November 13, 2007

Crotteau, Cazemier Earn All-Conf. Honors
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BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State Billings volleyball players Devon Crotteau and Alicia Cazemier were selected to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball all-conference teams on Monday. 

Crotteau, a sophomore from Casper, Wyo., was named to the all-conference second team.  She posted a team-high 465 kills this season, averaging 4.23 per game.  Crotteau was also an integral part of the Jackets’ defense with 425 digs.  Her 59 service aces rank third all-time in school history for a single season.

Cazemier, a senior from Vauxhall, Alberta, was named to the honorable mention team.  An all-region selection the last two seasons, Cazemier 439 kills and 118 blocks in 2007.  She finished her career as the school career record holder for kills, total blocks, solo blocks, block assists, blocks average, and hitting percentage. 

Western Washington libero Courtney Schneider, who ranks among the all-time dig leaders in NCAA Division II history, was selected the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Player-of-the-Year.  Viking coach Diane Flick, who guided WWU to a 21-4 record and its fourth GNAC title in seven years, was selected the GNAC Coach-of-the-Year for the fifth time.

Schneider finished the regular-season with a school and GNAC record 678 digs breaking her own previous record of 666.  She ranks sixth in NCAA Division II history with 2,522 digs and her 6.95 per game average is on pace to destroy the current national record of 6.06.

Flick, a 1993 graduate of the University of Washington, edged Western Oregon coach Joe Houck 5-4 in the balloting for Coach-of-the-Year honors.  Flick, who also earned the award in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006, has a career record of 170-46 in eight seasons, including a 112-12 conference record in seven GNAC campaigns.

Also winning special awards were Western Oregon outside hitter Kayla Mainer and setters Jamie Mellies of Seattle University and Joelle Perez of Seattle Pacific.  Mainer finished the regular-season  ranked fourth in the conference in kills per game (4.03) sixth in points (4.67) and digs (4.24) and seventh in aces (0.47), to win GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors.  Perez and Mellies finished fourth (11.07) and fifth (10.62), respectively, in the conference in assists and tied in the balloting for GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year honors, each receiving four first-place votes, two seconds and a third.

Schneider, who is averaging 7.70 digs and is on pace to win her second consecutive national dig title, and Seattle Pacific outside hitter Alyssa Given headed up the seven-woman GNAC first team all-conference team.  Both players were unanimous selections and became the fourth and fifth players in GNAC history to earn first-team honors three times.

Given led the GNAC in kills (4.56) this season and finished her career as the second-leading kill (1,454) and point (1,723) producer in GNAC history.  She also finished her career ranked first in conference history in kill attempts (4,041) and aces (188) and third in kills per game (3.96).

Northwest Nazarene middle blocker Cammy Dranginis was also a repeat  first-team selection.  Joining Schneider, Given and Dranginis on the first team were Mainer, Central Washington middle blocker Rachael Schurman, Western Washington middle blocker Tiana Roma and Viking setter Katie Robinson.

Western Washington, which is the No. 2 seed in this week’s NCAA Division II Pacific Regional at San Bernardino, placed a total of six players on the all-star team.  The Vikings will be making their fifth post-season appearance in the seven-year history of the GNAC.  Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon, which are the sixth and eighth seeds, respectively, will be making their first-ever NCAA post-season volleyball appearances.