Mari Hole, Emily Danks Earn All-Big Ten Honors

Mari Hole was named All-Big Ten, while Emily Danks earned Honorable Mention

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State women’s volleyball junior Mari Hole was named to the 2011 All-Big Ten team and junior Emily Danks earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, the league office announced Tuesday. The teams were selected by a vote of the conference coaches and were based on conference play.

 

Hole, who transferred to Ohio State from UCLA prior to the start of the season, earned her first Big Ten honor after leading the squad with 3.78 kills per set in conference action. That mark ranked fifth in the league. She also finished sixth in Big Ten competition with an average of 4.28 points per set. The Oslo, Norway, product notched one Big Ten Player of Week nod this season and finished with 28 double-digit kill matches overall, including five matches with 20 or more kills.

 

The Big Ten honor is the first for Danks, who ranks second in the conference with an average of 0.43 service aces per set against league competition. The Round Rock, Texas, native finished Big Ten play second on the team with a 2.91 kills per set average and totaled 57 blocks against conference foes. Danks finished the regular season with 25 double-digit kill performances and had three with 20 or more kills.

 

Also receiving recognition from the league was senior co-captain Kelli Barhorst, who was awarded the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honor. The 2010 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention finished the season with eight double-digit kill performances and had nine matches with five or more blocks. The Anna, Ohio, product was second on the team with a 0.85 blocks per set average against Big Ten competition.

 

The Buckeyes earned an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship and are set to play Middle Tennessee State at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday at the Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

 

ALL-BIG TEN*

Michelle Bartsch, Sr., OH, ILL (2)

COLLEEN WARD, Sr., OH, ILL (2)

JENILEE RATHJE, Sr., OH, MSU (2)

Tori Dixon, So., MB, MINN

ASHLEY WITTMAN, So., OH, MINN

Lauren Cook, Jr., S, NEB

GINA MANCUSO, Jr., OH, NEB

Hannah Werth, Jr., OH, NEB

Stephanie Holthus, So., OH, NU

Mari Hole, Jr., OH, OSU

Deja McClendon, So., OH, PSU (2)

ARIEL SCOTT, So., RS, PSU

Katie Slay, So., MB, PSU

TIFFANY FISHER, Sr., MB, PUR

ARIEL TURNER, Jr., OH, PUR

 

Honorable Mention

Alex Hunt, Sr., OH, MICH

Kyndra Abron, Sr., OH, MSU

Morgan Broekhuis, So., RS, NEB

Brooke Delano, Sr., MB, NEB

Emily Danks, Jr., RS, OSU

Alexis Mitchell, Jr., MH, WIS

 

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Liz McMahon, OPP, ILL

Lexi Dannemiller, S, MICH

Katie Dutchman, MB, NU

MICHA HANCOCK, S, PSU

Kierra Jones, MB, PUR

Ellen Chapman, OH, WIS

Courtney Thomas, S/OH, WIS

 

* Additional honorees due to a tie

Unanimous selections in CAPS

Career selections in parentheses

 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ariel Turner, PUR

 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Katie Slay, PSU

 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Micha Hancock, PSU

 

COACH OF THE YEAR (COACHES AND MEDIA)

Dave Shondell, PUR

 

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES

Rachel Feldman, ILL
Lindsay Enterline, IND
Mallory Husz, IOWA
Sloane Donhoff, MICH
Jenilee Rathje, MSU

Mia Tabberson, MINN

Brigette Root, NEB

Madalyn Shalter, NU

Kelli Barhorst, OSU

Maggie Harding, PSU

Emily Ehlers, PUR

Caroline Workman, WIS