Alumni News - 12/5/11

Michigan and Marquette are continuing on in the NCAA tournament!  Good luck to Jayln Smith, Michelle McMahon and Olivia Reed!

Congratulations to alumni Ashlee Crowder and Rachel VanderWall on an outstanding year at Hillsdale!  They made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Div. 2 National tournament.

Alumni News - 11/30/11

Good luck to all of our athletes competing in the first round of the NCAA Div. 1 tournament which starts on Dec. 1.  Click here for the bracket.

Kim Stewart - Delaware
Jordyn Skinner - Western Kentucky
Jessica Brown - Western Michigan
Megan Hendrickson - Duke
Michelle McMahon - Michigan

DFFO Players

Taylor Galloway - Michigan State
Ryian Hubbard - Michigan State
Jayln Smith - Marquette
Olivia Reed - Michigan

Watch this clip all the way through for a great kill by Jordyn Skinner!

University of Delaware outside hitter Kim Stewart (East Kentwood) has been named to the COBRA Magazine All-Northeast Region Team.  Stewart, a senior and team captain, finished second on the team in digs (3.26 per set) and third in kills (2.51) and points (2.89) per game. She was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Performer after putting down a team-high 32 kills while also contributing 34 digs, four blocks, four assists and two service aces in wins over James Madison and VCU. Also a 2010 COBRA Magazine All-Northeast Region and All-National Honorable Mention member, Stewart is third all-time in UD program history with 4,226 attack attempts, and fourth all-time averaging 8.84 attempts per game. She is currently ninth all time in digs (1,416) and creeping up the all-time list in career kills (1,208) and aces (110).



Alumni News - 11/21/11

Western Kentucky junior Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Sun Belt conference tournament as she led her team to the tournament championship.  She had 13 kills and 17 digs in the match.  "(Jordyn's) just an absolute stat stuffer," WKU head coach Travis Hudson said. "I say that over and over but she's so worried about what she's doing offensively but she's a kid that can win matches in so many ways. Today defensively with 17 digs she was a huge part of it there and I can't say enough about here as an athlete."




Jordyn was also named the Sun Belt Player of the Year.  Skinner has proven to be one of the top all-around players in the league and is the only player in the Sun Belt to rank among the top 10 in kills, digs and service aces. She has recorded 18 double-doubles this season and has 26 matches with double-digit kills and 21 with double-digit digs. In a win against Xavier, Skinner finished one kill shy of the school record with a career-high 30 kills. In 105 sets this season, Skinner is averaging 3.82 kills and 3.44 digs per set. Skinner leads WKU with 401 kills, is second with 361 digs and third with 77 blocks.



Kim Stewart (East Kentwood) led her Delaware Blue Hens to the CAA Tournament Championship to earn a spot in the NCAA Division I National Tournament.  The senior was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.  In the championship match she collected 11 kills and 20 digs to lead the attack.




Megan Steenhuysen (East Kentwood), a junior setter at IPFW, earn 2nd team honors in the Summit League. Steenhuysen dished out 1,293 assists, a new single-season personal high for the junior, for a league-leading average 11.24 assists per set. She also added 258 digs and 35 blocks for the Mastodons.




The Hillsdale College volleyball won the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional tournament on Sunday and has qualified for the Elite Eight.  Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) and Rachel VanderWall both represent Far Out on the Chargers squad.

Crowder and Anne Sutton (Northview) were named to the All-Tournament team at the Midwest Regional.

Western Michigan middle blocker Jessica Brown (East Kentwood) earned the 1st team All-MAC honors.  She ranks first on the Broncos both in kills (335) and kills per set (3.05) in 2011. She helped the Broncos to a top-10 national ranking in kills per set. She tied a career-high with 22 kills at Ball State on Oct. 1st, the highest total for a Bronco in 2011, and set a career-high with a .778 hitting percentage against Western Carolina in August. 



Valparaiso junior libero Taylor Root (Jenison) has been selected to represent Valparaiso on the All-Tournament Team at the Horizon League Championship.  Root totaled 44 digs over the Crusaders’ two matches at the league tournament, averaging an impressive 7.33 digs/set. The junior posted 23 digs in Valpo’s sweep of UIC in Friday’s quarterfinal, and then tallied 21 digs as the Crusaders fell to eventual league champion Milwaukee in Saturday’s semifinal match. Root also was perfect on serve receive, handling all 38 serves her way without committing a reception error. Root also surpassed a milestone on Saturday, becoming just the second player in Crusader volleyball history to tally 2,000 career digs. The junior ended the tournament with 662 digs this season, just 14 shy of third place on Valpo’s all-time single season chart.




