KOEHLER AND HALCOMB NAMED ALL-AMERICAN; 1st TEAM ALL-AVCA REGION TEAM
The Shawnee State volleyball has had much success this 2009 season.  The Bears swept through conference play as they won the American Mideast Conference with a perfect record of 12-0.  They earned their second consecutive bid to the NAIA National Tournament.  They defeated Union (KY) in three sets in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament to earn their first trip to Sioux City, Iowa.  Six players earned All-American Conference honors; Haley Halcomb was named AMC Setter of the Year and Kristy Kamer earned AMC Coach of the Year status.  Halcomb and Heather Koehler were earned 1st Team All-AVCA Northeastern Region and Kamer earned the Coach of Year honor.  The Shawnee State volleyball team also earned one more accomplishment this season as they had two players named NAIA All-Americans, as Koehler was named 3rd Team All-American and Halcomb was named Honorable Mention. 

Koehler, a 5-11 outside hitter from Russellville, Ohio led the team with 473 kills on the season.  She averaged 3.75 kills per game and tallied a hitting percentage of .329.  She also tallied 208 digs, 55 blocks, 24 service aces, and six assists on the season.

The Shawnee State volleyball team, which has accumulated a list of achievements this season, adds another to their resume as six Bears earned American Mideast Conference honors.  The Bears earned top honors as Haley Halcomb was named Setter of the Year and Kristy Kamer earned Coach of the Year status.  Along with Halcomb, Heather Koehler also earned 1st Team honors, while Jami Turrill and Tiffany Dailey was named to 2nd Team and Megan Wills and Kim Rosen earned honorable mention recognition.  Rosen was also named to the AMC Freshman Team. 

Halcomb, a 5-7 junior setter from Frankfort, Ohio, leads the Bears as she tallied 1,382 assists on the season and averaged 10.91 sets per game.  She also has tallied 433 digs, 77 kills, 30 service aces, and 29 blocks.

Koehler, a 5-11 junior outside hitter from Russellville, Ohio, led the Bears with 473 kills on the season.  She averages 3.75 kills per game and has accumulated a .329 hitting percentage on the season.  Koehler has also tallied 208 digs, 55 blocks, and 24 services aces on the season.

Turrill, a 5-10 junior middle hitter from Albany, Ohio, led the Bears with 88 blocks on the season and is second on the team as she totaled 330 kills and 435 digs for the Bears. Turrill averaged 2.62 kills per game and tallied 32 service aces on the season.

Dailey, a 5-5 junior defensive specialist from Chillicothe, Ohio, led the Bears defense.  On the season, Dailey has tallied 702 digs to go along with 33 kills and 18 service aces.

Wills, a 5-11 senior outside hitter from Lancaster, Ohio, has tallied 314 kills, 145 digs, 31 blocks, 22 assists, and 20 service aces. 

Rosen, a 6-1 freshman middle hitter from Harrison, Ohio, led the Bears with a .376 hitting percentage.  On the season, she tallied 307 kills, 41 digs, 51 blocks, and 13 assists.  Rosen was also named to AMC Freshman Team. 

Shawnee State University won the American Mideast Conference with a perfect 12-0 record to receive the school's second overall and second consecutive bid.  The Bears finished the regular season with their best record in school history with an overall record of 30-3.  

Union College will make their first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament as they finished the regular season with an overall record of 29-4 and won both the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season and the AAC tournament championship. 

The Bears are led by floor general and American Mideast Conference Setter of the Year junior Haley Halcomb.  Halcomb ranks 8th in the NAIA as she averages 11.1 assists per game. 

At the net, the Bears bring a balanced attack.  Junior 1st Team AMC honoree and outside hitter Heather Koehler leads the Bears in kills as she averages 3.7; while junior 2nd Team AMC honoree Jami Turrill averages 2.7 kills per game in the middle.  Freshman outside hitter Kim Rosen (honorable mention All-AMC) is a persistent attacker as she averages 2.6 kills per game and ranks 8th in the NAIA with a hitting percentage of 39%.  Other players to watch for the Bears include senior outside hitter Megan Wills, who earned honorable mention All-AMC recognition and junior outside hitter Chelsea Howard.

Defensively, the Bears have a solid back line and rank 1st in the NAIA as they average over 22 digs per game.  The Bears are led by defensive specialist and 2nd Team honoree Tiffany Dailey.  Dailey is ranked 26th in the NAIA with 645 total digs on the season.  Freshman Jessica Winklemand, Turrill, and Howard will assist Dailey in the back row.

The Bulldogs of Union College will provide stiff competition for the Bears.  They are lead by the Appalachian Athletic Conference Setter of the Year Monica Moreland.  Moreland averages 10.2 assists per game and ranks 25th in the NAIA.

Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by outside hitter Brooke Vinovich and Autumn Combs in the middle.  The two average 2.4 and 2.2 kills per game and earned 1st Team recognition in the AAC.  Others to watch at the net include Amanda Cantrell and Chelsea Kirshman. 

The Bulldogs also bring a solid back row defense.  They are led by AAC Libero of the Year Amanda Silva.  Silva ranks 23rd in the NAIA with 5.5 digs per game.

"This is a great experience for Shawnee State University, our program, and our community," says Shawnee State Head Volleyball Coach Kristy Kamer.  "Our program has come a long way and our ladies have worked hard. They deserve this opportunity."

The 30th NAIA Volleyball National Championship has the top 11 teams receiving opening round byes, while the next 24 teams will play in the opening round matches on November 21.  All matches will be played at on-campus sites. 

The winners of the NAIA National Championship Opening Rounds matches will advance with the teams that received first-round byes to the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa; location of the NAIA National Championship presented by Siouxland Sports Medicine Foundation December 1 through 5.  

The final 24 teams will be placed into six pools and will play a round robin pool play December 1-3, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the single elimination bracket starting Dec. 4.  The championship match will take place at 8 p.m. (CST) on December 5. 

KOEHLER NAMED AMC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SSU outside hitter Heather Koehler has been selected the AMC Player of the Week in volleyball for competition staged on October 5-11.

Koehler, a 5-11 junior from Russellville, Ohio, guided the Bears to a 5-0 record and sole possession of first place in the AMC.  She averaged 3.55 kills and 2.09 digs per set.

In 22 sets played, Koehler totaled 78 kills with a .265 attack percentage.  She contributed 46 digs, 10 blocks, two service aces, and two assists.

Koehler buried 27 kills in a five-set victory over AMC foe Malone.  She averaged 4.07 kills and 2.21 digs in three league victories.