Brand, Sassin Named AVCA All-Midwest Region
Dec 06, 2016 | Volleyball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior Katie Brand became the first player in
Kansas State volleyball history to be a three-time First Team All-Midwest Region
selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), as the
organization announced its yearly award winners Tuesday.
Senior outside hitter Brooke Sassin received all-region honorable mention honors, the
first selection of her career. K-State has had multiple all-region selections
in three of the past five seasons.
Brand, a 6-1 setter, finished the regular
season as the Big 12’s leader in assists per set for the first time in her
career and was named first team all-conference for the third straight year. She
set career highs this season in both assists per set (11.27), total assists
(1,341) and points (194.5). Brand recorded over 100 kills and 300 digs for the
third straight season.
The Grand Island, Nebraska, native ends her
career at K-State second in program history in the rally-scoring era (since
2001) with 4,859 assists and 68 double-doubles. Additionally, Brand is one of
three Wildcats sine 2001 with multiple 1,200-assist seasons and one of only
eight to ever join the Double-Grand Club as she eclipsed 1,000 career digs
earlier this season.
Sassin, an All-Big 12 selection in 2015, paced
K-State in kills (364) and kills per set (3.08) for the second consecutive
season. In each of her three seasons as a Wildcat, Sassin has eclipsed 300
kills and earlier this year became the sixth K-State player since 2001 to reach
1,000 career kills.
Earlier this season, the San Antonio, Texas,
native was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight year
and was named to the all-tournament team at the season-opening Wahine
Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.
As a result of earning all-region first team
accolades, Brand is now in consideration for All-America honors, which will be
announced by the AVCA on December 14.
Brand was one of 14 student-athletes named to
this year’s All-Midwest Region First Team while Sassin was one of six to
receive honorable mention. Forty schools comprise the Midwest region, with
K-State being one of four schools from the Big 12 (Iowa State, KU, West
Virginia). K-State and KU were the only Big 12 schools with multiple
All-Midwest selections.
A total of 21 Wildcats have garnered 31
all-region honors in program history, including 21 selections under head coach
Suzie Fritz.
K-State (21-10, 9-7 Big 12) finished its 2016
campaign with its 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament
and advanced to the second round of the postseason for the first time since
2011. The Wildcats concluded the year in a fourth-place tie in the Big 12
standings for the second straight season.
AVCA ALL-MIDWEST REGION
|
First
Name |
Last
Name |
School |
Pos. |
Year |
|
Katie |
Brand*** |
Kansas State |
S |
SR |
|
Payton |
Caffrey |
West
Virginia |
OH |
FR |
|
Jane |
Emmenecker |
Dayton |
S |
JR |
|
Amber |
Erhahon |
Dayton |
MB |
JR |
|
Kayla |
Haneline |
Northern
Iowa |
MB |
SR |
|
Ainise |
Havili*** |
Kansas |
S |
JR |
|
Lily |
Johnson |
Missouri
State |
OH |
JR |
|
Jody |
Larson |
Wichita
State |
RS |
SR |
|
Abbie |
Lehman*** |
Wichita
State |
MB |
JR |
|
Kelsie |
Payne** |
Kansas |
RS |
JR |
|
Madison |
Rigdon |
Kansas |
OH |
JR |
|
Danielle |
Rygelski** |
Saint
Louis |
OH |
SR |
|
Jess |
Schaben |
Iowa
State |
OH |
SO |
|
Cassie
|
Wait |
Kansas |
L |
SR |
Honorable
Mention
|
First
Name |
Last
Name |
School |
Pos. |
Year |
|
Laura |
Milos |
Oral
Roberts |
OH |
JR |
|
Tayler |
Soucie |
Kansas |
MB |
SR |
|
Brooke |
Sassin |
Kansas State |
OH |
SR |
|
Scottie |
Ingram |
Murray
State |
OH |
SR |
|
Jenna |
Radtke |
Northern
Illinois |
MB |
SR |
|
Emma |
Hagedorn |
UMKC |
MB |
SR |
Freshman
of the Year: Payton
Caffrey, West Virginia, OH
Coach
of the Year: Melissa
Stokes, Missouri State
*Denotes total number of years selected
to AVCA Division I All-Region Team
