Volleyball All-Conference Selections Released
Wesleyan’s Drennan Snags Top Honor for Second Time in Three Years
HADLEY, Mass. - Wesleyan senior outside hitter Lisa Drennan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) has been named the 2008 NESCAC Player of the Year, as determined by the conference coaches. It is the second time in three years that Drennan has received the league’s top honor after being named Player of the Year in 2006.
Drennan led the NESCAC in kills per set for the third year in a row, averaging 4.70 as she recorded 484 for the season. During her tenure with the Cardinals, Drennan amassed 1,865 kills to rank second all-time at Wesleyan and posted a career average of 4.92 kills per set. In addition to her prolific kill numbers, Drennan was also second among all players in hitting percentage (.315) and contributed 2.56 digs per set for the Cardinals. Helping Wesleyan to a 21-7 overall record and the number-two seed in the 2008 NESCAC Volleyball Championship, Drennan completed her career by receiving All-Conference recognition for the fourth year in a row as she garnered First Team accolades for the third-straight fall.
Joining Drennan as a four-time All-NESCAC honoree was Connecticut College senior outside hitter Caitlin Tomaska (Solana Beach, Calif.). Tomaska, the 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, also found a spot on the First Team for the third consecutive time after being selected to the Second Team in 2005. Tomaska ranked eighth in the conference with 2.75 kills per set and tied for the team lead in digs per set, averaging 2.40 for the Camels.
Representing Williams on this year’s First Team were sophomores Kate Anderson (Berlin, Mass.) and Nicole Ballon-Landa (La Jolla, Calif.). The duo helped the Ephs successfully defend their NESCAC crown over the weekend at Tufts for the program’s eighth conference title overall. Anderson ranks among the league leaders in both kills and hitting percentage, as the outside hitter averages a team-high 3.06 kills per set (6th NESCAC) with a .265 hitting percentage (8th). Ballon-Landa, the NESCAC Rookie of the Year last autumn, moved up from the 2007 Second Team to the 2008 First Team. Having seen action in every Williams set so far in 2008, the middle blocker is just behind Anderson for the Ephs in kills (2.70 per set) and hitting percentage (.245) while contributing 90 blocks and 22 service aces.
The Tufts tandem of junior setter Dena Feiger (Long Grove, Ill.) and senior libero Natalie Goldstein (Piedmont, Calif.) complete the 2008 NESCAC All-Conference First Team, as both players claimed All-NESCAC honors for the first time in their careers. Feiger sits atop the conference for assists, distributing the ball 1,151 times for an average of 10.19 assists per set. In addition to her setting numbers, Feiger has averaged 2.80 digs per set and recorded 27 aces. Goldstein is currently fifth in the conference in digs per set at 4.64, posting 501 digs through 108 sets. Goldsten was also recognized as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Middlebury first year outside hitter Jane Handel (Evanston, Ill.) was chosen as NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Handel, who also received recognition on the All-Conference Second Team, was second behind Wesleyan’s Drennan in kills with 3.55 per set. She also averaged 2.88 digs per set, hit at a .246 clip and accumulated a team-high 42 service aces.
Tufts’ Cora Thompson came away with NESCAC Coach of the Year honors. In her sixth season at the helm, Thompson has guided the Jumbos to an impressive 28-3 overall record heading into this weekend’s NCAA Tournament action. Tufts captured the top seed in the 2008 NESCAC Volleyball Championship by going 10-0 in conference play before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Williams. She previously received NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2004.
| |
|
2008 NESCAC Volleyball All-Conference
|
| First Team |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos |
Hometown |
| Kate Anderson |
Williams |
So. |
OH |
Berlin, Mass. |
| Nicole Ballon-Landa |
Williams |
So. |
MB |
La Jolla, Calif. |
| Lisa Drennan |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
OH |
Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Dena Feiger |
Tufts |
Jr. |
S |
Long Grove, Ill. |
| Natalie Goldstein |
Tufts |
Sr. |
L |
Piedmont, Calif. |
| Caitlin Tomaska |
Connecticut College |
Sr. |
OH |
Solana Beach, Calif. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos |
Hometown |
| Marissa DeMais |
Connecticut College |
So. |
S |
Hillsdale, N.J. |
| Kate Denniston |
Tufts |
Sr. |
MH |
Tarzana, Calif. |
| Jane Handel |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
OH |
Evanston, Ill. |
| Ellie Healy |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
S |
Manhattan Beach, Calif. |
| Dawson Joyce-Mendive |
Tufts |
So. |
OH |
Minden, Nev. |
| Rachel Yorke |
Amherst |
So. |
L |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Player of the Year |
|
|
|
Lisa Drennan
|
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
OH |
Ann Arbor, mich.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Defensive Player of the Year |
|
|
|
Natalie Goldstein
|
Tufts |
Sr. |
L |
Piedmont, Calif.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Rookie of the Year |
|
|
|
|
Jane Handel
|
Middlebury |
Fy. |
OH |
Evanston, Ill.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Coach of the Year |
|
|
|
|
Cora Thompson
|
Tufts |
