November 12, 2009

Four Volleyball Players Named All-GLVC

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – Sophomore middle hitter Weslie Gaff and sophomore opposite side hitter Erin Higgins of the University of Missouri-St. Louis volleyball team have been named to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference First Team, as announced today by the league office.

Additionally, junior outside hitter Liz Cook and junior libero Carolyn Holstein were selected to the league’s second team.

The group has helped UMSL to a current 21-10 record and an 11-3 third place finish in the GLVC. The Tritons earned a bid to their fourth straight and 11th overall GLVC Tournament, being held this weekend in Romeoville, Ill. UMSL begins quarterfinal round action Friday against No. 6 seed Southern Indiana in a 12 p.m. match.

Gaff is a repeat selection to the league’s first team, having earned the honor last year, while also being tabbed GLVC Freshman of the Year. She is the Tritons’ leader in hitting percentage (.340) and blocks (1.09 bpg) and ranks third on the team in kills (2.43). Nationally in all of NCAA Division II, Gaff ranks 36th in blocks and 50th in hitting percentage. Her .340 hitting percentage is the seventh best single season total in program history, while her 120 blocks this season is the eighth best single season total. She ranks third all-time in program history in hitting percentage (.317) and seventh in block solos (68).

In 14 GLVC matches, Gaff hit at a .353 clip and averaged 1.06 blocks per set, both of which ranked fourth. She also averaged 2.75 kills, which ranked 18th. Gaff was named the GLVC Player of the Week earlier this week.

Higgins earns all-GLVC honors for the first time in her career. Higgins, the GLVC Player of the Week October 12, is second on the team in kills (2.63 kpg) and hitting percentage (.255) and ranks third on the squad with 0.69 blocks per set. In 14 GLVC matches, Higgins averaged 2.78 kills per set, which ranked 17th and averaged 0.67 blocks per set.

Cook is a repeat to the league’s second team, having earned the honor last year. She led the team in kills for the second straight season, averaging 2.85 per set, while recording a team best 1,013 kill attempts – the ninth best single season total in program history. Earlier this year, Cook became just the fifth player in UMSL history to register her 1,000th career kill. She ranks fifth all-time at UMSL in kills (1,013) and is third in kill attempts (3,103). Cook, who ranks second on the team with 30 service aces, is also averaging 2.21 digs per set this season and has started all 31 matches, recording nine double-doubles (kills-digs). She has recorded double digit kills in 19 of 31 matches.

In 14 GLVC matches, Cook is averaging 3.06 kills per set, which ranks 11th and also averaged 2.12 digs per set.

Holstein earns all-GLVC honors for the first time in her career after leading UMSL with 586 digs, a single season record in program history. She also paces the squad with 33 service aces and ranks 25th nationally in digs per set, while leading the GLVC in all matches played in digs per set. Holstein has reached double digit digs in all but two matches and has 16 games of 20 or more digs and two matches of 30 or more digs. She ranks seventh all-time in UMSL history with 1,139 career digs and eighth with 89 career service aces.

In 13 GLVC matches, Holstein averaged 4.98 digs per set, which ranked third. She also totaled 13 service aces in league play.
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