BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball players
Leah Jones and
Ashlynn Schroeder were named to the All-NSIC first team, while
Ashley Peltier,
Natalie Pilney, and
Mollie Rupp were named to the second team.
The announcement made on Thursday from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference league office named 18 individuals to the first team and 16 to the second team. SMSU had the second-most players selected from an individual school with five.
In addition to receiving first team honors, Schroeder was also named the Libero of the Year.
Leah Jones, a senior outside hitter from Marshall, Minn., leads SMSU in kills with 283, and a kills per set ratio of 3.29. Jones has recorded 14 matches this season with double digit kills and set a career-high in a five-set match against Northern State with 27. She is currently ninth all time in kills at SMSU. This is her third All-NSIC first team selection in her career, and fourth total all-conference selection.
A sophomore from Eau Claire, Wis.,
Ashlynn Schroeder leads SMSU with 417 digs while averaging 4.85 digs per set, both good for third best in the NSIC. Schroeder has recorded double-digit digs in 22 of 25 matches this season. She has had nine matches with 20 or more digs and recorded a career-high 27 against Concordia-St. Paul (10/31). Schroeder was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season.
Fifth-year right side
Ashley Peltier was selected to the All-NSIC second team for the second consecutive season. A native of Taylors Falls, Minn., Peltier is fifth on the team with 158 kills, hitting .266 so far this season. She has four matches this season with double-digit kills and hit a season-high 13 against Jamestown (10/9). Peltier is also third in blocks with a total of 49.
Natalie Pilney, a junior middle blocker from St. Michael, Minn., receives all-conference honors for the first time this season. Pilney is currently second on the team with 215 kills, averaging 2.5 kills per set, while hitting .317. She tied her career-high in kills with 15 against Sioux Falls in a five-set win while hitting .343 in the match. Pilney also leads the team in total blocks with 91, while ranking tied for third in the NSIC in blocks per set (1.06).
In her first season with SMSU, outside hitter
Mollie Rupp was named to the All-NSIC second team. The native of Bemidji, Minn., and transfer from Minnesota Duluth, is third on the team with 205 kills averaging 2.41 kills per set. Rupp has eight matches with double-digit kills, and had a season-high 14 kills while hitting .464 in a four-set win over St. Cloud State (Sep. 18).
SMSU, holding an overall record of 20-5 and an NSIC record of 14-4, is also currently ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll, and are listed at No. 6 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) Central Region rankings. The Mustangs conclude the regular season this weekend against Minnesota State and St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday.