Alumni News - 11/14/11

Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) was named the GLIAC “Player of the Year” for the second consecutive season. Crowder, a senior at Hillsdale, finished the regular season leading the conference in kills per set (3.92), and her hitting percentage of .371 ranked third in the conference. Crowder will go down as one of the most decorated players in Charger volleyball history. She is a two-time All-American and has been named First-Team All-Region twice. She was the most outstanding player of the 2009 GLIAC Tournament, and she’s led the Chargers to GLIAC tournament titles in 2009 and 2010.



Junior middle hitter Anne Sutton (Northview) was one of two Ferris State players chosen to the Capital One Division II Academic All-District IV First Team. Sutton is having her best season to date as she ranks second on the squad with 313 kills and holds a team-best .357 attack percentage in 29 matches. She's also second overall with 71 blocks on the year. She's currently fifth in attack percentage and eighth in kills in the conference.  Sutton is also a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree and has twice earned D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award laurels. She also earned All-GLIAC First Team honors this season for her performance, as well as a spot on the GLIAC All-Tournament team.




Valparaiso junior Taylor Root (Jenison) has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. Root also earned All-League honors for the third year in a row.  Root receives the Defensive Player of the Year accolade for the second straight season after averaging 5.37 digs/set during the regular season, a number which ranked second in the Horizon League and 24th nationally. The junior, who just set the league’s career digs record last week and also set a new mark for most Player of the Week honors, has tallied 618 digs on the year, a number which already ranks fifth in a single-season all-time at Valpo, as well as fifth on the league’s single-season chart. The Crusader libero has also chipped in from the service line, ranking second on the team with 23 aces on the year while committing just 10 service errors.




IPFW junior setter Megan Steenhuysen (East Kentwood) has been named the Summit League Setter of the Week for the second time this season.  The award was the third of her career, as she helped lead IPFW to an undefeated week, clinching the second seed in the upcoming Summit League Tournament. She picked up 51 assists in a sweep of Western Illinois, and followed that with a 52-assist effort against in-state rival IUPUI.  During the week she totaled 103 assists, averaging 14.71 per set, 12 digs, four kills, three blocks, and one service ace. She currently leads the Summit League in assists at 11.24, and 1,293 on the year.





Alumni News - 10/24/11

Megan Steenhuysen (East Kentwood), a junior at IPFW, earned her second career Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honor and first of the season after recording a career-best 76 assists against South Dakota State averaging 15.2 per set for the match. Her total against the Jackrabbits tied the eighth-best mark in league history for a single match. The junior setter opened the week tallying 38 assists against North Dakota State and then went on to record her sixth double-double (76 assists and 14 digs) of the season against SDSU. For the week, Steenhuysen recorded 114 assists, averaging 12.67 per set, 21 digs, five kills, one block and one service ace. She currently leads the league in assists averaging 11.09 per set with 1,009 on the season.



Valparaiso junior libero Taylor Root (Jenison) earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week accolades for the second time this year after posting a new career high in the digs category last Saturday afternoon. The honor is the seventh weekly award of Root’s career, tied for the most weekly awards in Horizon League volleyball history.  Root, who started the weekend with a team-best 11 digs in the Crusaders’ sweep of Loyola, registered 38 digs in Valpo’s five-set loss to Green Bay. The 38 digs surpassed her previous career high of 35, set last year at Appalachian State. It also ties for the second-most digs in a five-set match in Valparaiso volleyball history, and is just two digs shy of Valpo’s single-match overall record of 40 digs. Root’s 38-dig effort set a new Horizon League high this year as well.



Western Michigan's Jessica Brown (East Kentwood) earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season. Brown was an offensive force last week, helping the Broncos to a 3-0 week with wins over Marquette, Ohio, and Kent State. Brown averaged 3.50 kills per set and hit .423 in the three sets, recording just five errors in 71 attempts. Brown led the Broncos with an average of 4.40 points per set, as she also averaged a very impressive 1.30 blocks per set over the three matches.

Brown reached double-digit kills in all three matches, including a team-high 13 kills against Ohio. The Broncos had a strong night against the Bobcats, who entered the match ranked 10th in the nation in blocks; WMU hit .343 as a team and were only blocked twice in the 3-0 win.




