Nov. 18, 2009

Contact: Greg Murphy

CLEVELAND, Ohio - On the heels of the most successful regular season in almost 30 years, Cleveland State dominated the year-end Horizon League awards as senior right side Beth Greulich (Troy, Ohio) was unanimously named the Horizon League Player of the Year and Chuck Voss claimed Horizon League Coach of the Year honors.

In addition, senior outside hitter Liz Fazio (Coventry, Ohio) and sophomore setter Jordan Goad (Toledo, Ohio) joined Greulich on the All-Horizon League first team, giving CSU three players on the first team for the third time in the last five seasons.

Freshman Kara Koch (West Salem, Ohio) was one of seven players selected to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team.

The league office made the announcement on Wednesday (Nov. 18) afternoon.

"All four of these players deserve whatever honors come their way because of the hard work that have put in to become better players," Voss said. "It is nice to see our program receive these honors because I think it speaks volumes for what this team has been able to accomplish this season."

Greulich who is earning a spot on the All-Horizon League first team for the third time in her career (2006, 2007), is the second player in program history to claim Player of the Year honors, joining Nickole Kennedy (2005). A three-time Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week this season, Greulich leads the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.341), while also ranking fifth in kills (3.37) and seventh in points (3.37).

In 16 league contests, she was even better, hitting .359 with 4.00 kills and 4.44 points per set.

Fazio is making her first appearance on the all-league first team after enjoying the best season of her career. Fazio is third in the Horizon League in kills (4.05) and fifth in points (4.05). She has been an integral part of CSU's defensive effort this season, ranking second on the team with 297 digs and leading the squad with 13 double-doubles.

Goad is also making her first appearance on the all-league squad after earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer team last season.

She leads the league and is ranked 39th in the nation with 10.91 assists per game, leading CSU to a .251 attack percentage that is tops in the league, 30th in Division I and currently the highest in school history in a single season. Koch earns a spot on the all-newcomer team after averaging 2.36 kills and 0.94 digs per set in her first season.

Voss, who is in his 10th year at the helm of the Vikings, is earning Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career (2005) after leading CSU to one of the best seasons in program history.

CSU's 25 wins are tied for the sixth most in program history and the most since 1983, while the 13 league wins are tied with the 2007 squad for the most in school history. CSU is currently one of just 11 NCAA Division I teams with at least 25 victories.

After claiming the first Horizon League regular season title in school history, CSU enters the Horizon League Championship as the No. 1 seed and will host the tournament from Nov. 20-22 in Woodling Gym. The top-seeded Vikings will receive a bye into the semifinals and open play at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 21) against the lowest remaining seed from Friday's first round.

The Vikings (25-7, 13-3 HL) will play either fourth-seeded Butler, fifth-seeded UIC or sixth-seeded Green Bay.

ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES
Beth Greulich (Cleveland State)
Angie Porche (Valparaiso)
Jessica Wolfe (Butler)
Liz Fazio (Cleveland State)
Lauren Felsing (Milwaukee)
Jordan Goad (Cleveland State)
Porshia Allen (Butler)
Kim Bukowski (Valparaiso)
Ruth Boscaljon (Youngstown State)
Jena Berg (Milwaukee)
Taylor Root (Valparaiso)
Casie Sullivan (UIC)
Holly Visser (Green Bay)
Shaunda Sandifer (Wright State)

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Taylor Root (Valparaiso)
Gina Vera (Butler)
Jena Berg (Milwaukee)
Kara Koch (Cleveland State)
Kelsey Safranek (UIC)
Angela Roidt (Youngstown State)
Whitney Schott (Green Bay)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Beth Greulich (Cleveland State)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lauren Felsing (Milwaukee)

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Taylor Root (Valparaiso)

COACH OF THE YEAR
Chuck Voss (Cleveland State)