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Volleyball Places Four On All-MAC Teams, Herman Named POY
Nov. 20, 2008 TOLEDO, Ohio - Four Ohio University volleyball players were named All-Mid-American Conference on Thursday night at the MAC Tournament banquet in Toledo, as juniors Ellen Herman and Meghan Simons collected first-team honors and junior Jane Sytsma and sophomore Michelle Jantsch were second-team honorees. In addition to her first-team All-MAC accolades, Herman was named the league's Player of the Year. Herman (Toledo, Ohio) is the fifth Ohio player to ever bring home the MAC Player of the Year trophy, as well as the second in a row and the third in the last four years. The four previous Bobcats to earn the distinction - Laura Hageman (2002, 2003), Briana Adamovsky (2004), Julia Winkfield (2005) and Melissa Griffin (2007) - all also garnered All-America recognition before their Ohio careers came to an end. Herman's first-team All-MAC selection is also her third in as many collegiate seasons, making her the first player in school history to be named first-team all-league in each of her first three campaigns. The nod also joins her with former Bobcat star Stephanie Blackburn as the only two players in school history to capture three first-team All-MAC selections over the course of their careers. The health service administration major is currently in the midst of one of the finest offensive seasons in program history, as she leads the MAC, and ranks 12th in the nation, with an average of 4.44 kills per set. Her 1,114 total attempts already rank sixth on Ohio's single-season charts, while her 426 kills are just a dozen behind the 10th-best single-season output in school history and she needs just 56.0 more points to tie for the 10th-highest single-season total the program has ever seen. She has posted a career-best 10 double-doubles this season, and has hit the 20-kill mark on eight occasions, while also becoming just the 10th player in school history to break the 1,000-career kill barrier. A middle blocker who leads the team, and ranks fifth in the MAC, with an average of 1.00 blocks per set, Simons (Lancaster, Ohio) is a first-time all-league first team pick. Her selection marks the fourth year in a row that Ohio has placed a middle blocker on the first-team All-MAC squad. In addition to her blocking prowess, Simons has been a force on the offensive side of the net for Ohio this season, averaging 2.18 kills per set on a .322 hitting percentage that rates fourth in the conference. The communication studies major has turned in 10 double-digit kill matches this season, including a career-high 14 in the Bobcats' victory at Buffalo on Oct. 31, and has hit .300 or better in 14 outings. Jantsch (Mission Hills, Kan.), who picked up the final MAC East Player of the Week honor of the season on Monday after recording the first triple-double by an Ohio player in more than six years, is also a first-time All-MAC honoree. A second-team selection, she is also just the third setter in school history to be recognized as an all-conference performer. The team leader with an average of 9.91 assists per set, Jantsch currently ranks ninth on the program's career list with 1,878 to her credit. She has also been a key factor in Ohio's defensive scheme this season, averaging 0.37 aces per game to rank third in the conference and blocking balls at a rate of 0.55 per frame, good for third on the team. She has put up eight double-doubles on the season, giving her 11 for her career. After blasting away for a career-high 18 kills in Ohio's MAC East-clinching victory over Central Michigan in the regular-season finale, Sytsma (Madison, Wis.) was named second-team All-MAC for the second year in a row. She and Herman are just the seventh and eighth repeat honorees in school history, while Sytsma is also just the third Ohio middle blocker to earn all-league accolades more than once in her career. The accounting major enters the postseason ranked second on the team, and sixth in the league, with an average of 0.93 rejections per set, while her mark of 2.17 kills per set and .290 hitting percentage are both career bests. She has piled up 11 double-figure kills performances this year, while she and Simons have both led the Bobcats in blocks on a team-high 14 occasions. Sytsma currently ranks seventh in school history in block assists with 247, while she needs just a pair of rejections at the MAC Tournament to take sole possession of 10th place on the program's total blocks list. Ohio will open MAC Tournament play on Friday at 7 p.m. with a quarterfinals matchup against Ball State. The Bobcats have met BSU in the tournament twice in the last five years, earning sweeps in both 2003 and 2005. Further information on the MAC Tournament, including live stats and ticket information, can be found by utilizing the link on the lower right portion of the volleyball home page at ohiobobcats.com. 2008 All-MAC First Team 2008 All-MAC Second Team All-MAC Freshman Team Player of the Year: Ellen Herman, Ohio
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