Eight MWC student-athletes named All-West Region.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2009 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Teams were announced today and six Mountain West Conference student-athletes were named to the West Region squad. Colorado State’s Katelin Batten (Sr., L), Danielle Minch (Jr., OH) and Megan Plourde (Fr., MB), and TCU’s Kourtney Edwards (Sr., MB), Christy Hudson (Jr., RS/Opp.) and Megan Munce (So., S) were named to the West Region team, while New Mexico’s Taylor Hadfield (Jr., Rs/Opp.) and Utah’s Karolina Bartkowiak (Jr., RS/Opp.) received honorable mention.
This season marks the 11th straight year that the Mountain West Conference was represented on the AVCA All-Region squad. Since 1999, 58 MWC student-athletes have earned all-region accolades and 15 have gone on to garner All-America status. An additional 17 student-athletes have been named honorable mention All-Americans. The 2009 All-America team will be announced on Wednesday, December 16.
Batten, a Parker, Colo., native, leads the MWC in digs per set in overall and Conference matches (4.31 and 4.51, respectively). She was named to her first all-Conference team as the league’s designated libero this season, and is the MWC’s active leader in career digs (1,765), ranking on the all-time list.
Minch, the 2009 MWC Player of the Year, earned her first all-region selection after leading Colorado State to its sixth outright MWC regular-season championship. The Sterling, Colo., native, finished the regular season leading the league in kills per set in Conference matches (3.80). She also leads the MWC in kills (3.79) and points per set (4.16) in overall matches, and finished Conference play ranking third in points per set (4.16). Minch has tallied double-digit kills in 22 matches this season and was honored as the MWC Player of the Week on November 16.
Plourde earned her first all-region honor. The Somerset, Wis., product finished the Conference season leading the league in hitting percentage (.383), while ranking third in blocks per set (1.23) and eighth in points per set (3.26). In overall matches, she is currently fourth in hitting percentage (.337) and eighth in blocks per set (1.05).
Edwards, a Haltom City, Texas, product, is a first-time all-region honoree. In overall matches, she currently leads the Conference and is ranked 18th nationally in hitting percentage (.373). She also ranks fifth in kills (3.24) and points per set (3.85), and ninth in blocks per set (1.03). In Conference play, she was fifth in hitting percentage (.327), while ranking sixth in kills (3.11) and points per set (3.64). Edwards was also named MWC Player of the Week five times this season.
Hudson, a Yorba Linda, Calif., native, earned the first all-region selection of her career. She currently ranks ninth in the MWC in hitting percentage (.297) for overall matches. She also ranked in the top-15 for hitting percentage (11th, .292) and kills per set (14th, 2.61) in league play. She is a two-time all-Conference honoree and was named MWC Player of the Week on November 30.
Munce, a Costa Mesa, Calif., native, leads the MWC in service aces per set in overall (0.57) and Conference matches (0.42), while ranking fourth in assists per set in overall (10.12) and league play (9.94). Nationally, she ranks 34th in aces per set. Munce was named to the all-Conference team this season and was voted as the MWC Player of the Week on October 26. She also leads the MWC with 13 double-doubles on the season.