Alumni News - 10/10/11

After leading her team to two key Colonial Athletic Association victories over James Madison and George Mason this past weekend, senior University of Delaware volleyball team member Kim Stewart (East Kentwood) was named the CAA Player of the Week. Stewart set season highs against the Dukes, knocking down 16 kills while only making one error. She took 37 swings during the Friday night match, ending with a season’s best .405 attack percentage. Stewart also added 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. The senior co-captain collected another double-double against Mason on Sunday with 15 kills and 14 digs. Again, she only committed only one error, taking 39 swings for a .359 hitting clip. For the week, Stewart collected 31 kills with two errors on 76 attempts. She hit .382 over the two matches, while adding 25 digs four assists and one solo block. She averaged 3.88 kills per set, playing in all eight games.



Olivet College sophomore Kaitlyn Salhaney (East Kentwood) has been named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Specialty Player of the Week for volleyball.  Salhaney bounced back from an illness early in the week to post 40 digs in two matches, averaging 5.71 digs per set played. She had 14 digs in a loss at Adrian College Oct. 7, and followed that performance with a career-best, single-match high 26 digs in a four-set win over Albion College Oct. 8.



Senior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) had a strong weekend for Hillsdale College, leading the Chargers to a pair of home sweeps over North Division opponents. For her efforts she was named the GLIAC South Player of the Week. Crowder had 12 kills against both Lake Superior State and Northwood, racking up a hitting percentage of .477 for the weekend. She had just three hitting errors on 44 total attempts. Crowder also averaged two digs per set throughout the weekend, and led Hillsdale in kills.





Alumni News - 9/19/11

Junior middle hitter Anne Sutton (Northview) of the 2011 Ferris State University women's volleyball team has earned this week's GLIAC North Division Player of the Week honor as a result of her contribution to the Bulldogs' three victories this past week in conference match play.  Sutton helped lead Ferris State to a perfect 3-0 weekend with wins over Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State and Northwood. She accounted for 25 kills over the three-match win streak and had a .625 hitting percentage along with 10 kills against Northwood in the weekend finale on Sunday (Sept. 18). For the week, Sutton averaged 2.78 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and 3.33 points per game. She also tallied eight total blocks. Sutton is currently second in the GLIAC in hitting percentage at .446 on the year. To date this season, Sutton has 95 kills compared to her 44 kills at the same point a season ago. She has also totaled 15 blocks in the Bulldogs' nine outings thus far, which includes five block solos and ten block assists. This week's selection marks the first time Sutton has received the GLIAC weekly honor in her collegiate career.



Hillsdale College senior Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) earned her first GLIAC South Division Player of the Week honor of the season Monday afternoon. The award was chosen and announced by the conference office.  Crowder led the Charger volleyball team to another perfect weekend, as she racked up 26 kills and 26 digs while the team increased its current winning streak to eight, a streak that includes seven straight 3-0 sweeps.  She had 14 kills and 10 digs in Saturday's 3-0 win over Tiffin. Friday night, Crowder generated 12 kills, hit .393 and had a career-high 16 digs in the team's sweep over Ohio Dominican.  Crowder was a 2010 AVCA Division II First-Team All-American and was last season's GLIAC Player of the Year. This season, she is ranked seventh in the GLIAC in hitting percentage, sixth in total kills and third in service aces. She has helped the Chargers to an 8-1 start and 5-0 in conference play.




Alumni News - 9/14/11

Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) earned national recognition for her stellar play last week at Western Kentucky. She also earned Player of the Week honors from the Sun Belt Conference. Skinner, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, recorded a double-double of 10 kills and 14 digs in a three-set sweep of Lipscomb (25-14, 27-25, 25-20) in the first match of the week on Sept. 6. At the team's WKU Invitational on Friday, Skinner slammed down 30 kills and had 12 digs in a four-set win over Xavier (19-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17), and she later added 19 kills and 15 digs in a 25-19, 25-14, 25-20 win over Wake Forest for her third consecutive double-double.  Skinner closed out the tournament with 21 kills against Louisiana State in a 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22 win Saturday to finish with 80 kills and 50 digs for the week.  Skinner is the first Hilltopper player since Amanda Schiff on Nov. 10, 2003 to receive the Division I national honor. She has 165 kills, 130 digs and 29 blocks in 11 matches this season.  Western Kentucky is 10-1 following a three-set sweep of Tennessee State (25-20, 29-27, 25-20) on Tuesday. The team's lone loss came against Kentucky, on Sept. 2. The Hilltoppers face Missouri on Friday in a tournament in Washington, D.C.

