Cassy Felkerson (Salem, Mo.) was named the league's MVP while first-year head coach Qi Wang was tabbed coach of the year. Outside hitter Jessica Sears (Colchester, Ill.) was picked as the conference's freshman of the year.
Wang's first year at the helm of the 'Dogs couldn't be going much better, as he has led the team to a No. 2 national ranking and a school-record 35-1 record, including a perfect 16-0 mark in the MIAA and a spotless 26-0 ledger in South Central Region play. The 16-0 conference record led Truman to its second straight MIAA championship, but its first outright. Thanks to Truman's fine run through regional foes, the 'Dogs have earned the top seed and the right to host the Division II South Central Regional Tournament, which begins on Thursday at Pershing Arena. It's Truman's second straight postseason appearance and the third in school history. Wang had previously served as the Bulldogs' assistant coach during the previous four years.
Felkerson completed the regular season as the MIAA leader in hitting percentage (.326) and she also leads the Bulldogs in kills (3.59 per game) and blocks (1.05 pg). She had 29 matches with double-figure kills during the regular season and earned Division II Player of the Week status on Oct. 30 from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Sports Imports. She was also picked as the MIAA Hitter of the Week once, and was named to the all-tournament team at the Truman Bulldogs/Days Inn Classic. Last year, Felkerson earned all-MIAA honors for the first time in her career when she was picked for the second team. She's also a two-time first-team Verizon Academic All-District selection.
Sears leads the team in aces, averaging 0.50 per game, and has had at least one ace in 26 of the 36 matches so far this year, including a streak of 14 consecutive matches. She also ranks second on the Bulldogs in digs (2.54 pg) and is fifth in kills (2.09 pg).
Felkerson was named a first-team all-conference pick and she was joined on the first team by senior middle hitter Eliza Hoerner (Augusta, Mo./Washington, Univ. of Colorado-Colorado Springs) and junior setter Monica Marlowe (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora). It marked the third time in Marlowe's career that she has received first-team honors. Hoerner was also repeat first-teamer, after also earning the honor last year.
Hoerner enters the postseason ranking second on the team in most categories, including kills (3.45 pg), hitting (.309), blocks (0.77 pg) and aces (0.46 pg). She currently ranks second in the MIAA this year in hitting and third in aces. Hoerner has had 26 matches with double-figure kills and is Truman's career leader in hitting percentage (.308). She was named MIAA Hitter of the Week four times this year.
Marlowe was named to the first-team for the third time in her career. She finished the regular season averaging 11.38 assists and 3.38 digs, both team-leading figures. Marlowe has also posted a hitting percentage of .289 with 72 kills from her setter position and is fourth on the team in blocks (0.45 pg). She was a four-time MIAA Setter of the Week honoree this year, an honor she has now had 12 times in her career.
Senior outside hitter Jenny Glenn (Granby, Colo./Middle Park) was the Bulldogs lone second-team selection. She is currently third on the team in kills (2.78 pg) and digs (2.51 pg) and was ranked seventh in the MIAA in hitting (.266) when the week began. Glenn, who has 24 double-doubles in kills and digs this year, was named honorable mention all-MIAA the previous two years and last year was a second-team Verizon Academic All-District pick.
Honorable mention accolades went to sophomore right-side hitter Jenna Buckner (Quincy, Ill.), junior defensive specialist Shelby Ortwerth (Hannibal, Mo./Hannibal, Culver-Stockton) and Sears.
Buckner is averaging 2.16 kills, fourth on the team, and 0.53 blocks, third on the team. Her hitting percentage of .296 ranks fourth in the MIAA.
Ortwerth ranks sixth in the conference in aces (0.36 pg) and also tallied 1.98 digs per game as a defensive specialist.
The Bulldogs, who closed the regular season on a 24-match winning streak, will play their first match in the South Central Regional on Friday at 7:30 pm, against either No. 20 Alabama-Huntsville or Henderson State (Ark.). Truman has won 20 consecutive matches on its home floor and 32 of the last 34.