AVCA All-Region teams released

I dropped the ball. The AVCA All-Region teams were released yesterday.

Central Region First Team Laura Brammeier, Nebraska Wesleyan Lauren Budde, Washington Meghan Byrne, Washington Marilee Fisher, Washington Emily Foster, St. Thomas Sarah Gardner, St. Mary’s Jenna Green, Concordia-Moorhead Drew Hargrave, Washington Alesha Nelson, St. Thomas Kelly Pang, Washington Kelly Prunty, St. Olaf Kate Russell, Loras Kim Smisek, St. Olaf Katie Vohnoutka, Concordia-Moorhead

Midwest Region First Team Aleisha Bagin, UW Oshkosh Stephanie Boehm, Concordia (Wis.) Christina Cahoon, UW Oshkosh Lauren Dembkowski, Carthage Kelsy England, Millikin Erin Green, UW-River Falls Caitlin Hogan, UW-Whitewater Briana Kaiser, UW-Platteville Katy Krajnak, UW-Whitewater Michelle Madeja, Carthage Drewann Pancratz, Carthage Megan Reynolds, Elmhurst Ali Sikic, UW-Platteville Isis Smalls, Chicago

For the record my choice for National Player of the Year is Emory OH Amelia McCall. My choice for National Freshman of the Year is Washington OH Meghan Byrne.

Only once have I criticized the AVCA for All-Region teams. I have routine misgivings about the Top 25 poll, from this year’s rubber stamping of teams like Ohio Northern and Saint Benedict to the slow recognition of terrific teams like UW-Platteville, Christopher Newport and Eastern. But as far as All-Region, I’ve only gone to bat for one player: Loras’s Kate Russell in 2008. I felt like the AVCA overlooked her for whatever reason.

This year my beef with the All-Region teams is: Where is Torey DeLozier from Maranatha? You can save all of the “All-Region players should come from traditional power teams and conferences” excuses. The Northern AC is a very good league. So much so that the AVCA named two of its players to the All-Midwest team. As far as the team is concerned, I remember the name of a middle from New Jersey City on there every year. Besides, MBBC beat the No. 1 seed at the Northern AC tournament. The fact is that the Northern AC coaches – men and women who actually see these players multiple times – said the best player in their conference was Torey DeLozier. Are the coaches wrong? Are the stats that say DeLozier led the nation in kills/set and points/set invalid? You have seen the NCAA stats posts, right? Has anyone seen the 2010 Standout Stats page? It’s basically a DeLozier game log. Not even Honorable Mention, huh? I don’t get it.

EDIT:An anonymous comment says DeLozier was not nominated because her coach is not an AVCA member.

-Ricky Nelson