Nov. 15, 2005
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Senior opposite Nickole Kennedy of Cleveland State University received the Horizon League's 2005 Volleyball Player of the Year honor in voting by the League's eight head coaches, the League office announced Wednesday (Nov. 17).
Kennedy used her League-leading .315 hitting clip to lead the Cleveland State offense with 3.79 kills per game, good for third in the Horizon League this season. Against League foes, Kennedy ranks in the top five in three categories, including second in hitting percentage (.323), second in kills (4.11 kpg) and fifth in blocks (1.15).
Senior libero Megan Knightly of Butler University garnered her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award. Knightly leads the Horizon League with an average of 5.41 digs per game and her 1,711 career digs put her only 11 behind Butler and Horizon League career digs leader Jessica Taylor (1989-1992) with 1,722. She was also honored with the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week award three times this season (Sept. 12, Sept. 26, and Oct. 31).
Cleveland State head coach Chuck Voss earned Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his six-year career at the school. Voss led this year's Viking squad to a number two seed in the Horizon League Volleyball Championship and an 11-3 League record, a five-game improvement over last year's 6-8 ledger.
Cleveland State middle hitter Jenni Ramminger and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee libero Becky Peters share the final specialty award, receiving Newcomer of the Year honors. Both Ramminger and Peters excelled defensively this season, with Ramminger averaging 1.14 blocks per game, including three matches with a career-high 10 blocks each. Peters ranks second behind Knightly with 4.87 digs per game, and her 506 total digs make her the only player in UW-Milwaukee's Division I history to record more than 500 digs on a season.
Cleveland State led the League with three players named to the All-Horizon League team. Senior Emily Clark and junior Danielle Siefker join Kennedy on the list. Three schools placed two players each on the team, including Melissa Lange and Cheryl Hegemann of UW-Milwaukee, Katarina Nedeljkovic and Ambria Springer of the University of Illinois at Chicago plus Jackie Rosen and Betty Slinger of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Knightly was honored as Butler's only selection to the team, while Courtney Ashley represents Loyola University Chicago. Wright State University's Sarah Poling also earned All-League honors.
Co-Newcomers of the Year Ramminger and Peters lead the honoress on the 2005 All-Newcomer Team. Freshmen Dana Daprile and Alicia Coltrane of Butler, Audrey Davis of Loyola and Lizzy Gunn of Wright State were also honored with selection to the team.
The 2005 Horizon League Volleyball Championship will be held Nov. 17-20 at UIC's Flames Center. The tournament champion will earn the League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be begin Dec. 1 at campus sites. The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 15 and 17.
All-Horizon League Team
Megan Knightly Butler
Nickole Kennedy Cleveland State
Emily Clark Cleveland State
Danielle Siefker Cleveland State
Courtney Ashley Loyola
Katarina Nedeljkovic UIC
Ambria Springer UIC
Jackie Rosen UW-Green Bay
Betty Slinger UW-Green Bay
Melissa Lange UW-Milwaukee
Cheryl Hegemann UW-Milwaukee
Sarah Poling Wright State
All-Newcomer Team
Dana Daprile Butler
Alicia Coltrane Butler
Jenni Ramminger Cleveland State
Audrey Davis Loyola
Becky Peters UW-Milwaukee
Lizzy Gunn Wright State
Newcomers of the Year
Jenni Ramminger Cleveland State
Becky Peters UW-Milwaukee
Defensive Player of the Year
Megan Knightly Butler
Player of the Year
Nickole Kennedy Cleveland State
Coach of the Year
Chuck Voss Cleveland State