Alumni News - 9/12/11

Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) has been named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. A junior outside hitting at Western Kentucky, this is Skinner's first honor of her career.  Skinner impacted the Lady Toppers in all aspects of the game as she led them to a 4-0 week while earning Most Valuable Player honors at the WKU Tournament. Skinner finished the week with 80 kills, 5.71 per set, a .321 hitting percentage, 50 digs, 3.57 per set, and 13 total blocks. In three of the four matches, Skinner tallied double-doubles in kills and digs giving her seven in the first 10 matches of the season.



Jessica Brown (East Kentwood), a middle blocker at Western Michigan, was named to the All-Tournament team at the Morehead State tournament.  In a 5-set victory over the hosts to close out the tournament, she had 11 kills and 5 blocks.



Alumni News - 9/5/11

Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) led her Hillsdale Chargers to a 4-0 record at the University of Indianapolis Invitational over the weekend, including a 5-set win over rival and host UIndy.  She was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts.



Anne Sutton (Northview), a junior middle blocker for Ferris State, was named to the All-Tournament team at the Bulldogs' Invitational over the weekend.  Her team went 4-0 to start their season.



Taylor Root (Jenison), libero for Valparaiso landed herself a spot on Valpo's Marriott Volley Brawl All-Tournament team over the weekend.  She helped her team to a 2nd place finish in the tournament.



Jordyn Skinner (South Christian), junior outside hitter for Western Kentucky earned spots on the Kentucky Classic All-Tournament team. Skinner finished the weekend with a team-high 45 kills, seven blocks and added 33 digs.



Leah Poel (Jenison), sophomore setter at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, totaled a season-high 54 assists in a 5 set loss to Montana at the North Dakota Invite.  Poel's effort earned her a spot on the all-tournament team for the Phoenix. The sophomore setter tallied 116 assists for the tourney for an average of 10.55 assists per set and also ranked third on the squad in digs with 27.





Alumni News - 8/29/11

Jessica Brown (East Kentwood), a junior middle blocker at Western Michigan, was named to the All-Tournament team after WMU won the Marriott Cavalier Classic.  In their final match of the tournament against USC-Upstate Brown had 12 kills.



*Special Note* WMU will host Seton Hall this Saturday at 7 p.m.  FaR Out alum Morgan DeVries plays for Seton Hall.

Junior Taylor Root (Jenison) picked up her sixth career Player of the Week honor from the Horizon League office on Monday, receiving Defensive Player of the Week accolades for her efforts on the back line at the WVU Mountaineer Invitational last weekend. She was also named to the All-Tournament team.  Root led her Valparaiso Crusaders in the back, helping hold their opponents to .106 hitting on the weekend as Valpo opened the season 3-1. The junior paced all players in digs in each of the season’s first three matches, picking up 15 digs against #21 Ohio State and 12 digs in a sweep of Robert Morris. Root’s weekend was highlighted by a 33-dig effort in a five-set comeback victory over host West Virginia, her fourth career 30-plus dig effort. The 33 digs also was just two off of her career high in the category as well.



Toledo junior Bailey Blank (Forest Hills Eastern) accumulated 11 kills and a team-best .562 ATK% at Toledo's Blue-Gold Invitational.  She was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts.  You can read more from Bailey about her team's upcoming trip to Michigan state this weekend here.



Evansville sophomore Rachel TenHoor (Forest Hills Eastern) helped her team to a perfect 4-0 start and a tournament championship at UNC Greensboro.  In the last two matches Rachel had a total of 25 kills and earn All-Tourney honors.  Her team will match up against Root's Valparaiso's squad this weekend at Valpo.



Alumni News - 12/28/10

Valparaiso sophomore libero Taylor Root (Jenison) received AVCA Honorable Mention All-American accolades this season after being named to the All-Midwest Region squad. Root set new single-season program and Horizon League records with 754 total digs on the season. Her average of 5.94 digs/set leads all of NCAA Division I volleyball, as she will become the first individual national statistical leader in Crusader volleyball history. The Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time league Defensive Player of the Week selection and the MVP of the Bradley Invitational, Root tied or outright led the Crusaders in all 34 matches she played in, led all players in digs 22 times and registered at least 20 digs in 25 matches.



