Posted by Scott Cummings - Sat, Nov 14, 2009 - [ Volleyball ] - Viewed 566 times
Maria Omondi helped lead Columbia to the AMC regular-season and tournament championships
Maria Omondi helped lead Columbia to the AMC regular-season and tournament championships
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 14)-The 2009 American Midwest Conference All-Conference team has been released by the league office. Voting for the post-season honors was conducted by the nine head coaches of the member institutions.

Maria Omondi of Columbia College was honored as the 2009 AMC Player of the Year. Omondi, a senior middle hitter from Nairobi, Kenya, collected 322 kills and had a hitting percentage of .430 during the regular season. Omondi earned NAIA National Player of the Week honors in October and was a two-time AMC Player of the Week recipient. She is a two-time first-team All-Conference selection.

The 2009 AMC Setter of the Year award was presented to Paula Ferreira of Columbia College. Ferreira, a freshman setter from Rio de Janiero, Brazil, averaged better than 11 assists per set and finished the regular season with 1,217 sets. In addition, Ferreira added 153 kills and hit at a .494 clip. She also posted 45 service aces and 47 blocks in her first year with the Cougar program. Ferreira was also honored as the 2009 AMC Freshman of the Year.

Senior Skye Wade of William Woods University grabbed recognition as the 2009 AMC Libero of the Year. Wade was honored as the league's top back-row player by handling 702 digs along with 794 service receptions. Wade contributed 27 service aces as well.

Rounding out the list of top player honors is the 2009 AMC Newcomer of the Year, which was presented to Cate Eckhardt of Columbia College. Eckhardt, a senior outside hitter from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, paced the Cougars with 431 kills and added a hitting percentage of .367. She also added 47 service aces, 278 digs and 47 blocks as the conference's top transfer player.

For the seventh time in her decade at Columbia College, the Cougars' Melinda Wrye-Washington was named the AMC Coach of the Year. Wrye-Washington led her Cougars to a 34-2 regular-season record. Columbia also claimed the AMC regular-season championship by going 16-0 in league play under Washington's guidance.

Listed below is the complete list of 2009 AMC volleyball award winners. For a PDF copy of the All-Conference team and award recipients, click here.

2009 AMC Volleyball All-Conference Team

2009 AMC Player of the Year - Maria Omondi, Columbia College (Sr., Nairobi, Kenya)
2009 AMC Setter of the Year - Paula Ferreira, Columbia College (Fr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
2009 AMC Libero of the Year - Skye Wade, William Woods University (Sr., Licking, Mo.)
2009 AMC Newcomer of the Year - Cate Eckhardt, Columbia College (Sr., OH, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
2009 AMC Freshman of the Year - Paula Ferreira, Columbia College (S, Rio de Janiero, Brazil)
2009 AMC Coach of the Year - Melinda Wrye-Washington, Columbia College (10th season at Columbia)

First-Team All-Conference
Cate Eckhardt, Columbia College (Sr., OH, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Paula Ferreira, Columbia College (Fr., S, Rio de Janiero, Brazil)
Tally Mattos, Columbia College (Jr., L, Osasco, Brazil)
Maria Omondi, Columbia College (Sr., MH, Nairobi, Kenya)
Jessica Curry, Hannibal-LaGrange College (Sr., MH, Coleridge, Neb.)
Kaitlyn Kollmann, McKendree University (So., RH, Collinsville, Ill.)
Tara Ryterski, McKendree University (Jr., OH, Nashville, Ill.)
Jessica Bowman, Missouri Baptist University (So., MH, Greenfield, Ill.)
Megan Moore, Missouri Baptist University (So., MH, St. Louis, Mo.)
Lauren Fleming, William Woods University (So., MH, Granbury, Texas)
Lacey Olin, William Woods University (Sr., OH, Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Skye Wade, William Woods University (Sr., L, Licking, Mo.)
Laura Jardeen Rhein, Williams Baptist College (Sr., L, Piggott, Ark.)

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Monica Santos, Columbia College (Jr., OH, Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Julie Teeple, Columbia College (So., OH/MH, Versailles, Mo.)
Cara McQuality, Hannibal-LaGrange College (Jr., S, Sherman, Ill.)
Abbie Imbierowicz, Hannibal-LaGrange College (So., OH, Kokomo, Ind.)
Carrie Brickey, McKendree University (Jr., MH, St. Louis, Mo.)
Amanda Wolf, Missouri Baptist University (Sr., L, O'Fallon, Mo.)
Gabriela Garcia, Park University (So., RH, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil)
Cali Simmons, William Woods University (So., OH, Shawnee, Kan.)
Stephanie Hart Reynolds, Williams Baptist College (Sr., MH, Morrilton, Ark.)

Academic All-Conference (minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, newcomers are ineligible for award)

Columbia College

Maria Omondi, Julie Teeple

Hannibal-LaGrange College
Jessica Curry, Stephanie Doyle, Natalie Kelly, Cara McQuality, Jenna Nichols, Katie Osmak, Danielle Sturgeon

Harris-Stowe State University
Amanda Bomar, Vicki Cotner, Lindsey Dirkers, Megan Traw

McKendree University
Jenna Baker, Melinda Bayer, Melissa Bayer, Carrie Brickey, Lindsay Gray, Kelsey Jones, Kaitlyn Kollmann, Andrea Lucas, Anna Mannino, Nadia Moore, Kelsie Perkins, Lauren Richter, Katie Ringering, Lauren Sarver

Missouri Baptist University
Kaila Bequette, Jessica Bowman, Danielle Deno, Erica DeVilbiss, Chelsea Grimshaw, Justine Host, Amanda Wolf

William Woods University
Jessica Deetz, Molly Dougherty, Alicia Green, Brianna Rodriguez, Skye Wade

Williams Baptist College
Jenny Eubank, Katie Gramlich, Stephanie Hart Reynolds, Casey Jo Schatzley, Jodi Stepp, Caitlin Wakefield