JSU's Nold named OVC's top coach

That didn't take long.

No sooner did the previous post hit the Web then the All-OVC volleyball team hit cyberspace.

As expected, Rick Nold was named conference Coach of the Year after guiding a JSU team picked sixth in the preseason coaches poll to the regular-season championship. It's his second OVC Coach of the Year distinction.

The Gamecocks placed two players on the All-OVC first team and two on the All-Newcomer team.

Brittney Whitten and Caitlin Vorbeck made the eight-player first team, while Alyx Schulte and Jen Meyer were All-Newcomer.

Whitten, an outside hitter, repeats on the first team. She ranks among OVC leaders with 3.23 kills and 3.82 digs per set. She had double-doubles in all but seven matches this season and hit the 20-plus digs mark six times.

Vorbeck, a middle blocker/outside hitter, recorded 32 service aces and 61 total blocks this season. She averaged 2.89 kills and had 10 or more in 17 matches. She ranks among league leaders with 3.49 points per set.

Schulte was third on the JSU squad with 2.35 kills per set while Meyer led the team with a .292 attack percentage.

The other major award winners were Austin Peay's Stephanie Champine (Player of the Year), Murray State's Kayleah Sauer (Defensive Player of the Year) and Morehead State’s Annie Gruenschlaeger (Freshman of the Year).