Alumni News - 12/3/10

Kim Stewart, a junior outside hitter on University of Delaware volleyball team, was named to the COBRA Magazine All-Northeast Region team, announced by the magazine on Thursday. COBRA Magazine is the world’s first publication that celebrates and tells the stories of educated African American women who play volleyball. COBRA features some of the best volleyball players in the world. Stewart was one of 15 players named to the All-Northeast Region team, along with six players named to the Honorable Mention. Laurie Gonzalez of Albany was named the Northeast Region Player of the Year. The Kentwood, Mich. native was third on the Blue Hens in kills (298), kills per set (2.57), total blocks (61), and points per game (3.15). Stewart was also second on the team in digs (336), service aces (35), and digs per set (2.90). Read more . . .




Alumni News - 11/28/10

Four alumni and their respective teams have qualified for the NCAA Div. 1 National Tournament!

Megan Hendrickson (Jenison) and the rest of the Duke Bluedevils earned the No. 12 seed in the overall tournament.

Despite finishing 2nd in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) and the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers earned an at-large bid to the national tournament.

The University of Michigan Wolverines have earned an at-large bid to the tournament.  Michelle McMahon (Forest Hills Northern) is a defensive specialist for the Wolverines.

After being down 2 sets to 1, the Delaware Blue Hens battled back to win the CAA Conference tournament to earn their bid to the national tournament.  Kimberly Stewart (East Kentwood) was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.



Check out the entire bracket.  First round matches begin on Friday, Dec. 3.

Alumni News - 11/19/10

IPFW sophomore setter Megan Steenhuysen (East Kentwood) was named the Summit League Setter of the Year. Steenhuysen was also selected to the All-Conference First Team. Steenhuysen averaged 9.85 assists per set on the season, finishing second in the league in the statistic, and was one of just two setters on the season to earn the Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honor. She also finished the regular season with 273 digs, which earned her 15 double-doubles, the 11th most in a single season in school history.



Two FaR Out alumni and Western Michigan players earned All-Conference recognition from the Mid-American Conference.  Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Brown (East Kentwood) was named to the 1st team, while senior right side hitter Allyson Doyle (BC St. Phil) was named to the 2nd team.

  

Sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) earned 1st team recognition in the Sun Belt Conference for her efforts this season.  Skinner is one of the top all-around players in the league who is a primary passer for the Lady Toppers. The Michigan native has recorded three double-doubles, the last against No. 21-ranked Cincinnati. The sophomore has eight matches this season with double-digit kills and 16 with double-digit digs, which includes nine of the last 11 matches. In 105 sets this season, Skinner is averaging 2.41 kills per set and 3.00 digs per set.



Valparaiso sophomore libero Taylor Root (Jenison) has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. Root earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor after a regular season in which she averaged a league-best 5.82 digs/set, which ranks second nationally entering this week. The sophomore has at least tied for team-high honors in the category in all 30 matches in which she has played and has led all players in 22 matches. The three-time league Defensive Player of the Week and Bradley Invitational MVP has picked up at least 10 digs in every appearance and has registered 20 or more on 21 occasions.  Root’s 663 total digs on the year rank third in a single-season in program history and are second-most in a single year in league history. She receives All-League accolades for the second time as well, as Root also earned year-end honors from the league during her freshman campaign.



Hillsdale junior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) was named the GLIAC Player of the Year.  Crowder becomes the third Hillsdale College volleyball player to earn the GLIAC “Player of the Year” honor in the past five seasons. She leads the Chargers in kills this season and has improved her hitting percentage by nearly 100 points over last season. She already ranks as one of the most highly honored player in the program’s history, having been named GLIAC “Freshman of the Year,” First-Team All-GLIAC, First Team All-Region and Third Team All-American during her career. Crowder already ranks third in school history in career kills.



Alumni News - 11/16/10

Aquinas senior setter Katie VanderMeer (East Kentwood) has been named the WHAC Player of the Year.  During her senior season she had 1,317 assists, 221 kills and recorded 31 serving aces.  The East Kentwood graduate capped off a stellar career playing at both Michigan State and Aquinas.



Davenport freshman and Caledonia alum Nicole Chase was named to the WHAC All-Freshmen team.  Chase finished fourth on the team with 184 kills and led the squad with 112 total blocks and 99 assist blocks.





Alumni News - 11/3/10

Valparaiso sophomore libero Taylor Root (Jenison) currently leads all of NCAA Division I volleyball with 5.84 digs/set, according to the NCAA’s latest statistical report through matches of Oct. 31. Root has helped pace the Crusaders to the second spot in the nation in digs/set as a squad as well. Root has been a consistent presence in the back row for Valpo all season long, registering double-digit dig totals in all 27 matches, posting 15+ digs 26 times and reaching at least 20 digs on 19 occasions. She has at least tied for team-high honors in digs in every match this year and has led all players in 20 contests. A three-time Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week this season, Root has accumulated 596 total digs this year with at least six matches left to play, already fifth-most in a single season both in program history and in Horizon League history.



