Meffert, Kenline and Gray receive honors from OVC
Junior Leah Meffert, senior Katie Kenline and freshman Kelsey Gray have been recognized by the Ohio Valley Conference for their individual play during the 2009 season by earning all-OVC honors on the volleyball court.
Third consecutive all-OVC honors for Meffert and
Kenline
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech junior Leah Meffert,
senior Katie Kenline and freshman Kelsey Gray have been recognized
by the Ohio Valley Conference for their individual play during the
2009 season by earning all-OVC honors on the volleyball court.
The all-OVC teams were announced Wednesday by the league office as
six conference teams -- including Tennessee Tech -- prepare to wage
battle in the OVC Tournament Thursday through Saturday.
It’s the third consecutive all-conference nod for both
Meffert and Kenline, while Gray grabbed her first selection with a
spot on the seven-player all-Newcomer team.
Meffert repeated as a first-team all-OVC selection after beginning
her career with second-team honors in 2007 and moving up to the
first-team last season. She ranks second in the league in kills per
set and in offensive points per set.
A junior from Louisville, Ky., Meffert became just the eighth
player in school history to surpass 1,000 in both career kills and
career digs, placing her in the elite “Double Grand”
club. She has posted 1,295 kills to rank fifth in school history,
and 1,032 digs.
For Kenline, a fifth-year senior from Ossian, Ind., this
year’s honor marks the third year in a row as a second-team
selection. She ranks sixth in the OVC in digs per set and was twice
selected the OVC Defensive Player of the Week.
During the year, she put together a streak of 23 consecutive
matches with double figures in digs. She heads to the OVC
tournament ranked second all-time in the OVC in career digs with
2,413. She is the first player in Tech history to surpass 2,000 in
career digs, and needs 42 to break the OVC career record.
Before Meffert and Kenline, only four previous Golden Eagle players
had been three-time all-OVC picks. The pair joins Becky Murray Isom
(1986-88), Rachel Melchiorre (1997-2000), Stephanie Busch
(1997-2000) and Maggie Stern (1999-2002).
Gray, a freshman from Newark, Ohio, ranked first on the team and
fourth in the OVC in blocks per game. She currently has 23 blocks
solo and 88 assists for a total of 111 blocks, an average of 1.03
per set.
Gray is the fourth member of the current roster to begin her career
with selection to the all-newcomer squad. Kenline and Amanda
Lindgren were named in 2006, while Meffert earned that honor in
2007.
Austin Peay’s Stephanie Champine was named the OVC Player of
the Year, while Kayleah Sauer of Murray State was the Defensive
Player of the Year. Anne Gruenschlaeger of Morehead State is the
Freshman of the Year and Jacksonville State’s Rick Nold is
Coach of the Year.
2009 All-OVC Volleyball Teams
FIRST TEAM
Player, School Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown
Stephanie Champine, Austin Peay* OH Sr. 5’10 Lambertville,
Mich.
Emma Keough, Morehead State MB So. 5’11 Batavia, Ohio
Brittney Whitten, Jacksonville State* OH Sr. 5’9 Boonville,
Ind.
Karleigh DeLong, Southeast Missouri OH/RS Sr. 5’11 Corona,
Calif.
Leah Meffert, Tennessee Tech* OH Jr. 6’0 Louisville,
Ky.
Sarah Alisaleh, Austin Peay S Jr. 5’8 San Antonio,
Texas
Caitlin Vorbeck, Jacksonville State MB/OH Jr. 5’11 Raytown,
Mo.
Kaitlin Craven, Morehead State OH Jr. 5’10 Louisville,
Ky.
(Eight players appear on the first team due to a tie)
SECOND TEAM
Player, School Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown
Jade Guo, Murray State# S So. 5’11 DaTong, Shanxi,
China
Kayleah Sauer, Murray State L So. 5’6 Louisville, Ky.
Abby O’Connor, Eastern Kentucky L Jr. 5’4 Maineville,
Ohio
Jessica Mollman, Austin Peay MB Jr. 6’0 Cincinnati, Ohio
Lauren Snyder, Eastern Kentucky OH Jr. 5’10 Ft. Mitchell,
Ky.
Becca Lamb, Murray State OH Jr. 5’11 Highland, Ill.
Katie Kenline, Tennessee Tech L Sr. 5’8 Ossian,
Ind.
ALL-NEWCOMER
Player, School Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown
Lauren Snyder, Eastern Kentucky OH Jr. 5’10 Ft.
Mitchell, Ky.
Annie Gruenschlaeger, Morehead State MH Fr. 6’4 Ft. Thomas,
Ky.
Alyx Schulte, Jacksonville State OH Fr. 5’10 Cold Springs,
Ky.
Jen Meyer, Jacksonville State OH Fr. 6’1 Maineville, Ohio
Kelsey Gray, Tennessee Tech MB Fr. 6’2 Newark,
Ohio
Kasey Elswick, UT Martin DS Fr. 5’7 Louisville,
Ky.
Ellie Roberson, Morehead State OH Fr. 6’2 Louisville, Ky.
