D3VbWest All-Region Team (2019)

The AVCA will put out their All-Region team on Thursday (I think), but for the second year in a row I’m also doing an All-Region team. Now just because mine comes out first doesn’t necessarily mean mine is better. There are a slew of other reasons you could use to make that point, too. Just like the AVCA version, I will have 14 on the team with 6 honorable mention selections. There will be short blurbs on each pick below my selections. This was a very tough exercise and a lot of amazing student-athletes were left off the lists. My apologies if I made a mistake. I will say this was made more difficult because there were a few errors in the NCAA statistics. There was specifically one player I removed because I couldn’t figure out what her true stats were and the margin was so tight it made a difference. Also, if your school doesn’t have sortable stats on your team’s website then know that I hate you. Let’s move these websites into the 2000’s please!

Remember to vote on who you think will win each Regional!

Here is the D3VbWest All-Region Team. As always, there is no swag that goes with these selections but you are free to print it out and display it.

D3VbWest Player of the Year:  Phoebe Madsen (CMS) D3VbWest Freshman of the Year:  Triniti Anderson (HSU) D3VbWest Coach of the Year:  Kati Bodecker (Whitworth)

D3VbWest All-Region Team

First Name	Last Name	School	Position	Year
Lizzy	Counts	Colorado College	S	Sr.
Emily	Ellis	Trinity	MB	So.
Jenna	Gillean	Mary Hardin-Baylor	OH	Sr.
Maci	Haddad	Cal Lutheran	MB	So.
Emiko	Kahler	Whitworth	OH	Sr.
Jessi	Lumsden	Chapman	OH	So.
Phoebe	Madsen	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	S	Sr.
Tristyn	Massey	Concordia	OH	Sr.
Georgia	Mullins	Colorado College	MB	So.
Sophie	Srivastava	Chapman	S/RS	So.
Sarah	Tritschler	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	L	Sr.
Avery	Tuggle	Trinity	OH	Jr.
Jillian	Via	UT-Dallas	OH	Sr.
Amanda	Walker	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	RS	Sr.

Player of the Year – I considered a number of players for this but it always came back to the player that I consider the glue of one of our best teams. Madsen leads the attack as the setter and when she rotates to the front and Walker comes off she may be their best hitter. This is the second time I have awarded her this honor.

Freshman of the Year – There were a number of excellent freshman liberos that I considered and ended up with Catherine Helgeson (Chapman) as their representative. Then I looked at the hitters like Catherine Croft (UTD) and it was very close but I took Triniti Anderson (HSU). The downside is that she doesn’t really play back row but she was so important to the Hardin-Simmons attack and was one of the region’s leaders in Kills/Set and Points/Set. In the end, that was more than enough for me to select Anderson. (She also flies out of the gym and you know how I like those players.)

Coach of the Year – I’m selecting Kati Bodecker (Whitworth) and I’m pretty sure the AVCA won’t agree with me. She didn’t win her conference coach of the year award but I thought she was overlooked. First off, the easy choice was Julie Jenkins (Trinity) and she is very deserving. I also liked that Caltech has their best season ever so nothing wrong with selecting Tom Gardner. Honestly, this was going to go to Jeff Hendershot until La Verne sort of trailed off, but I thought the work he did with that team was outstanding. I went with Coach Bodecker because I didn’t see Whitworth pulling off the NWC title this year. They lost some great talent and through recruiting and coaching they clinched the NWC a week before the season ended.

All-Region Players

Lizzy Counts – I was unsure prior to the season if Counts was going to be running a 5-1 or a 6-2. In the end, she ran mostly a single setter offense finishing 3^rd in the region in Assists/Set. Colorado College has one of the best offenses in the nation and actually lead the nation in Assists/Set and Kills/Set. Counts is obviously a big part of that. Counts can attack on the front row and has really improved her swing while hiding that fact until the last moment. This is Counts senior season and it looks like she’ll finish with the second most assists in school history.

Emily Ellis – Trinity actually has two fine middles with Emma Funk being the other but I could only find room on the list for one. Ellis finished third in the region in Blocks/Set and first in Hitting Percentage and Total Blocks. She actually is 9^th in the nation in those last two categories. It’s rare to find a middle that is equally proficient in the blocking game as they are in attack but Trinity has done that with both Ellis and Funk. As a sophomore, Ellis has two more years to improve (if even possible) and lead the Tigers attack.

