Schneider named third-team AVCA All-American :: Junior libero led NCAA II in digs per game

Nov. 21, 2006

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University libero Courtney Schneider was a third-team choice to the 26th Annual American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America teams for NCAA Division II announced today.

The 2006 All-America selections were made by the AVCA Division II All-America Committee: Kim Sudbeck, Augustana College (S.D.), chairperson; Mario Andaya, Central Washington University; Christy Benner, Wheeling Jesuit University; Jim Boos, University of Minnesota Duluth; Debbie Hendricks, Metropolitan State College of Denver; Sandy Hoffman, Bentley College; Laurie Lokash, Slippery Rock University; Stephanie Radecki, University of North Alabama; and Jill Stephens, Florida Southern College.

Schneider, a junior from Snohomish, led the NCAA Division II nationally in digs and was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference leader for the third straight year. She averaged 7.65 digs per game and finished with a total of 666, breaking her own school and GNAC records set last year.

Schneider, who was named a first-team Daktronics All-American last week, is Western's career record holder in digs with 1,844 and ranks second in the GNAC, just 164 short of the league record (2,008, Maggie Safranski, Seattle U., 2002-05). She set school and league match records with 49 digs against Seattle Pacific on Nov. 2. In all, Schneider had nine 30-dig matches, reaching that figure in eight of the Vikings' last 13 matches.

Earlier, Schneider was a repeat selection on both the Daktronics and AVCA Pacific Region all-star first teams and she was a unanimous pick as a GNAC all-star. Schneider also was a second-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic all-District VIII and GNAC academic all-star choice.

Schneider, who received AVCA All-America honorable mention last year, is the one of three Western players to be named AVCA All-Americans. Setter Liz Bishop was a first-team choice in 2002 and a second-team pick in 2003; and libero Nicola Parker received honorable mention in 2003.

The Vikings finished 18-7, losing to eventual champion UC San Diego in the semifinals of the Pacific Regional. They placed second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 14-2.

2006 AVCA ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Lexington, Ky.- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce the 26th annual AVCA All-America teams for NCAA Division II women's volleyball.

University of Minnesota Duluth right side/opposite hitter Vicky Braegelmann and Lock Haven University middle blocker Li YiZhi were selected to the AVCA All-America First Team for the third consecutive season. Truman State University outside hitter Sarah Shearman is the only other three-time AVCA All-America selection; Shearman was a first-team selection last season, following a second-team honor in 2004. Jessica Lucia, a right side/opposite hitter for Concordia University-St. Paul, earned her second consecutive first-team selection this season.

2006 AVCA DIVISION II ALL-AMERICA FIRST-TEAMS

Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Laura Bellinger % University of North Alabama S Sr. 5-7 Portage, Michigan Vicky Braegelmann $ * University of Minnesota Duluth RS/Opp Jr. 6-0 Albany, Minnesota Katelen Dixon University of Tampa OH Jr. 5-10 Clearwater, Florida Kelsey Kyro & Concordia University-St. Paul MB Sr. 5-8 Minneapolis, Minnesota Jessica Lucia * Concordia University-St. Paul RS/Opp Sr. 5-9 Plymouth, Minnesota Meghan Moore Grand Valley State University MB Sr. 5-11 Alma, Michigan Michelle Peters Brigham Young University Hawai'i OH Jr. 5-9 Laie, Hawai'i Alyson Riley Grand Valley State University DS/Lib Jr. 5-9 Battle Creek, Michigan Stephanie Rivera % University of Tampa OH Sr. 6-0 Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico Taryn Rudland Hillsdale College MB Sr. 6-1 Holland, Michigan Sarah Shearman ^ * Truman State University OH Sr. 5-8 Manchester, Missouri Li YiZhi $ * Lock Haven University MB Sr. 5-11 Shanghai, China