Hillsdale Junior Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) reached the 1,000 kill milestone over the weekend with a 3-0 win over Findlay.  She become just the sixth player in Hillsdale school history to hit four figures in career kills. In this match, she was at her best, leading all players with 13 kills to go along with one service ace, one dig, and a .357 attack percentage.




Aquinas senior setter Katie Vander Meer (East Kentwood) was named the MVP of the Cornerstone Tournament and earned Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) volleyball player of the week honors.  Vander Meer recorded 230 assists, 62 digs, 21 blocks and three service aces during the Saints' 6-0 week. She also recorded 38 kills with an attack percentage of 0.515.  The setter currently ranks 13th in the NAIA for total assists (1,183) and No. 40 in assists per game (9.5).



Alumni News - 10/27/10

For the third time this season and fifth time in her career, Valparaiso sophomore libero Taylor Root (Jenison) has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week. Root, who is now tied for fifth in league history with five career weekly honors, earned her latest award after yet another stellar week in the back row. The sophomore kicked off the week with a 22-dig effort in a sweep at Oakland, tying for match-high honors, and then registered a match-best 21 digs in a Horizon League sweep of UIC. Root has now reached 20 or more digs in 17 of Valpo’s 24 matches and has led all players in 18 contests.




Alumni News - 10/13/10

Former Northview standout Anne Sutton who now plays at Ferris State was recently featured in the Grand Rapids press for her ArtPrize entry.  Click here for the full story.



Western Michigan senior outside hitter Allyson Doyle (BC St. Phil) was named one of 10 finalists for the first Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. Doyle, a two-year team captain for the Broncos (13-6, 4-2 MAC), holds a 4.0 grade point average majoring in speech pathology and audiology. This season, Doyle has earned the Mid-American Conference Female Scholar Athlete of the Week award, while compiling 153 kills, 242 digs, 46 assists, 39 blocks, 10 aces and .283 attack percentage. A 2009 First Team All-MAC, Academic All-MAC and ESPN First Team Academic All-District honoree, Doyle ranks 16th in career kills (1,067), fourth in career digs (1,459), seventh in career block assists (304), 11th in career total blocks (318) and 17th in career total points (1,308.0).






Alumni News - 10/6/10

Hillsdale junior Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) was named the GLIAC South Division's Player of the Week by the conference office Monday afternoon. It is the fifth time in her distinguished career she has earned the GLIAC's weekly honor.  Crowder helepd lead the 14th-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team to a pair of 3-0 sweeps on the road over South Division foes Wayne State and Findlay over the weekend. In each match, she totaled 13 kills, with an overall weekend hitting percentage of .389.





Alumni News - 9/29/10

The Mid-American Conference announced today that Western Michigan sophomore Jessica Brown (East Kentwood) is the MAC West Offensive Player of the Week. This is the second weekly award of Brown's career and the first this season. The middle blocker was the top offensive player at University Arena in a pair of sweeps by the Broncos to open Mid-American Conference play. Brown hit .472 and averaged 4.67 kills and 5.17 points per set over the course of the minimum six sets. Brown started the weekend against Toledo with 13 kills on a .478 attack percentage and then increased her production against Ball State with 15 kills on a .467 attack percentage with a career-high four digs and four blocks.



Freshman middle blocker Nicole Chase (Caledonia) was named the women's athlete of the week at Davenport after helping her team to a 3-0 week.  In a match against conference opponent Concordia University Chase pounded 14 kills and had a hitting percentage of .571.




Alumni News - 9/22/10

Junior Kim Stewart (East Kentwood) helped her team to a 2nd place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational over the weekend.  Playing in front of lots of friends and family the outside hitter finished with a team high 32 kills, 43 digs, five block assists and two service aces though the three matches, two of which went into 5 sets.  Kim was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. 



Cornerstone freshmen outside hitter Abby Miedema (Hudsonville) was recognized for efforts at the IWU Best Western Wildcat Classic over the weekend.  Despite her team's 0-4 record, she earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.



Western Michigan sophomore middle blocker Jessica Brown (East Kentwood) had a great showing at the Seton Hall Invitational as her team concluded with a 3-0 record to win the tournament.  After posting 37 kills and hitting .321 she was named to the all-tournament team.



