Nov. 15, 2007
Contact: Greg Murphy
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Cleveland State senior setter Mel Snyder, sophomore opposite Beth Greulich and freshman middle blocker Amy Benz have been named to the All-Horizon League Volleyball Team which was released on Thursday evening (Nov. 15) by the league office.
Benz was also named the league Newcomer of the Year and earned a spot on the all-newcomer team.
The Vikings recently wrapped up their best regular season in more than two decades as they posted a 20-8 overall record and finished in second place in the league at 13-3. It is the first time since 1988 that CSU won 20 matches in a season, while the 13 conference wins are the most in program history.
Snyder, who is earning her second straight selection to the all-league team, led the league in assists (11.83) for the second consecutive season and directed the Viking offense to the top hitting percentage in the league (.220). In her third season as CSU's starting setter, Snyder (Amherst, Ohio) ranks third in all-time assists at CSU with 3,836 and is eighth in all-time service aces (123). Her 1,289 assists this season are the third most in a single-season at CSU, just 14 shy of second place and 137 short of first place.
"Mel has been very consistent during her three years as the starting setter," head coach Chuck Voss said. "She knows exactly what to expect when she's out on the court and does a really nice job directing our offense."
Greulich, last season's league co-newcomer of the year, is also making her second straight appearance on the all-league team. The Troy, Ohio native ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.310) and is just out of the top-10 in kills (3.08) and blocks (0.92) per game. In 16 conference matches, Greulich hit .328 and averaged 3.29 kills and 0.98 blocks per game. Greulich, a two-time Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week this season (Oct. 22 & 29), recorded a career-best 21 kills in a win at Green Bay (10/20) and a career-high nine blocks in a loss at Wright State (9/14).
"We've really challenged Beth to become mentally tougher and more focused for matches, especially back-to-back matches," Voss said. "She really raised her level of play throughout the season, especially in the second half of the season."
Benz (Tiffin, Ohio) becomes the fourth CSU player in the last six years to earn newcomer of the year honors, but the first to earn it outright after Alisa Hatcher (2002), Jenni Ramminger (2005) and Greulich (2006) were selected as co-newcomers of the year. Benz led the league in both hitting percentage (.336) and blocks (1.54) and hit better than .300 in 16 matches. Benz has totaled 148 block assists and 168 total blocks this season to rank second in the CSU single-season record book in both categories.
"Amy is a gamer," Voss said. "We know exactly what we are going to get from her night in and night out. She is very deserving of the honors."
Regular season champion Milwaukee claimed the top two awards as Leanne Felsing garnered Player of the Year accolades with first-year head coach Susie Johnson earning Coach of the Year honors. Brittany Malicoat of Valparaiso was selected as Defensive Player of the Year.
Cleveland State returns to action at the 2007 Horizon League Championship, which will be contested from Nov. 16-18 on the campus of Milwaukee. The Vikings, who enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, will open play in the quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 16, against seventh-seeded Youngstown State at 2:00 p.m. CST.
If the Vikings win, they will play the winner of third-seeded Wright State and sixth-seeded UIC on Saturday (Nov. 17) at 1:30 p.m. CST in the semifinals, with the championship match slated for Sunday (Nov. 18) at 12:00 p.m. CST.
Following is a complete list of all the award winners.
2007 Horizon League Volleyball Award Winners
Player of the Year
Leanne Felsing, Milwaukee
Defensive Player of the Year
Brittany Malicoat, Valparaiso
Newcomer of the Year
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Coach of the Year
Susie Johnson, Milwaukee
All-League
Porshia Allen, Butler
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Leanne Felsing, Milwaukee
Jessica Fraley, Youngstown State
Jamie Gabrielsen, Milwaukee
Tara Geegan, Wright State
Beth Greulich, Cleveland State
Alisha Kimbro, Wright State
Brittany Malicoat, Valparaiso
Angie Porche, Valparaiso
Natalie Schmitting, Milwaukee
Mel Snyder, Cleveland State
All-Newcomer
Amy Benz, Cleveland State
Katie Daprile, Butler
Nikki Hintze, Green Bay
Natalie Schmitting Milwaukee
Maddie Sueppel, Milwaukee
Jessica Wolfe, Butler
