Wednesday, November 29, 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Postseason honors continue to roll in for GNAC volleyball players with the selection of seven conference standouts to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) Division II All-West Region Team.

Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene each landed two first-team selections. The Vikings are represented by junior outside hitter Abby Phelps and junior setter Brette Boesel while the Nighthawks are represented by senior middle blocker Madi Farrell and senior outside hitter Kendra Bodine. Three of those players, Phelps, Boesel and Farrell, were named on Nov. 28 to the D2CCA All-West Region Team.

Three GNAC players were named honorable mention: Western Washington senior outside hitter Joellee Buckner, Simon Fraser junior middle blocker Tessa May and Alaska Anchorage junior outside hitter Leah Swiss.

Phelps, the GNAC Player of the Year, was named to the team for the second straight year. Phelps leads the GNAC and ranks among the top-30 in Division II in hitting percentage, kills, digs and blocks. The junior closed the regular season second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 4.15 kills per set while also ranking second in the league in points (4.78 per set) and seventh in digs (4.48 per set). Phelps’ 12.49 attacks per set ranks eighth nationally. Phelps finished with double-digit kills in all but two matches during the regular season and had 22 double-doubles, paced by her 19-kill, 31-dig performance against Simon Fraser on Sept. 19.

Boesel earned First Team All-GNAC and All-West Region honors for the first time after she led the GNAC and ranked 13th in Division II with 11.60 assists per set. She finished with 40 or more assists in 14 matches and had 10 double-doubles. Boesel posted a season-high 53 assists against Simon Fraser on Sept. 19 and had 52 at Seattle Pacific on Nov. 9.

Farrell, a four-time All-GNAC selection and three-time AVCA All-West Region honoree, enters the West Regional leading the GNAC and ranked fourth in Division II with a .417 hitting percentage and is seventh in Division II with 1.36 blocks per set. Farrell posted double-digit kills in 25 matches, including three performances with 20 or more kills. She finished with 24 kills at Central Washington on Oct. 10 and had a double-double of 18 kills and 10 blocks against Western Washington on Sept. 16.

Bodine was named to the all-region team for the second season The senior leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 4.36 kills per set and also leads the league and ranks 14th nationally with 4.85 points per set. Bodine finished with double-digit kills in all but two matches this season and had 16 double-doubles. She had a season-high 27 kills at Cal State Monterey Bay on Sept. 1.