Jenna Gillean – Like Trinity’s Ellis and Funk, Mary Hardin-Baylor has had two outstanding outsides in Gillean and Corinne Novak. Gillean gets the nod here but both players are deadly from the pin. Gillean is a 6-rotation outside that was one of the region’s leaders in Attacks/Set, Total Digs and Total Kills. She had over 1100 swings in her senior season and it’s unfortunate to have ended sooner than anyone in the West would have wanted. Gillean was also the ASC West Division Player of the Year.

Maci Haddad – There are so many good middles in the West and deciding between Haddad and Melanie Moore (Honorable Mention) was difficult. The difference is really that Cal Lutheran relied on Haddad more and it certainly helps that she didn’t let them down. Haddad was a leader in the region in both Blocks/Set and Hitting Percentage and ended the season with 310 points and 3.0 Points/Set. She was 4 swings away from leading the Regals in attacks, which is pretty amazing for a middle. Only a sophomore, Haddad has two more years to help raise Cal Lutheran back to being an NCAA Tournament team.

Emiko Kahler – I had the pleasure to watch Kahler the first weekend of the season in person and it was always shocking to see the left-handed outside plaster the line time and time again. I’m sure the NWC teams went from being shocked to being annoyed really quickly. Kahler ended up being the NWC MVP and frankly midway through the season it was kind of obvious. She finished the regular season second in the region in Kills/Set and Points/Set and was one of the region’s leaders in Total Attacks. Kahler is also a great defensive player finishing with 318 digs. She was the Pirates go-to player (454.5 points) that didn’t disappoint and is the primary reason they won the NWC title and are in the NCAA Tournament.

Jessi Lumsden – Lumsden is simply one of the best outsides in the West Region and has a slew of shots she can turn to on the court. She was third in the region in Kills/Set and Points/Set playing in the very tough SCIAC. She is a 6-rotation player who finished the year with 299 digs and 430.5 points. Chapman has two of the best young players in the nation and my hope is that an NCAA Tournament berth is in their future next year.

Phoebe Madsen – My Player of the Year who seems to do anything she wants on the volleyball court. She was asked to hit more this year as she shared the setting duties and she turned in another outstanding season. She was a leader in the region in Aces/Set, Assists/Set, Hitting Percentage and Triple-Doubles. Her 7 triple-doubles was good for 4^th in the nation. This is her senior season and a return to the championship match is her only goal. She was able to win one sharing the setting duties with her sister and we’ll see if she can lead the Athenas to another.

Tristyn Massey – Concordia certainly had a fine season but you’ll notice that Massey is from the only team that wasn’t regionally ranked in the West this season. The AVCA tends to favor the top teams when giving out their honors because they’ve played the top teams and had success. With Massey, however, her statistics are too good to ignore and I’m interested to see if the AVCA agrees. She was 5^th in the region in Aces/Set and a leader in the region in Hitting Percentage (as an outside!), Kills/Set and Points/Set (finishing 4^th). Massey played 6-rotations (317 digs) and was one of the better blockers as an outside in the region.

Georgia Mullins – We all knew that a Colorado College middle was making this list but when Margo Spaethling went down in the practice right before their first match, Mullins inherited a huge load and boy did she deliver. A leader in the region in both Blocks/Set and Points/Set she would also finish 6^th in Hitting Percentage. She was the leader of the powerful Tigers offense with 378 points and when you are the best of one of the best, you need to be on the All-Region Team.

Sophie Srivastava – Loyal readers know Sophie is one of my favorites. A tall dominating right side player that also sets is a rare find and the Panthers are very fortunate to have both her and Lumsden on the court. She’s a leader in the region in both Assists/Set and Blocks/Set and actually leads the nation with 11 in Triple-Doubles. Oh, did I mention she can also play defense (358 digs). Srivastava is simply a do-everything type of player that we just don’t see that often at the DIII level.

Sarah Tritschler – I really struggled with who should represent the liberos on this team. The SCIAC didn’t have Tritschler on their first team and I understand where they were coming from but she’s an outstanding libero on a team that plays some of the best teams in the nation. Tritschler finished 5^th in the region in Digs/Set anchoring a defense that hopes to make a run to the championship. I just felt the level of competition pushed her to my All-Region team. It also helps that I’ve gotten to see her in person the last two years where you can really appreciate what she does on the court.

Avery Tuggle – The Player of the Year out of the SCAC led Trinity to the top of the regional rankings. Another 6-rotation outside who led the region in Kills/Set, Points/Set and Total Digs. She was a contender for All-Region Player of the Year, too. She’s currently at 491 points and will certainly hit the 500 point barrier in the Tournament. Tuggle is also a great blocker, which is wonderful from an outside.

