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Paige Johnson named NEAC South Division Player of the Year, four Bison earn all-conference
GANSEVOORT, N.Y. - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announced its 2010 all-conference volleyball teams and Gallaudet University had four players earn honors. Junior setter Paige Johnson (North Richland Hills, Texas) was named NEAC South Division Player of the Year while earning first team honors for the South Division. Outside hitting sophomores Ann Whited (Fishers, Ind.) and Mari Klassen (White Rock, British Columbia) were also selected to the first team. Sophomore middle hitter Jessica Israel (Frederick, Md.) earned second team honors for the South Division. The foursome helped lead Gallaudet to a 22-14 (7-1 NEAC) record this season as the Bison shared the regular season South Division title with Penn State-Berks.
Johnson was selected 2010 NEAC Player of the Week three times. She finished the regular season with 1,006 assists, 8.53 assists per set, 80 service aces, and .68 service aces per set, all tops in the NEAC. Johnson's best game came in a five-set thriller against co-South Division Champion Penn State-Berks on October 16 in which she tallied a season-high 55 assists to go along with 19 digs in the loss. She recorded a season-high 14.5 points and 10 service aces on the same day against College of St. Elizabeth. In the season opener against Widener College on September 3, Johnson totaled a season-high 22 digs coupled with 44 assists. She also totaled 40 or more assists in a match seven times. Johnson was named NEAC Player of the Week three different times on September 6 and 27 and October 25.
Whited received NEAC Player of the Week honors for the week of October 11. She ranked second in the NEAC in total kills with 393 and fourth in kills (3.14 per set). Her season-high in kills came during a match against North Carolina Wesleyan College on October 9, in which she had 19 kills. Her best all-around match of the season came in a contest against Geneva College on September 10 when she tallied 18 kills, 19 digs and 20 points.
Klassen finished the regular season fourth in the NEAC conference in total kills with 323. She also ranked seventh in kills (2.63 per set). Klassen's best game of the season occurred on October 16 against Penn State-Berks in which she had a season-high 25 kills, 27 points and 75 total attempts. On September 3 against Widener College, she totaled 19 digs, 18.5 points and 14 kills.
Israel led the NEAC in hitting percentage at .379. She ranked sixth in kills with 288 and 10th in kills (2.32 per set). She recorded a season-high 17 kills and 18 points on September 30 against McDaniel College. On September 22 against Goucher College, Israel had her best hitting percentage of the season with a .857 rate. On September 4 against Rutgers-Camden, she recorded season-highs in service aces (four) and total blocks (five).
Keuka College captured first place in the regular season in the North Division with a perfect 8-0 NEAC record. Keuka's Raelle Naegely, a senior outside hitter, was named NEAC North Division Player of the Year and her coach, David Sweet, was named NEAC North Division Coach of the Year. Penn State-Berks' Jessie Franco was named NEAC South Division Coach of the Year.
The four all-conference honors for Gallaudet are the first in program history as members of the NEAC. The Bison joined the NEAC this past summer after 20 years in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC).
Also see:
2010 Gallaudet University Volleyball All-NEAC South Division Honorees
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Paige Johnson |
Mari Klassen All-NEAC First Team |
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Ann Whited |
Jessica Israel All-NEAC Second Team |