Alumni News - 9/15/10

Valparaiso sophomore libero Taylor Root (Jenison) has been recognized by the Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) as one of its Top Performers from last week after being named the Most Valuable Player at the CEFCU Classic, hosted by Bradley. In addition, the sophomore is ranked second in the nation in digs/set, as the NCAA released its first statistics report of the 2010 season today. Root, who has twice been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week this year already and has two All-Tournament honors to her credit this season, is now averaging 6.05 digs/set through 11 matches, second nationally behind only Yale’s Kelly Ozurovich, who is posting 6.15 digs/set. 

Junior Ashlee Crowder (Jenison) led the #24-ranked Hillsdale Chargers to three straight 3-0 wins over GLIAC South Division opponents last week, generating 4.3 kills per set. Her best match came against Ashland on Saturday, where she had a match-high 15 kills with a .452 attack percentage. She had a season-high six block assists in the team’s sweep of Wayne State last Tuesday, and Sunday against Lake Erie, had 10 kills while playing in just two sets.



IPFW sophomore setter Megan Steenhuysen (East Kentwood) has been named as The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for her performances against Oakland, Bowling Green, and Cornell, which also earned her the Most Valuable Player honors at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational hosted by Bowling Green. The sophomore picks up the first Player of the Week honors of her career after dishing out 137 assists over the course of three matches, including a career-high 54 against Oakland on Friday. She also picked up a career-high five kills against Oakland, which included the set-winning point in set three of the conference victory. She added 10 digs for her third double-double of the season.



Wake Forest senior setter Kelsey Jones (Forest Hills Northern) was named Black and Gold Challenge Most Valuable Player after helping her team to a 3-0 record in the tournament.  Jones ended the ECU match with 33 assists, three kills, two digs and a block.  Jones' MVP selection was due large part to the Demon Deacons' success on offense this weekend. Jones spread the wealth and led the Deacs to a .297 hitting percentage for the three matches. Coming into the weekend, the Deacs had been hitting just .192 as a team. The Deacon setter dished out 109 assists at a rate of 12.11 per set. Her average over the first six matches of the year was 9.73 assists per set.



Former FaR Out teammates Kim Stewart (East Kentwood) and Megan Hendrickson (Jenison) were reunited when Delaware traveled to the Duke Invitational.  These two first played together in 2004 are now helping their team's offense from the outside hitter position.  Duke won the match 3-0.


 

Alumni News - 9/5/10

Western Kentucky sophomore outside hitter Jordyn Skinner (South Christian) helped her team to a 3-0 run at the Xavier Invitational.  For her efforts she was named to the all-tournament team.



Four FaR Out alumni took the floor at the same time on August 31 when IPFW (Taryn Parker, Caledonia & Megan Steenhuysen, East Kentwood) traveled to WMU (Allyson Doyle, BC St. Phil & Jessica Brown, East Kentwood) for a rematch from 2009 when IPFW defeated the Broncos. Western was having none of that this year as they beat the Mastadons in 3 sets. The four former FaR Out standouts all had a great match, though.

1995

Julie Sterk - South Christian - Miami of Ohio
Heather Velting - South Christian - Hope College

1996

Kristy Kale - Jackson - Grand Valley State

1997

Monique Goulet – East Kentwood - Wayne State & Grand Valley State

1998

Shannon Doyle - East Kentwood - Kent State University

1999

Kristi Price - Reed City - Eastern Michigan

2000

Jenny Rood - Rockford - Michigan State
Susan Poll - East Kentwood - Miami of Ohio
Cheryl Blok - East Kentwood - Eastern Michigan
Kele Eveland - East Kentwood - Georgia Tech University - Currently playing in Spain
Sarah Spaulding - East Kentwood - Hillsdale
Katie Wagenmaker - Jenison - Eastern Michigan
Erica Heisser - Forest Hills Central - Marquette University

2001

Kim Swenson - East Kentwood - Northwood University
Laura Bellinger – Portage Northern - North Alabama

2002

Alison Nykamp - Zeeland - Madonna University
Allison Park - Jenison - Cornerstone University
Natalie Kapteyn - East Kentwood - Ashland University - now in the Army, based in Korea
Whitney Lane - East Kentwood - Oakland University
Kathryn Babcock - Forest Hills Central - Western Michigan University
Caitlin White - Forest Hills Central - Furman University
Molly Young - Forest Hills Northern - Grand Valley State
Lindsey Taatjes - Forest Hills Northern - Taylor University

