Wednesday, December 6, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of eight GNAC players, led by first-team selections Abby Phelps of Western Washington and Madi Farrell of Northwest Nazarene, have been selected as All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).

Phelps, a junior outside hitter, was named a First Team All-American by the AVCA and received honorable mention distinction from the D2CCA. Farrell was named a First Team All-American by the D2CCA and a Second Team All-American by the D2CCA. Both players were named honorable mention by the AVCA in 2016 while Farrell was a D2CCA Third Team All-American last year.

Six other GNAC players were named honorable mention. Central Washington senior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse joined Phelps as an honorable mention on the D2CCA team. Receiving AVCA honorable mention status was Northwest Nazarene senior outside hitter Kendra Bodine, Western Washington junior setter Brette Boesel and junior opposite Joellee Buckner; Simon Fraser junior middle blocker Tessa May and Alaska Anchorage junior outside hitter Leah Swiss.

Phelps, the 2017 GNAC Player of the Year, led Western Washington to a 27-4 overall record and the team’s third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II West Region championship match. She led the GNAC and finished her season ranked 14th in Division II with 4.31 kills per set and also led the league and ranked 12th in Division II with 4.93 points per set. She finished with double-digit kills in all but one match this season. She also had 25 double-doubles, including three during the West Regional. Phelps finished with 28 kills and 16 digs in the Vikings’ win over Alaska Anchorage in the West Region quarterfinals.

Farrell finished as the top hitter in the GNAC and finished the season ranked fourth in Division II with a .414 hitting percentage. She finished third in the GNAC with 3.93 kills per set and 4.71 points per set and was third in the GNAC and fifth in Division II with 1.37 blocks per set. Farrell had double-digit kills in all but three matches on the season and had a double-double of 18 kills and 10 blocks against Western Washington on Sept. 16.

Wheelhouse finished as the Division II leader in blocks, averaging 1.50 blocks per set and also led the nation with 173 total blocks. She also finished third in the GNAC with a .313 hitting percentage. Her season was topped by an 11-kill, 14-block performance against Alaska on Sept. 28.

Boesel was the primary setter for the Vikings and finished the season leading the GNAC and ranked 11th in Division II with 11.72 assists per set. She had double-doubles on 12 occasions, including 55 assists and 11 digs against Alaska Anchorage in the NCAA West Regional. Buckner finished sixth in the GNAC with 4.82 digs per set while averaging 2.83 kills per set. She had 14 double-doubles of the season, led by 16 kills and 25 digs at Seattle Pacific on Nov. 9.

May was the offensive leader for Simon Fraser, finishing second in the GNAC and was 19th in Division II with a .366 hitting percentage. She averaged 2.83 kills and 1.08 blocks per set and finished the season with a double-double with 21 kills and 10 blocks against Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 18.

Swiss, an AVCA Division II All-American in 2016, finished the season with 3.40 kills per set and was sixth in the GNAC with 4.09 points per set. Swiss was also second in the GNAC and was 47th in Division II with 0.43 aces per set. She finished with 17 double-doubles on the season, led by her 22 kills and 19 digs against Western Washington on Oct. 7.