 |
Photo / Siouxland Sports Authority.com
Jessica Tjaden was one of three Mustangs named to the All-GPAC First-Team |
Morningside College’s Emily Christen, Jessica Tjaden, and Jamie Vander Kooi, have been named to the 2009 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Volleyball First-Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
In addition to their three first-team selections, the Mustangs' Liz Sutherland was tabbed to the All-GPAC second team and Amanda Nelson received All-GPAC honorable mention recognition.
Click here to read more.
 Jamie Vander Kooi, a 5-9 senior outside hitter from Hinton, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Volleyball Player of the Week for her performance in the Mustangs 3-0 sweep of Dana College in last Saturday’s GPAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
Vander Kooi slammed 13 kills and had only one attack error in 22 attempts for a .545 hitting percentage. She had more kills than the entire Dana team, which had just 11 kills in the 25-10, 25-5, 25-11 Morningside victory. Vander Kooi also had five digs, one solo block, and one block assist in the contest.
Vander Kooi is averaging a team-high 3.67 kills per game this season and ranks second on the Mustangs with an average of 3.97 digs per game. She has completed 94.8 percent of her serve attempts and ranks second on the team with 33 ace serves.
Morningside, 31-6, will host Doane College in Wednesday’s GPAC Tournament Semifinals at 7:30 p.m. in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.
Morningside College is ranked 24th nationally in the final regular season NAIA volleyball poll released on Nov. 10.
The Mustangs, who will take a 31-6 record into a Wednesday match against Doane College in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tournament Semifinals, were also ranked 24th in last week’s poll. Wednesday’s Morningside/Doane match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.
Morningside is one of three teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA Top 25. Northwestern College is ranked third and Doane is ranked 18th.
The Mustangs are already assured of the host berth for the upcoming NAIA Volleyball National Championships to be held Dec. 1-5 in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.
Click here for the complete NAIA Top 25.
 |
 |
Jamie Vander Kooi |
Jessica Tjaden |
Jamie Vander Kooi, a 5-9 senior outside hitter from Hinton, Iowa, has been named the NAIA National Volleyball Player of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Volleyball Player of the Week for Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.
In addition to Vander Kooi, the Mustangs’ Jessica Tjaden, a 5-8 junior setter from Julesburg, Colo., is this week’s GPAC Setter of the Week.
Vander Kooi averaged 4.50 kills and 4.67 digs per game in the Mustangs’ victories against 15th-ranked Bellevue University, Dakota Wesleyan University, and the University of Sioux Falls as the 14th-ranked Mustangs improved their record to 24-2. She slammed 26 kills for the Mustangs’ top individual total of the season to lead Morningside to a 3-2 win at Bellevue and had a season’s high 24 digs to set a Morningside three-game match record by a non-libero in a 3-0 win against Sioux Falls.
Vander Kooi is averaging a team-high 3.82 kills and 4.22 digs per game and leads the Mustangs with 17 double figure kill performances and 14 kill/dig double-doubles.
Tjaden averaged 12.08 assists and 3.42 digs per game in the Mustangs’ three victories. She contributed 58 assists and 16 digs in the Mustangs’ win at Bellevue.
Tjaden received the GPAC Setter of the Week honor for the third time this season.
 Morningside College is ranked ninth nationally in the NAIA pre-season volleyball poll released on Aug. 18.
The Mustangs come off a banner 2008 season where they posted a 37-6 record to set a school record for victories. Morningside won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) post-season tournament to earn its first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance, where the Mustangs defeated No. 1-ranked Fresno Pacific University in pool play competition to hand the 2008 NAIA National Champions their only loss of the season.
Morningside is one of four teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA pre-season Top 25. Northwestern College is ranked fifth, Dordt College is ranked 16th, and Doane College is ranked 23rd.
The Mustangs will open the 2009 season this Saturday when they host Waldorf College and Valley City State University in a triangular.
Click here for the complete NAIA pre-season Top 25.
 Morningside is picked second in the GPAC Volleyball Coaches’ Pre-Season Poll. The Mustangs received three of the 13 first place votes.
The Mustangs return four starters from a team that posted a 37-6 record during the 2008 campaign to set a school record for victories. Morningside, which finished second in last year’s GPAC regular season standings, won the GPAC’s post season tournament championship en route to their first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance, where they defeated No. 1-ranked Fresno Pacific University in pool play competition to hand the 2008 NAIA National Champions their only loss of the season.
Morningside will open the 2009 season on Saturday, Aug. 22, when it hosts Valley City State University and Waldorf College in a triangular.
Click here for the 2009 GPAC Volleyball Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.
|
