 Front row: Cloé Bengston, Brooke Wedel Second row: Megan Wedel (statistician), Katie Blake, Annali Murray, Kelly Green Third row: Audra Hofer (statistician), Kyla Yoder, Linea Bartel, Ana Maria Rojas, Elizabeth Eberspacher, Kory Hiebert, Alicia Hochstetler (statistician) Back row: Jessica Forshee (student assistant), Vanessa Schroeder (coach), Jocelyn Forshee, Rachel Steckly |
September 2, 2008
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced that the 2007 women's volleyball team at Hesston College has been honored for its academic excellence.
Coach Vanessa Schroeder said her squad was among a record 354 volleyball teams across the country that received the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2007-08 season. Schroeder also pointed out that her 2007 team was one of only
15 teams honored from two-year colleges in the U.S, and one of 5 teams from two-year colleges in the state of Kansas.
The award honors college and high school teams that have displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the school year. The team’s GPA was 3.51 (on a 4.0 scale).
According to Schroeder, the team set a GPA goal of 3.45 at the start of the season. “Their efforts in the classroom show the dedication this team had on and off the court to be successful,” she said. “This team was made up of high achievers. They developed a deep sense of respect among the faculty and staff of Hesston College in their efforts to reach their academic and athletic goals.”
The players on the 2007 Larks volleyball team were:
- Linea Bartel, 5'6'', setter, sophomore, Iowa City, Iowa
Cloé Bengston, 5'2'', defensive specialist/setter, freshman, Inman, Kan.
Katie Blake, 6'0'', opposite, freshman, Moundridge, Kan.
Elizabeth Eberspacher, 5'8'', opposite/setter, sophomore, Milford, Neb.
Jocelyn Forshee, 5'10'', middle blocker/opposite, soph., Concordia, Kan.
Kelly Green, 5'11'', opposite/middle blocker, freshman, Greenwood, Del.
Kory Hiebert, 6'2'', middle blocker, freshman, Goessel, Kan.
Annali Murray, 5'8'', outside hitter, freshman, Orrville, Ohio
Ana Maria Rojas, 5'6'', outside hitter, sophomore, Cali, Colombia
Rachel Steckly, 5'8'', outside hitter, freshman, Milford, Neb.
Brooke Wedel, 5'3'', libero, freshman, Moundridge, Kan.
Kyla Yoder, 5'8'', outside hitter, sophomore, Kalona, Iowa
Members of the 2008 squad who are returning from last year are Kory Hiebert, Annali Murray, and Rachel Steckly.
Each school will receive a plaque, and each player a certificate commemorating the designation.
The Larks women's volleyball teams from the 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006 seasons previously received this AVCA academic award.
Last spring, the 2007 volleyball squad received another post-season academic award, the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) Fall 2007 Academic Team-of-the-Year Award. The Larks were one of 47 teams across the U.S. to receive this award. Hesston’s team ranked second nationally in GPA and first in the state of Kansas.
Hesston College Volleyball