2004

Ki Eveland - East Kentwood - Boise State University
Jennifer Stewart - East Kentwood - Akron University
Madeline Means - East Kentwood - Bowling Green University
Alex Buth - East Grand Rapids - University of Colorado
Emily Nemmers - East Kentwood - Ferris State University
Emilie York - Forest Hills Northern - Taylor University

2005

Emily Wolthuis - South Christian - Robert Morris
Morgan Smith - Forest Hills Central - Hope College
Stephanie Helmus - South Christian - Dordt College
Stephanie Peuler - South Christian - Dordt College
Kylee Damstra - South Christian - Hope College
Lindsey Davis – Rockford - Glenville State
Caroline Frens – Jenison - Austin Peay
Krista Groce – East Kentwood - Kent State
Katie Greiner – East Kentwood - Indiana Wesleyan University

2006

Kyle Jelke – Forest Hills Central - Northwood
Lauren Reber – Flint Carmen-Ainsworth - GVSU
Liz Sundberg – West Ottawa - Toledo
Lisa Naymick – North Muskegon - Michigan State
Amanda Morley – West Ottawa - Oakland University
Teresa Borst – Zeeland - Hope College
Elyse Groh – Portage Central - St. Louis University
Stephanie McCarthy – Kenowa Hills - GVSU
Meghan Scanlon – Jenison - GVSU
Marcie Blacquiere – South Christian - Cornerstone
Janelle Beaudry – Forest Hills Northern - Eastern Michigan & GVSU
Brittany Bowen – Forest Hills Central - Western Kentucky
Alisha Glass – Leland - Penn State
Lauren Saelens – Kelloggsville - Glenville State
Jennifer Hecht - Leland - Glenville State
Whitney Tremain – East Kentwood - Michigan State/ GVSU 
Katie Vander Meer – East Kentwood - MSU/Aquinas
Meredith Young – Forest Hills Northern - GVSU
Kaity Gormley – Portage Central - GVSU
Inta Grinvalds – Portage Central - Madonna University
Holly Cousins – Forest Hills Central - Cornerstone University
Kristin Johnson - Lowell - University of Findlay

2007

Lisa Johnson - Central Michigan
Megan Racette - Western Michigan*
Lauren Jones - Kent State
Kelsey Jones - Wake Forest
Courtney McCotter - GVSU
Rachel Vanderwall - Hillsdale
Taryn Parker - IPFW
Katie Schwarz – Belmont*
Allyson Doyle - Western Michigan
Stephanie Harmon - Illinois Institute of Technology
Deena Blanchard - Illinois Institute of Technology
Emily Good - Eastern Michigan
Traci Baker - GVSU/Hope
Courtney McCotter - GVSU
Sara Lowe – GVSU*
Jen Skinner - Iowa Western CC*
Alicia TerHaar - Cornerstone

2008

Kim Stewart - University of Delaware
Anne Sutton - Ferris State
Ashlee Crowder - Hillsdale
Melanie Naber – Colorado*
Casey Sines – Memphis/Butler
Chelsea Fraser-Lee - Spring Arbor
Amber Hargett – Aquinas*
Ashley Nevelle - Cincinnati/Oakland
Michelle McMahon - Michigan
Ashley Kimball – Oakland*
Lexi Adams - Belmont

2009

Megan Steenhuysen - IPFW
Jessica Brown - Western Michigan
Megan Hendrickson - Duke
Taylor Root - Valparaiso
Morgan DeVries - Seton Hall
Jordyn Skinner - Western Kentucky
Marie Roof - Notre Dame
Megan LaValley – GRCC*
Bailey Blank - Toledo
Jessica Bredeweg - Aquinas
Kate Zwier - Cornerstone
Courtney Earles - Hope

2010

Rachel TenHoor - Evansville
Leah Poel - University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Emma Hukill - Oakland Community College
Carly Edwards - Villanova University
Stephanie DeYoung - Ferris State
Lindsee Weis - St. Francis
Nicole Chase - Davenport
Toni Cole - Kishwaukee College
Kaitlyn Salhaney - Olivet College
Abby Miedema - Cornerstone University
Lea Klooster - Alma College

2011

Belma Alic - Davenport
Heather Gates - Bethel
Erin Henson - Elmhurst
Chelsea Lake - Cornerstone
Hannah Stone - Davenport
Amy Vanderstoep - Hope
Kayla Vogel - Madonna


*No longer active