Four Yellowjackets Earn All-Conference Honors

BILLINGS, Mont. – Senior outside hitter Devon Crotteau headlined the four Montana State Billings volleyball players selected to the 2009 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Conference volleyball team, which was announced Monday by the league office.

“I’m very happy that all four of our girls got the recognition they deserved,” said head coach Steve Smith. “All of them have improved tremendously this season and contributed to all of the success we had this year.”

Crotteau earned her second unanimous first team selection after having an outstanding senior campaign that saw her finish fifth in the nation in kills per set (4.47) and lead the league in kills and points (5.23). She also finished her MSUB career with 1,351 kills, third place on the school’s all-time list. This also was the third consecutive year that she recorded 400 kills and 300 digs in a season.

“I’m very happy for Devon and her accomplishments, but at the same time, with the stats she accumulated this season, I’m a little disappointed that she wasn’t named player of the year. She had a great career here at MSUB and I thought she improved even more as the season progressed,” added Smith.

Three other players were named honorable mention all-conference; senior Hillary Morrison, junior Jen Boe and freshman Jody Lutz joined Crotteau.

Morrison finished her career with 1,849 assists, including 1,051 this season, which was third in the conference. She also earned academic all-conference honors this season.

Boe had a 300/300 season, collecting 312 kills and 306 digs, as well as scoring 12 double-doubles on the year. She finished 11th in the conference in kills and was 15th in points.

Lutz made an impact as the season wore on, collecting a conference player of the week honor along the way. She finished second on the team in hitting percentage with a .265 and recorded a team-high 108 blocks.

“I was extremely happy with all three of the girls’ progression throughout the year,” said Smith. “I thought Jen came on late, otherwise she might have earned second team honors. Hillary is one of the best leaders in the conference and was one of the reasons for our success this year. Jody improved her strength a lot and became one of the best blockers in the league toward the end of the year. It will be great to have her back next year and watch her improve even more.”
The Yellowjackets finished tied for third in the conference after being picked eighth at the beginning of the season. They lose three players and will possibly retain eight players for next season.

2009 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Player-of-the-Year – Calli Scott, Alaska Anchorage.  Newcomer-of-the-Year – Amber Johnson, Seattle Pacific. Freshman-of-the-Year – Marlayna Geary, Western Washington. Coach-of-the-Year – Chris Green, Alaska Anchorage.

First Team -  *Calli Scott, UAA (S, 5-7, Sr., Scottsdale, AZ); *+Devon Crotteau, MSUB (OH, 6-0, Sr., Casper, WY);  *Sarah Risser, SPU (OH, 5-9, Jr., Santa Barbara, CA); Jackie Matthisen, UAA (OH, 5-10, So., Anchorage, AK); Megan Thigpen, UAF (MB, 5-10, Sr., Spokane, WA); Marlayna Geary, WWU (OH, 5-10, Fr., Tacoma, WA); +Brandie Vea, CWU (L, 5-3, Jr., Honolulu, HI).

Second Team – Carlee Marble, CWU (S, 5-8, So., LaConner, WA);Amber Johnson, SPU (MB, 6-2, So., Mt. Vernon, WA); Emily Jepsen, WWU (MB, 5-11, So., Kennewick, WA); Cortney Lundberg, UAA (MB, 6-0, Jr., Hardin, MT); Cammy Dranginis, NNU (MB, 6-0, Sr., Nampa, ID); Lisa Martini, WOU (MB, 6-0, Sr., Philomath, OR); Anna Herold, SPU (L, 5-8, So., Bothell, WA).

Honorable Mention -  Alexa Sherman, UAF (S, 5-9, Sr., Calabasas, CA); Hillary Morrison, MSUB (S, 5-10, Sr., Casper, WY); Laurie Yearout, WWU (S, 5-9, Fr., Spokane, WA); Jen Boe, MSUB (OH, 5-8, Jr., Casper, WY); Erin Norris, CWU (OH, 5-10, Sr., Spokane, WA); Megan Amundson, WWU (OH, 5-11, Jr., Stanwood, WA); Kady Try, CWU (OH, 6-0, Jr., Brentwood, CA); Lindsay Forseth, NNU (OH, 6-0, Sr., Nampa, ID); Jessica Bettencourt, SPU (Opp, 5-11, Sr., South Lake Tahoe, CA); Laura Sakala, WOU (MB, 6-0, Sr., Beaverton, OR); Teilissa Tua, SMU (MB, 5-11, Fr., Kahului, HI); Jody Lutz, MSUB (MB, 6-1, Fr., Dugald, Manitoba); Allie Gotz, WWU (L, 5-3, Jr., Bothell, WA);Stacie Meisner, UAA (L, 5-8, Sr., Gering, NE); Haley Hevern, NNU (L, 5-3, Jr., Central Point, OR).