DENVER, Colo. – The No. 22 Cal State San Marcos volleyball team (23-10), who captured its fourth consecutive 20-plus win season, placed six Cougars on the Association of Independent Institutions All-Conference teams, announced today by the league office.
CSUSM picked up three major awards as
Andrea Leonard collected her fourth Coach of the Year award while senior
Alyssa Foster was named Player of the Year in addition to earning her third consecutive Setter of the Year honor.
Joining Foster on the all-conference first team is
Brooke Butler, Jordan Banich,
Cheyenne Richards and
Kristin Parker. Senior
Alyssa Hubbard was named to the second team.
As the only coach in program history, Leonard has posted an overall record of 85-35 for a winning percentage of .709. She has guided the Cougars to three A.I.I. conference tournament titles and three NAIA National Championship appearances.
Foster, a 5'10 setter from Portland, Ore., is a four-time all-conference selection. She has been the quarterback of the Cougar offense since the program began four seasons ago. Foster has set the bar high for future Cougars, graduating at the top of the program in assists (5,377), assists per set (10.18), service aces (170), digs (528), sets played (528) and matches played (152). She also ranks second in total blocks (172) and block assists (144). Foster's 1,604 assists in 2012 is a record that will be in the books for a long time.
Butler, a 5'10 sophomore outside hitter from Santa Maria, has turned on the heat in the second part of the season with a team-high 143 kills and a 2.80 kills per set average. Her 20 kill-26 dig performance on Oct. 28 gave the Cougars it first road win against Westmont in program history.
Banich, a 6'1 junior outside hitter transfer from Denver, Colo., tallied a team-best 273 kills and 3.03 attack percentage. She registered three 20-plus kill matches and six double-double performances.
Richards, a 6'0 freshman outside hitter from Corona, has split time at both at outside and right side positions this season. She ranks third in the conference with a .240 attack percentage. Richards reached double-digits in kills on six occasions in 2014.
Parker, a 5'10 freshman middle blocker from Temecula, became a permanent starter for the Cougars at the midway point of the season. She has a team-best .367 hitting percentage while dominating the net with 52 total blocks including 16 solos.
Hubbard, a 6'0 outside hitter from Riverside, collects her second all-conference honor after picking up an honorable mention honor last season. She ranks second on the team in kills per set (2.49) and kills (249).
Player of the Year: Alyssa Foster, Sr., Setter, Cal State San Marcos
Setter of the Year: Alyssa Foster, Sr., Cal State San Marcos
Libero of the Year: Samantha Schultz, Sr., Ashford University
Freshman of the Year: Michaela Gardner, Outside Hitter, Ashford
Coach of the Year: Andrea Leonard, Cal State San Marcos
| FIRST TEAM | SECOND TEAM |
|---|
| Alyssa Foster (CSUSM) | Alyssa Hubbard (CSUSM) |
|---|
| Kristin Parker (CSUSM) | Maria Darling (Walla Walla) |
| Brooke Butler (CSUSM) | Chelsea Potter (Rochester) |
| Jordan Banich (CSUSM) | Danica Lawrence (Johnson & Wales) |
| Cheyenne Richards (CSUSM) | Kelley McLain (Johnson & Wales) |
| Danielle Tombolato (Ashford) | MacKenzie Milon (Fisk) |
| Michaela Gardner (Ashford) | Alexis Emmanuel (Fisk) |
| Lexus Medina (Rochester) | Kennedi Hlittle (Fisk) |
| Veronica Gibbs (Johnson & Wales) | |
| Elizabeth Michalski (Johnson & Wales) | |
| Samantha Schultz (Ashford) | |
| Jade Rhone (Fisk) | |
HONORABLE MENTIONPakalana Helekahi, So., Outside Hitter, Ashford; Lauren Barlow, Fr., Outside Hitter, Walla Walla; Sierra Hample, Fr., Libero, Walla Walla; Kayla Loepp, Jr., Libero, Rochester; Tara VanDenberg, Jr., Setter, Rochester; Verenice Chaparro, So., Setter, Ashford; Abby Stultz, Fr., Libero, Indiana-Northwest; LaChelle Smith, Fr., Middle Blocker, Indiana-Northwest.
