Mimick, Wegner Named to All-Big 12 Volleyball First Team
Nov 25, 2001 | Volleyball
Nov. 25, 2001
Dallas, Texas - Senior co-captains Lisa Mimick and Liz Wegner, of the 19th-ranked Kansas State women's volleyball team, were selected to the 13-member 2001 Coaches All-Big 12 Conference first team released by the conference office late Sunday evening. In all, the league coaches named 20 players to first and honorable-mention teams.
The selections of Mimick and Wegner marked the fourth consecutive year the Wildcats have placed two players on the conference's first team. Over the last five years, Kansas State has seen eight of its players earn 13 all-conference honors, including nine selections to the first team. Earlier this month, both players were among seven Wildcats named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team.
"This is a great honor for two very special players," said head coach Suzie Fritz. "Lisa (Mimick) and Liz (Wegner) are tremendous individuals on and off the court for our program. I'm glad that coaches outside our program understand and appreciate the effort they have put on the court this year. Hopefully, their best volleyball is still ahead of them as we enter the NCAA Tournament."
Senior outside hitter Nancy Metcalf of second-ranked Nebraska was chosen as the Big 12 Player of the Year, while Texas Tech redshirt freshman Kelly Johnson and Texas freshman Mira Topic were named the league's Newcomer and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Senior Katie Sowers was chosen as the second winner of the conference's Defensive Specialist of the Year. Nebraska head coach John Cook was honored as the league's Coach of the Year after guiding the Cornhuskers to their fourth consecutive Big 12 title.
With her repeat selection to the first team, Wegner becomes just the fourth player in Kansas State history to earn first-team accolades at least twice in a playing career. She joins this elite group with Renee Whitney (1984-85), Shawnee Call (1986-88) and Val Wieck (1997-98). A member of the preseason coaches All-Big 12 team, Wegner also becomes just the second player in school history to earn all-conference honors three times in her career, joining Call who was a first-team selection in 1986, 1987 and 1988. Wegner was an honorable-mention pick as a sophomore in 1999. Mimick was selected to the All-Big 12 team for the first time in her career.
Mimick and Wegner were joined on the first team by Nebraska's quintet of Nancy Metcalf, Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist, Jenny Kropp and Laura Pilakowski, along with Texas A&M's Jenna Moscovic and Michelle Cole, Colorado's Meghan Barkman and Elizabeth Gower, Baylor's Stevie Nicholas and Texas' Mira Topic. Those named honorable mention included Missouri's Lisa Morris and Christi Myers, Baylor's Dana Chuha, Colorado's Monique Gerlach, Kansas' Molly LaMere, Texas' Bethany Howden and Texas Tech's Melissa McGehee.
A 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Spencer, Neb., Mimick averaged a team-best 3.55 digs per game in 97 games for the Wildcats this season to go with 2.91 kills per game and 0.90 blocks per game. A starter in 25 of the team's 26 matches this season, Mimick trailed Wegner for the team lead in both kills and total attacks, while she ranked third in blocks. She ranks sixth in the Big 12 in digs per game in both overall matches (3.55) and conference-only matches (3.72). She tied Jenny Pollard for the team lead with 13 double-doubles, while she tallied 15 or more digs in a team-best 10 matches this season. Earlier this year, she became just the sixth player in school history to tally 1,000 career digs. She earned Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Week recognition on Nov. 12.
The holder of 21 school career and single-season records, Wegner posted a team-best 4.53 kills per game in 89 games for the Wildcats this season to go with 2.81 digs per game and 0.48 block per game. An honorable mention All-American last season, Wegner ranks third in the Big 12 in overall kills per game and fourth conference-only kills per game. She tallied double-digit kills in 21 of 24 matches this season to go with four 20-kill performances. She also added 11 double-doubles. Wegner ranks among the top 10 in five K-State career categories, including first in kills and total attacks, fourth in digs, eighth in aces and 10th in block assists. On Sept. 26, she broke the school career kills record with her 1,647th kill in an amazing 26-kill performance in a 3-2 win over Missouri, while she became the fifth player to tally 1,000 digs in a career against Iowa State on Oct. 10.
Kansas State should receive its sixth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament when the 64-team bracket is released Monday afternoon. The Wildcats, who are riding a seven-match winning streak, finished the regular season with a 19-7 overall record and 15-5 mark in Big 12 Conference play. K-State finished in third place in the league standings behind No. 2 Nebraska and No. 15 Texas A&M. With their 3-0 win over Missouri last Wednesday, the Wildcats broke the school record for conference wins in a single-season with their 15th, while the program achieved at least 19 wins for the seventh consecutive year.
