OGDEN, Utah (November 18, 2015) - The Big Sky Conference has announced its Volleyball All-Conference team and individual award winners for the 2015 season. Northern Arizona’s Janae Vander Ploeg was selected as this season’s Most Valuable Player and earned her third straight first-team selection.
The team was selected by the league’s coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Vander Ploeg, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., led the league in kills, kills per set, points and points per set during overall and conference play. She averaged 4.71 kills per set overall and upped that average to 4.92 during league play. Vander Ploeg became NAU’s all-time career leader in kills, totaling 513 on the year while recording 15 double-doubles to tie for the league lead. She ranked in the top 10 nationally in kills, kills per set, attacks, attacks per set, points and points per set.
Vander Ploeg led the charge for a NAU team that loss just one conference match in the regular season and claimed its first outright regular season title. The Lumberjacks topped the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage, service aces, blocking and ranked second in hitting percentage. She accumulated a .280 hitting percentage to go with 36 service aces, 315 digs and 52 blocks. Vander Ploeg was named Big Sky Player of the Week four times during the 2015 season, including an unprecedented three straight times from Oct. 19-Nov. 2.
Montana’s Hannah Sackett was named Top Newcomer and also earned a first-team nod after the West Virginia transfer averaged 4.32 kills per set overall and 4.75 during Big Sky action. The senior ranked second in the league in kills and points, only trailing league MVP Vander Ploeg. Sackett registered nine double-doubles on the year and had 31 kills in a five-set win over Eastern Washington, a match high in all Big Sky matches this season.
North Dakota’s McKenzie Hart earned her second straight Libero of the Year award after putting together arguably one of the best seasons ever by a Big Sky defensive specialist. She averaged 6.35 digs per set to set a new conference single-season record and tied the record for digs in a season with 768. Hart led all of Division I with those numbers. She also recorded 50 digs in a five-set win at Southern Utah on Oct. 24, ranking No. 2 all-time in Big Sky single game history.
Jenna Mullen earned a nod for Outstanding Freshman for Portland State, after the true freshman ranked ninth in the league in kills and service aces per set, while ranking 10th in points overall. She was the only underclassman to rank in the top 10 in kills per set, and averaged 3.2 kills and 3.72 points per set during league play, good for seventh in the league. She totaled 308 kills on the year in leading a very young Vikings squad.
2014 Big Sky MVP Tressa Lyman from Idaho State joined Vander Ploeg as the only other three-time first-team selection this year. Lyman also tallied 15 double-doubles this season, tying for the league lead with Vander Ploeg and Northern Colorado’s Kendra Cunningham, also a first-team choice.
Both NAU and ISU placed a league-high three players on the first team. Makenzie Filer earned her second consecutive first-team nod for ISU, and Hayley Farrer grabbed her first all-conference selection for the Bengals. NAU’s Payton Bock and Jensen Barton joined Vander Ploeg on the first team as well.
Along with fellow MVP candidates Vander Ploeg and Lyman, Sacramento State’s Lauren Kissell claimed first-team honors after ranking third in kills (overall & league), sixth in hitting percentage overall and fourth in hitting percentage during league play. Rounding out the first team was Eastern Washington’s Allie Schumacher, Northern Colorado’s Ashley Guthrie and Southern Utah’s Madi Forsythe.
| INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS |
| Award |
Name |
Pos. |
Year |
School |
| Most Valuable Player |
Janae Vander Ploeg |
OH |
Sr. |
Northern Arizona |
| Top Newcomer |
Hannah Sackett |
OH |
Sr. |
Montana |
| Outstanding Freshman |
Jenna Mullen |
OH |
Fr. |
Portland State |
| Libero of the Year |
McKenzie Hart |
L |
Sr. |
North Dakota |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE |
| Name |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Janae Vander Ploeg^% |
Northern Arizona |
Sr. |
OH |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Allie Schumacher |
Eastern Washington |
Sr. |
OH |
Puyallup, Wash. |
| Hayley Farrer |
Idaho State |
Jr. |
S |
Idaho Falls, idaho |
| Makenzie Filer# |
Idaho State |
Sr. |
MH |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Tressa Lyman% |
Idaho State |
Sr. |
OH |
St. George, Utah |
| Hannah Sackett |
Montana |
Sr. |
OH |
Somers, Mont. |
| Jensen Barton |
Northern Arizona |
Jr. |
S |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Payton Bock |
Northern Arizona |
Sr. |
MB |
Chandler, Ariz. |
| Kendra Cunningham |
Northern Colorado |
Sr. |
OH |
Eaton, Colo. |
| Ashley Guthrie |
Northern Colorado |
Jr. |
S |
Saugus, Calif. |
| Lauren Kissell |
Sacramento State |
Sr. |
OH |
Stockton, Calif. |
| Madi Forsythe |
Southern Utah |
Sr. |
OH |
Bountiful, Utah |
| ^ MVP |
# Two-time First Team selection |
%Three-time First Team selection |
|
|
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE |
| Name |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Katelyn Peterson |
Idaho |
Sr. |
OH |
Fairfield, Idaho |
| Bailey Bars |
Idaho State |
Jr. |
OH |
Grants Pass, Ore. |
| Natalee Godfrey |
Montana State |
Sr. |
OH |
Eugene, Ore. |
| Faith Dooley |
North Dakota |
So. |
MH |
Wheatland, N.D. |
| McKenzie Hart |
North Dakota |
Sr. |
L |
Langdon, N.D. |
| Chelsea Moser |
North Dakota |
Jr. |
OH |
Willamina, Ore. |
| Lauren Jacobsen |
Northern Arizona |
Jr. |
OH |
Chandler, Ariz. |
| Madeline Cannon |
Sacramento State |
Jr. |
MB |
Sacramento, Calif. |
| Kennedy Kurtz |
Sacramento State |
So. |
S |
Tucson, Ariz. |
| Sloan Lovett |
Sacramento State |
Sr. |
OH |
Durango, Colo. |
| Ann Clappier |
Southern Utah |
Jr. |
MB |
Pocatello, Idaho |
| Megan Thompson |
Weber State |
Jr. |
OH/MB |
Richfield, Utah |