Jillian Via – Via is the region’s best server and is 18^th nationally in Aces/Set. She’s the Comets go-to player, which led her to win the ASC East Division Co-Player of the Year honor. Via is a leader in the region in Kills/Set and Points/Set (5^th overall). Via is another 6-roation outside and finished with 329 digs. She’s a tad undersized but you wouldn’t know it from her play. It’s good to see this senior get a chance in the NCAA Tournament.

Amanda Walker – You could look at the statistics and think that Walker is having an off year but the truth is that she was pretty much all CMS had in the way of attack last year from the pin. Not to mention that CMS had trouble closing out matches in three sets last year. This year CMS has been able to spread it out a bit and win matches more cleanly, which has dropped her swings by over 200. With that said, Walker is actually hitting better than last year and is averaging almost the same points/set. Walker is one of the leaders in the region in Attacks/Set, Blocks/Set, Hitting Percentage, Kills/Set and Points/Set. Yikes! An improved blocker this year, she will be the attacking leader for the Athenas as they make their NCAA Tournament run.

Honorable Mention

First Name	Last Name	School	Position	Year
Ally	Busch	Redlands	L	Jr.
Kianna	Crow	LeTourneau	OH	So.
Jennifer	Lane	Willamette	MB	Sr.
Melanie	Moore	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	MB	Jr.
Jordan	Mullen	Colorado College	OH	Sr.
Danielle	Skibiel	Pacific Lutheran	MB	Sr.

Ally Busch – Playing for Redlands I’m not sure the AVCA will have Busch in their awards, but she put up monster statistics this season. She led the region in Digs/Set (8^th nationally) and was one of the leaders in the region in Total Digs. It’s hard to compare liberos with other positions in my mind but the leader in Digs/Set needs to be represented.

Kianna Crow – Another player that I’m not sure will get any AVCA love but Crow is the West Region workhorse and was the ASC East Division Co-Player of the Year. Crow is a 6-rotation outside that led the region in Attacks/Set (14^th nationally), Kills/Set (21^st nationally) and Points/Set (19^th nationally). She was also a leader in the region in Total Digs with 410. Crow finished the year with 534 points but not playing for a regionally ranked team may hold her back due to the lack of competition as compared to the top teams in the West. I just think players like Busch and Crow deserve their moment.

Jennifer Lane – Continuing the theme is Jennifer Lane. I really struggled between Lane and Danielle Skibiel (PLU) at this spot as both were forces in the NWC this season. I just thought Lane’s statistics were a little better but it was probably due to Skibiel being used a lot more. Regardless, Lane was a leader in the region in Blocks/Set, Hitting Percentage, Kills/Set and Points/Set. Playing for Willamette you probably aren’t going to get noticed by the AVCA but D3VbWest appreciates the efforts of these players.

Melanie Moore – It really hurt not to have Moore on the first team, but I just couldn’t bump one of the other middles. Moore is a spark plug on the court and you can’t measure the energy she brings. I think she jumps higher in celebration than she does blocking. As far as statistics, there isn’t a better blocker in the West than Moore as she was first in Blocks/Set. She was also a leader in Hitting Percentage. Moore did miss a few matches this year due to injury and I will say this. I think CMS will go as far as Moore takes them in the Tournament. Madsen, Walker and Tritschler will do their thing. But, it’s typically Moore’s play and energy that can be the difference between winning and losing when CMS goes against the elite.

Jordan Mullen – It’s good to see Mullen on this list after missing most of last year. There are so many good outsides to choose from that I’m afraid to list them all as I’m going to forget one. Mullen again missed some time but boy did she make up for it when on the court. She was one of the region’s leaders in both Kills/Set and Points/Set. She’s a 6-rotation outside that finished with 204 digs. Mullen also hits one of the harder balls you’ll see at our level. Don’t believe me, just ask Margo Spaethling’s finger.

Danielle Skibiel – Whoops. I forgot I found a spot for her after all. Disregard what I wrote under Lane’s blurb. Yeah, I’m an idiot. With that said, I did really want to find a spot for Skibiel because she took a ton of swings for the Lutes this season and performed great. She’s not an overpowering hitter but she’s really smart. She’s also like slow drip poison because you don’t realize she’s killing you until you’re on life support. A far as her statistics she was a leader in the region in Attacks/Set, Blocks/Set, Kills/Set, Points/Set and Total Attacks. She had almost 1000 swings out of the middle which is just crazy and had over 400 points. Yeah, I had to find her a spot.