2006 AVCA DIVISION II ALL-AMERICA SECOND-TEAMS

Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Erin Contons % Southwest Minnesota State Univ. OH Jr. 5-10 Apple Valley, Minnesota Ericka Fonseca Florida Gulf Coast University MB Sr. 6-2 Belo Horizonte, Brazil Katie Gangelhoff University of Minnesota Duluth S So. 5-8 South St. Paul, Minnesota Ashley Martin Florida Southern College RS/Opp So. 6-1 St. Petersburg, Florida Barbara Martin * Hawai'i Pacific University MB Sr. 6-3 Curitiba, Brazil Maggie McNamara Concordia University-St. Paul S Fr. 5-9 Zumbrota, Minnesota Kimberly Potthast Southern Illinois U. Edwardsville RS/Opp Jr. 6-1 Saint Rose, Illinois Emily Schroeder Wayne State College (Neb.) MB Jr. 5-11 Belden, Nebraska Margeaux Sinibaldi University of Tampa DS/Lib Jr. 5-6 Venice, Florida Kelsey Wackerman * Truman State University S/H Sr. 5-11 Camdenton, Missouri Kari Wolford University of Minnesota Duluth OH Jr. 5-11 Avon, Minnesota Brooke Youngquist Florida Gulf Coast University OH Jr. 5-9 Fort Myers, Florida

2006 AVCA DIVISION II ALL-AMERICA THIRD-TEAMS

Player Institution Pos. Yr. Ht. Hometown Erica Brick California State University Chico S So. 5-7 Laguna Niguel, California Carlie Christensen University of Nebraska at Omaha MB Jr. 6-0 Omaha, Nebraska Chandra Ginest Florida Gulf Coast University S So. 5-9 Fort Morgan, Colorado Mary Kate Glowe Ashland University OH Jr. 5-9 Avon Lake, Ohio Inga Kurgonaite Lock Haven University RS/Opp Jr. 6-4 Kaunas, Lithuania Jordan McAfee & Florida Southern College S Sr. 5-7 Lakeland, Florida Jillian Ohrman University of Central Missouri MB Jr. 6-0 Independence, Missouri Courtney Schneider Western Washington University DS/Lib Jr. 5-9 Snohomish, Washington Nicole Schwab Fort Lewis College MB Jr. 5-11 Loveland, Colorado Megan Stout University of North Alabama RS/Opp Sr. 5-11 Montgomery, Alabama Katie Tarka University of Central Missouri DS/Lib Sr. 5-9 St. Charles, Missouri Jenna Von Moos Seattle Pacific University S Sr. 5-10 Stanwood, Washington

* indicates 2005 AVCA First Team All-America selection % indicates 2005 AVCA Second Team All-America selection & indicates 2005 AVCA Third Team All-America selection $ indicates 2004 AVCA First Team All-America selection ^ indicates 2004 AVCA Second Team All-America selection

2006 AVCA Division II Honorable Mention All-America

Stephanie Allison (Metro State, OH, Sr.) Irina Belozerova (Dowling, MB, Jr.) Sarah Brandon (Kutztown, RS/Opp, Sr.) Stephanie Brink (Saint Rose, OH, Jr.) Kelli Bunger (Nebraska-Kearney, OH, Sr.) Allie Cherven (Truman, MB, So.) Mallory Clements (SIU-Edwardsville, S, So.) Brittany Coleman (Wayne State [Neb.], S, Sr.) Samara de Freitas (Barry, MB, Jr.) Sharea Drawn (Cal State-San Bernardino, MB, Jr.) Libby Garza (West Texas A&M, S, Sr.) Alyssa Given (Seattle Pacific, OH, Jr.) Jessica Granados (Cal State-San Bernardino, RS/Opp, So.) Alisha Green (Tampa, MB, Fr.) Julie Green (Metro State, OH, Jr.) Whitney Hendry (Florida Gulf Coast, DS/Lib, Jr.) Ashley Hill (North Alabama, DS/Lib, Sr.) Liz Holmes (Northern Kentucky, MB, Jr.) Jamie Houle (Chico State, MB, Sr.) Tessa Jones (Washburn, RS/Opp, Jr.) Rachel Langseth (Minnesota Duluth, MB, Sr.) LeeAnn Mapu (BYU-Hawai'i, S, So.) Shari Matthews (North Carolina Central, OH, Jr.) Justyna Michon (Dowling, OH, Jr.) Rhe-Ann Niles (New Haven, MB, Jr.) Andrea Oswald (Augustana [S.D.], MB, Sr.) Kristin Pasley (Central Washington, RS/Opp, Sr.) Christina Sadowski (Bentley, MB, Jr.) Marta Slodnik (Dowling, OH, Sr.) Lacie Smith (Lees-McRae, OH, Sr.) Beverly Stasis (Florida Southern, OH, Jr.) Taran Turner (Cameron, MB, Sr.) Anastasia Urbanik (Slippery Rock, MB, So.) Stacey Vogel (Mesa State, OH, Sr.) Lynsey Warren (Ashland, S, Jr.) Samantha Weber (St. Mary's [Texas], MB, Jr.)